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My article about the poster that caused such controversy has some feminists up in arms today.

Here is the Moto Internationale Poster that has caused so many women motorcyclists who belong to the Facebook group, Women Riders Council of Canada to loose their minds and some to call BMW to complain and put the dealership Moto Internationale in the hot seat.

I have to say that I do not understand the women who think that a poster of a chick in a bikini, posing for a charity bike wash, clearly marketing to the male demographic is objectification of the female person and somehow a horrible thing for female riders to have to witness.

The majority of the population in the world is attracted to the opposite gender.  If an advertiser uses a pretty girl to attract the of the attention of the male population they are marketing to, then he's marketing to his target. It's not about offending you.

Here is the definition of advertising according to Merriam-Webster:

1: the action of calling something to the attention of the public especially by paid announcements

I don't think bashing that pretty little girl in the bikini bike wash poster, the dealer for trying to market to men or the brand for allowing their motorcycle to be near a female in a bikini is fair treatment to any of them.

The poster you are looking at may or may not be of an airbrushed female of the human species, or it might actually be an artists rendering of a female. Either way, if there was a woman who modelled for that poster, she probably got paid good money. She probably has another job, is a girlfriend or wife, a student or a lawyer - we have no idea from one photo, one poster.  Everything about the woman in the poster is an ASSUMPTION, other than she is slender and dark haired.

The advertising however is clearly targeted to the heterosexual male rider.

It's clearly not targeting the female rider.  
Is that what is wrong with the poster?  The female feels left out?

My article about Debunking the Sisterhood Myth in Motorcycling has caused so much hateful vitriol I don't even know where to start, here is one such comment, a sample if you will:

"The article was remanent of the 1960s, to be honest, in a culture where women were conditioned to compete against each other and their sense of self worth and value was placed on their looks. Accusing others of being jealous, stating that being cat-called by strangers on the street offers some sort of empowerment perpetuates the rape culture that exists today (and really, always has been). The men you are referring to believe it is their right to whistle at, cat-call with lewd statements, and dictate how we should receive their attention and is everything but empowering. When women truly support, include and empower each other, we will have a sisterhood. Lead by example and you will attract like-minded women. We should not be bashing each other, regardless of our opinions. We should be respectfully agreeing to disagree. The author of the article behaved no different than a mysoginist man who just talks over women - we disagree - big deal. There's no need to bash everyone who didn't agree with you."

Wow is all I can say. Frankly being compared to a misogynist has me shaking my head.  To have someone make claims that I "stating that being cat-called by strangers on the street offers some sort of empowerment perpetuates the rape culture that exists today"

If you are going to quote me, then do so properly, here is what I actually said:
If you have ever walked a little taller when a construction worker wolf whistled at you, if you ever sucked your gut in a bit, cause that someone special was looking your way, if you have ever changed clothes ten times before going out on a date, if you have ever put on that special pair of shoes because you were told they made your legs look sexy, then don't be a hypocrite."

To the gal who wrote that diatribe: You couldn't disagree with my opinion until I had written it so how could I be bashing everyone who didn't agree with me?  Moreover, you bashed me in your comments..."We should not be bashing each other, regardless of our opinions. We should be respectfully agreeing to disagree. The author of the article behaved no different than a mysoginist man who just talks over women".  

About the only sentence in the whole article these women seemed to grab on to was the one where I said that "If the 20 something in the bikini offends your old, jealous flabby arse, then don't look at the poster or the chick, don't attend the event, move on - get over yourself."....and OH MY GAWD I am a villain of epic proportions because I dared to call some of these gals out for being jealous and hypocritical.

I am like a misogynist I guess because I believe that:
1) We should all feel comfortable in our own skin - no matter our shape or size. (If you are concerned a young woman thinks her body is her only worth, become a big sister)
2) We should all be taught that our appearance is not equal to our self worth or our WHOLE worth.
3) We should all be teaching our female children what their whole self worth is comprised of.
4) We all should know the difference between advertising and targeted marketing (marketing to male, female, LGBTQ and Family demographics all require a different mindset), and that objectification is NOT the goal of advertising - Awareness is.

 Why do you have to choose to be offended, because you realize its a choice, right?  

If this man was on the poster offering to wash your bike, for those ladies who are into men, how would you ladies feel?  

Would men be inclined to attend?

Probably not unless they are in to men - gay/bisexual.

Should men be offended by a poster like this?

Do you think this male model is being objectified?

Would this be appropriate marketing in 2017?


I bet a good number of over weight, out of shape males with self esteem issues would have something to say about the topic, but because they are men with self esteem issues, they won't tell you how they feel, because they know they will never win, because they have been raise to believe that they are men, therefore wrong.  

The strong males of the species won't give a crap. 
The gay/bixexual men are drooling.

As I say in my previous article:

Self worth/esteem is a HUMAN issue.

QUIT MAKING IT GENDER DRIVEN.


Three Years Old
I find the Niqab, the Hijab, and the Burka to be disturbing items of clothing for what they represent, but I don't go around slamming women who dress that way. The same with those cultures and faiths, like the Hutterites, the Mennonites and the Amish, where the women dress like they are stuck in the 19th century, they seem happy.  I don't agree with these cultures & ideologies, they aren't for me, but if they are happy, I say live and let live.

I am VERY disappointed that these women who took me to task for voicing my viewpoint and calling out the jealousy that I believe is at the root of their vehemence - not one of them, would address the little girl dressed up for a beauty pageant at 3 years old, looking like she's ready for a date...that's TEACHING OBJECTIFICATION - that's teaching your daughter her body/appearance is her primary worth.  The article from the Daily Mail in the UK shows a few more photos and shares the fact that this mother spent a fortune every month to keep her daughter competition ready at 3 years old.

I was told by a women from the Women Riders Council of Canada a part of the MCC and funded by the MMIC to find my own tribe, that there are many kinds of sisterhood.


Let's have an honest and fair debate here:


What are your thoughts on these calendars and the reasons behind them - the Ladies Calendar:


the Men's Calendar:



Tell me what's wrong with these calendars?  

They both are for charity. 

They both "sell" sexuality/appeal.

They both clearly show hard working firefighters who know their self worth...

If you can find something offensive, objectifying or demeaning here, then tell me what it is?

Have a fantastic day, and if you are blessed enough to be riding today, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you.

Belt Drive Betty,
Editor & Rider




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  1. Man I have seen upstanding feminist women lose their minds at a male strip club/event....lose their minds and a lot of money! I have also seen someone criticise a half naked woman someone posted and then a few weeks later post a half naked male picture. People like to point outwards and judge but forget to point that same finger at themselves when they do the same thing - hypocrisy. We all have some I think.

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