Fashion mag making fun of bike commuting

[RolliePollie]

So I received a complimentary copy of the fashion magazine Marie Claire in the mail along with a special offer for a cheap one year subscription. I thought "cool, something free to look at!" and I actually kind of enjoyed flipping through the pages. That is, until I reached the very last page. I'm sure they were just trying to be funny. But here's what I saw:

A picture of the front end of a road bike and the caption "Ride Your Bike To Work Day, May 16....Arrive At Work Day, May 19"

How insulting! Here is a magazine filled with super skinny models parading around in revealing clothing and articles about how to be prettier, how to make your hair shinier, how to improve your sex life, etc. But they are making fun of cycling? They are making fun of exercise and being fit and improving your health? They are making fun of being green and taking advantage of an effective alternative form of transportation? Why not do an article on the fact that May is bicycle commuting month? Why not empower women to get out there and ride a bike? I'd like to see one of their anorexic models attempt to ride my commute!

Am I over-reacting? Probably. But I'm sending an email to the magazine's editor. And I'm going to let them know that I'm not super skinny nor am I super pretty, but my commute is 16 miles each way with over 2,000 feet of climbing on the way home and I am proud of myself every time I ride it (not that I commute often or anything...but I'm not going to mention that part). Oh, and I'm passing up the cheap subscription offer.