i have now seen it all

[rij73]

Valid points, uforgot... But, I don't think anyone was being disparaging of women who like floral patterns. We just hate it that they are marketing something WSD only because of the floral pattern.

I think lph said it best of all:

I wish that the label wsd could stick to gear that is functionally different, i.e. specifically designed to accomodate the physical differences between (most) men and (most) women. There's no reason the rest shouldn't be gender neutral.
It's nobody's business if I want something in flaming red with black skulls on it, or if my son happens to like pale blue or lilac, and we don't need to be told that "this is for women", with the annoying subtext that everything else is, by default, "for men".

[Aggie_Ama]

I think I catch what people are trying to say about the women's stuff being floral and pale colors. If this was also offered in say orange or black but still with women's features would that be okay? The design is definitely trying to change for women, although I need more water that that.
I personally like the girly stuff even though in my non-cycling life I am pretty much not girly. I hate fashion, styling my hair, in fact my only girly vice is eye makeup!

I have noticed a lot of the bike manufacturers offering gender neutral choices, maybe a slow change is coming. My WSD Cannondale came in the blue/black combo which is not over the top pink or floral but definitely not masculine and a very gender neutral silver and black.

[Bron]

lph pretty much summed up what I think too.

Personally, I am waiting for the day when traditional women's equipment is marketed with "men specific design" - vacuum cleaners with go-faster-stripes, washing machines being sold by motor size, ironing boards in black and chrome.........

[Thorn]

lph pretty much summed up what I think too.

Personally, I am waiting for the day when traditional women's equipment is marketed with "men specific design" - vacuum cleaners with go-faster-stripes, washing machines being sold by motor size, ironing boards in black and chrome.........

Brava! Well said....I need say no more....but, DH's reply....you mean like this one?

[susiej]

lph pretty much summed up what I think too.

Personally, I am waiting for the day when traditional women's equipment is marketed with "men specific design" - vacuum cleaners with go-faster-stripes, washing machines being sold by motor size, ironing boards in black and chrome.........

I'd like to see an end to "mens" and "womens," instead marketing what makes it different. For example, rather than WSD camelbacks, they would be "narrow shoulder" or "slim fit," because I can see a lot of young teen boys whose might be more comfortable in a "womens" pack -- until their shoulders broaden. And wasn't there a thread about shorter men who would be more comfortable on a WSD frame, but are put off by the classification as WSD?

It's a nice fantasy I live in, isn't it?

[rij73]

I agree susieJ, but indeed, it will be a long time... But, yes, the bottle that started this whole thread would be great if it were marketed as a "Small, decorative, water bottle" or something like that.

ETA: I lust after that stand-mixer!

[roadie gal]

Claudia, I think they were referring to its phallic shape, not the blue flowers. Others were more discreet than me--I was going to post that it looks like a p@nis, too.

Unless you were kidding, too.

Karen

Yes, this was what made me hear porn music, not the flowers.

[Starfish]

"this is for women", with the annoying subtext that everything else is, by default, "for men".

This is Soooo much of it, for me. I am sick of a whole catalog of cycling stuff, with 2 pages of WSD. I notice they don't call the whole rest of the catalog MSD.

As a woman with long torso, short legs, and extremely small hands, I am waiting for the day when bikes of all frame proportions can be ordered with some options without having to spend an arm and a leg, or without going custom. Like, ordering a long-torso frame with the option of R700 and a Terry Falcon X, for instance.

And, I don't notice a lot of water bottles out there sporting Speed Racer or Racer X graphics, and marketed as MSD.

Grrrr.

[kat_h]

Honestly I don't like the term WSD at all, because even though I am definitely female hardly any of it ever fits me. I tried some WSD bikes and thought that with a longer top tube and wider handlebars they'd be pretty good. On Saturday I went shoe shopping and after three times around the women's side still hadn't found a single shoe that fit, so I went to the men's side and the second pair I tried on was perfect. When I saw that the water bottle only holds a half litre I wondered what 9 year old that would be enough for.

susiej summed it up perfectly. It would be better to label them as slim fit or something that actually describes the product, instead of calling it WSD when I'm a woman and it sure as heck wasn't designed for me.

[Starfish]

So, the one other thing I would add here is that we can preach to the choir here all we want...we should also be writing letters and emails to the companies.

I get tired of doing that, although I do write letters (not as much as I complain, though). But, if we want change, we have to keep letting them know, and keep letting them know, and keep letting them know. Maybe it won't help that much, but what else can we do? At least writing a letter is an action we can take.

[OakLeaf]

Personally, I am waiting for the day when traditional women's equipment is marketed with "men specific design" - vacuum cleaners with go-faster-stripes, washing machines being sold by motor size, ironing boards in black and chrome.........

The phrase LOL is so overused these days as to be meaningless... but that one really made me laugh out loud.

[OakLeaf]

many bicycle/bike accessories manufacturers think that the way to make WSD is to "pink it and shrink it".

SO true, though that's the first time I've heard that phrase. The same is true for any sports gear! Gloves are a pet peeve of mine.

[chickwhorips]

I like my new pink wsd bike.

Oh and I really like the flame kitchen aide. To bad it won't go with my wine themed kitchen. Guess I'll either have to drink more wine to make it look good or redesign my kitchen.
Looks like I'll be drinking more often. Maybe I'll change to whiskey though.

[spokewench]

Brava! Well said....I need say no more....but, DH's reply....you mean like this one?

That Kitchenaid is so cool with those flames! I'm Bron on this one. I'm not going to tell people to not have pink flowered anything, but my PERSONAL taste just doesn't go that direction when I am doing sporty activities.

A few years back, it was almost impossible to find a woman's jersey in royal blue, red, or black. These colors were only in men's cycling fashions. I know this because the racing kits I had were red, black and royal blue and sometimes I like to ride in a plain jersey. Just couldn't find anything to match my shorts! That thankfully has changed a bit so I don't have to wear only girly colors on the bike.

[Di bear]

lol - my bike shop has a Bontrager WSD tire pump! I laughed at the WSD. I liked the color scheme (different blues - blue is my favorite color...boy color). I had to ask. WHAT makes this a WSD pump? Well . . . I can't remember what minor changes they made, but my $30 Park Tool pump wasn't going to be replaced with a $60 WSD pump, especially since the Park Tool pump works great...and it's PARK! ;-)