A necessary perspective. Despite sitting on the steps of Union Square for a majority of teenage hood, it never dawned on me how sexist the sport of skating is. Betty gave me new eyes; now passing by on my way to Trader Joe’s the glaring gender disparity amongst skaters is all I can see. One that is perpetuated throughout the culture, from the stars, to the video game avatars emulating them. It’s amazing what you don’t notice when you aren’t searching, even if it’s doing backflips in your face. The only female there was watching her boyfriend cut up. I’m not making an assumption, they kissed, although they could be open, or friends with benefits (I don’t know their life).
Dating a former pro-skater who left the scene to produce reggae riddims, I had a slight foray into that world. We’d go to Carl Schurz Park where he taught me the basics. As counter-intuitive as it felt, the trick is using your dominate foot to steer. Eventually I was able to kick push without the safety net of him running alongside me, holding my hands. However when I wasn’t learning, I too was the one girl watching her boyfriend and his friends shred from the sidelines.
Betty tells the story of several young women coming of age, who are excluded from the boys club and decide to create their own table. One of the ladies is an exception to the bigotry and has an in with the men, but at what cost? A much appreciated and necessary contrast.
As a native New Yorker I must say I was left nostalgic for humid summer days turned into nights, filled to the brim with eternal adventure. Never knowing who I was going to befriend, or bump into. The scene when they hotbox the van is all too real. Do you take time to see different perspectives, or stick to narratives you already know? How does this choice play into your understanding of other people? Via: HBO
