JOIN USBreaking common stereotypes
There is a tanker load of stereotypes that we use on a daily basis, that we throw away carelessly without giving a second thought. They can either have a negative or positive effect, regardless of which, we reinforce them on a daily basis. The most famous (rather, infamous) ones are gender stereotypes, which range from ‘pink is for girls and blue is for boys’ to ‘women are meant to stay at home and cook’.
These stereotypes are so deadly that they have sunk into our skins and have become a part of our daily routine. We find it necessary to hand out gender roles to anyone who passes by us. To celebrate ‘Women’s Day’, Jealous 21 decided to help break some of these stereotypes. Teaming up with ‘Bikerni’, an all-women’s biker group, the jeans brand had a biking marathon called ‘Butt Out Brigade’.
Almost 30 bikers rode from CMH Road to New BEL Road. The women sat on powerful bikes and garnered stares and appreciation. Between them, they had a shiny collection that ranged from Bajaj Avengers, Royal Enfields, Hero Karizmas, KTM 200 Dukes and a solo Harley-Davidson.
Talking about how she got on to a bike, Roshini, the group head of the Bengaluru chapter of ‘Bikerni’, said, “Riding a bike is the ultimate freedom! We go out on biking trips every weekend and these trips are an adventure for us; I wait for the weekends. I actually started riding a bike because I needed a faster way to commute. Then I started getting out of the City. There was no looking back after that!”
Roshini says when she initially started riding, which was in 2011, there were hardly any women riders around. “Back then, I could find only five or six. Now, we have a group of 40.” Candida, who rides a Thunderbird 350, teaches other women how to ride a bike.
“I started riding when I was in seventh standard, because my dad was a little shorter than me. On the way back, I would take over. Everyone can ride a non-geared vehicle, but bikes are different...when you are angry or just want to travel, they give you a sense of peace. I used to ride with only guys until I discovered ‘Bikerni’ and realised it’s nice to ride with women as well,” said Candida.
Most of these women not only take long rides on their ‘mean rides’, but they also follow safety regulations. Said Sonali, “My advice to people is that they wear their helmet and safety gear, and not a scarf. Some people avoid wearing a helmet because of the heat and say it ruins their skin, but it’s not worth the risk.”