Don’t cultivate a bicycle face

Brain Pickings has unearthed a “don’ts” list for female bicyclists in the 1890′s.  Here are a few favorites:

  • Don’t wear loud hued leggings.
  • Don’t use bicycle slang. Leave that to the boys.
  • Don’t refuse assistance up a hill.
  • Don’t imagine everybody is looking at you.

Read on.

[via PavBlog] [photo]

12 Responses to “Don’t cultivate a bicycle face”

  1. GG says:

    OH FUCK I just went to church in my bicycle costume last Sunday! If only you’d posted this earlier! Also: I’ll show YOU how I “exercise [my] jaws in private.” WINK WINK

  2. Mai says:

    You know how you look at a don’t list, but already violated the first “rule”… Yeah, it’s like that.

  3. gregory says:

    definitely the grin of someone walking home from good vibes….

  4. Allan,

    The image used to illustrate this post is actually mine. I found the article because I’m a daily reader of Mission Mission. While I appreciate the link back to the Flickr page you screen grabbed, it still is a copyrighted image. It’s a best practice to either use Creative Commons images or request usage permission. As a local blog with only one advertiser, I’m happy to support Mission Mission, but as a local photographer I’ve got to protect my work.

    Best,
    David

    • Sweet T says:

      Gauche! A private email would have been a more appropriate forum for addressing this issue.

    • Dreeewww says:

      David Leibovitz-Gartner however did you get this perfect composition? The lighting in the background, the slightly askew pole to the person’s right asking the viewer the question: Am I a figure too? Truly remarkable work.

    • Nick Pal says:

      OK, I replaced it.

  5. parisa says:

    I don’t think i’m ever going to ride a bicycle without bloomers on…

    Don’t wear a garden party hat with bloomers.
    Don’t ask, “What do you think of my bloomers?”
    Don’t scratch a match on the seat of your bloomers.
    Don’t discuss bloomers with every man you know.

    This also seems fun…
    Don’t try to ride in your brother’s clothes “to see how it feels.”

  6. wizzer says:

    Also. dont ride on the sidewalk. it’s ILLEGAL.

  7. Erik says:

    I’m not sure what “assistance up a hill” entails but I definitely wouldn’t turn it down.

  8. damian says:

    wh-a-a-a-at???”herr doctor” hasnt posted a comment about this yet??..what did he do..???get a life????it must be 2012….yeah its 2012.i wonder if anything stranger could possibly happen????