Ladybiking Love or Did You Know It's Women's History Month?

Women's History Month always warms the cockles of my little feminist, mountain biking, skiing heart. (For those of you who need to be more on the ball about these things, that's March, which totally starts today). I was scanning the interwebz in honor of the occasion and stumbled across something pretty darn cool.

The League of American Bicyclists has a super awesome post about the role of bikes in feminism up today, which all my LRMB-ers should totally check out if they have the time.

The highlight? This quote from badass suffragette Susan B. Anthony: 

“Let me tell you what I think of bicycling,” she said. “I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel… the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.”
Keep in mind, because society has always enjoyed telling women what to wear, she said this while seeing women dressed like this:

Now, I will snark on spandex with the best of them, but guys, these ladies are wearing corsets. As in, actual whale bones compressing your entire chest and abdomen. And along with those ridiculous skirts, they have whole layers of petticoats underneath. I'm not totally sure how they're pulling this off. But they're still biking.

Lesson? Biking is awesome, and so are women. These particular women are awesome because this was quite literally one of the only ways their society allowed them to just be outside and use their bodies exactly as they pleased.

Now, I'm going skiing this weekend, which is something I definitely couldn't do in those skirts, but I'll be thinking of those women.

Biking and skiing are things I'm learning because I love to challenge my body and find new ways to use it. But no one, least of all me, should forget that having the sense of ownership in my time and myself that takes is a freedom that had to be won for me, that had to be won for every single woman out on the mountain with me this weekend. The League of American Bicyclists will be posting about some of the women who put in that work throughout the month, and I'll be keeping track of that.

Since Lord knows, I won't be biking (not until walking is less treacherous, anyway) I'm hoping to find the time to celebrate Women's History Month here on LRMB every so often. So along with fatbike spotting, ski adventuring and anxiously awaiting the chance to get Little Red back out and into the swing of things, watch for a little ladybiking love to come your way.

Or at least, know that I'll do my best.