Dear Bike Companies:

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Am I the only person who finds this conversation kind of disheartening? I hate flourescent yellow, but I wouldn't describe that color in the sort of disparaging terms I'm seeing here. The stereotypically feminine colors are being equated in this thread, by women, with youth, frivolity, a lack of seriousness ... who says? Isn't that the spin that stupid sexists put on the color pink? Why do you have to buy into it? Can't you just not like the color?

I love my pink bike and my pink and gray mountain bike, but this attitude is one of the reasons that I am really dreading the baby clothes we are going to receive now that people know we're expecting a daughter ... pink is such a loaded color, and I think that is just such a shame. There is nothing wrong with pink, but it carries all this baggage: not only is it practically mandatory for little girls, regardless of whatever their actual tastes might turn out to be, if anybody who is not a little girl decides they like pink, they are somehow being girly (in the perjorative sense, if we're talking about a guy), frivolous, or silly.

It's just a color. Don't ride it if you hate it, but you don't have to disparage everyone who does like it while you're at it.

We really dislike the fact that "most" bikes made for women are painted these same "loaded" colors that you yourself describe as being "practically mandatory" for little girls. You're right- sadly, those colors ARE practically mandatory for little girls! Should we all go along with them being mandatory for women as well? Society forces those colors onto every girl baby all the way through high school. Go into any JC Penney, Target, or WalMart girls dept...if your eyes can handle the sea of pale pink, shocking pink, and lavender.
We don't ask that "feminine colored" bikes be eliminated...simply give us a couple of the same color choices that non-women get as well- red instead of just pink or lavender, forest green, a strong blue instead of just baby blue, black or charcoal instead of just white. All we want is a choice.
I am not intending to attack any particular person- I dislike the colors that are being pushed at me just because I'm a woman. (and who gets to say what "feminine colors" ARE, anyway?-another interesting question for discussion)
I've bought cars for myself that were blue, red, black, maroon, and white. I never saw a new pink, baby blue, or lavender car for sale when I was car shopping. I wonder why they do this with bikes and not cars? If there were certain cars that only fit women, would they be only in "feminine" colors? VW beetles come in a great variety of colors, from cream to black to red to lime to baby blue. Women's clothes tend to come in all colors.
All interesting things to ponder...
But yes we are annoyed and frustrated by the very limited color choices decided for us based on woefully dated marketing.

I hear what you are saying, and I don't disagree with everything you said. But if I say that I don't want a pink or baby blue or lavender bike because it's too little girly or reminds me of Barbie or whatever, I don't think that's a terrible thing to say here. Everyone likes different colors for different reasons. I won't get upset if you say you don't want a fluorescent yellow bike because the color makes you hurl and looks "cheap".
I remember when I was in 1st grade...I had a big 64 box of Crayola crayons. I picked out the color that I hated the most...it was mustard. I remember thinkning that mustard color would make anyone just throw UP. I threw it away. Ironically, a few years ago I decided that my very favorite color in the world was.......mustard. Now I like even more colors than that. -And I just LOVE my pink tulips in the garden!

And sometimes- I like movies that are SO bad they cross over into GOOD. And sometimes I admire bikes that are SO ugly they become things of bizarre beauty...and they can be any color to qualify for that!

Pooks...if you get stuck buying a "girly looking" WSD bike, maybe you can make a frilly lacey rain cover for it out of one of those bundled knickers of yours.