Category: Deconstructing Surfing
-
Gender Apologists and Opposites in Surfing
An increase in the visibility of apologist voices, propped up by a slowly wasting status quo, arrives in a culture at the moment a robust transition is beginning to gain traction. In the movement against sexism and gender inequality in surfing, this trend is no different. Alongside the rise in apologist voices, is a renewed…
-
Video – FLUX: Redefining Women’s Surfing
FLUX: Redefining Women’s Surfing is a short film I assisted with (and am also in with young ripper Kahanu Delovio) alongside a talented crew of filmmakers, Sarah Lee, Chad King and Mia Montanile, from Chapman University for Project W. From the filmmakers: “FLUX is a powerful essay documentary that reveals sexism in the surfing industry.…
-
ROXY Pro Trailer: One Year Later
One year ago, the loudest and most visible conversation in surfing revolved around how women are represented by surf brands. Women of all ages, from every corner of the world and from every background you can imagine (lawyers, teachers, mothers, daughters, athletes of every kind), along with grandfathers, fathers, and our brothers, stood together, over…
-
Ride the Wave to Victory
The image of surfing is often used to represent a certain kind of American global politics. This photo of Reagan illustrates the point nicely. So does Scott Laderman in his book Empire in Waves.
-
Surfeminist Analysis of Gypsy Files-The Most Fearless
One task of Surfeminism is to analyze surf media and surf narratives. In this mode, we are able to distinguish Surfeminism from surf industry propaganda (often advanced second-hand by those who accept surfy propaganda) filtered through the image of the surfer girl. Surfeminism, as a tool, works to press into a solid (say, a story…
-
I Stand with Otis Carey
Ignorance and blindness are the foundations upon which racism is built. Plenty more houses are built upon ignorance and blindness, like sexism and homophobia. Perhaps one of the most misunderstood aspects of racism, sexism and homophobia is that cruel intentions are not a requirement for racist, sexist or homophobic acts to be perpetrated. In addition,…
-
And what of the current state of women’s pro surfing?
“It’s time to take women’s competitive surfing to the next level.” These words have been echoing through the halls of women’s surfing since pro surfing began in earnest in 1976. Then, only 20% of the total prize purse for competitions was allocated to female competitive surfers. With the exponential growth in participation and interest in…
-
The Privilege of Following Your Dreams
I have found that in (nearly) every conversations about and within surfing, the hierarchy of power and privilege is the single most often overlooked underlying assumption to each of these conversations. But I also believe that this open door, this obvious omission, allows the exact rupture needed for intense analysis and change to permeate the…
-
Selling Sex in Surfing: Opinion and Fact Collide
Beyond the opinions of whether sex sells or not, and all the attendant questions often overlooked in this simple cliché (e.g. What does sex sell, exactly? Does sex effectively sell every product/service? How does this marketing strategy impact society? Are men and women equally drawn to the sexualization of human bodies? Are men and women…
-
Emboldening the Renaissance of Surfing
Decentralizing the male competitive/professional surfer as the measure by which good surfing is gauged may be the most important shift in surfing’s renaissance. I make no apologies if using the word “renaissance” comes off sounding grandiose. Rather than focus on the “hipster” conversation and its idea of authenticity, that evokes little more than opinions surrounding…
