Thursday, August 09, 2012

Sepia Saturday 138: Keeping on your toes

Riding a bike while wearing high heels? These wonder women are probably wearing girdles too. In the 40's, 50's and even the early 60's an anatomical jiggle anywhere on the body was considered unladylike and in bad taste. A girdle was essential, even on a bicycle! I fondly remember my friend's mother coming home from her job, going straight to the bedroom to remove the offending garment then rubbing her back against the door jamb. She'd moan and say, "Someday you girls will know what this is all about". Fortunately, we never did. Thankfully, my generation burned their underwear. Selling a girdle to a woman in the 70's was like selling a refrigerator to an eskimo? What for? 


I googled "riding a bike in high heels" to see if there was any advice on the matter. Biking is coming back in hip urban areas and cities all over the world are re-figuring their highways to allow for more bicycle traffic and offering incentives to those who choose to ride them. Websites with riding advice abound. The single most important rule of high heel riding seems to be that you pedal with the toe part of your shoe. Do not, as these ladies are doing, let the pedal cradle in the arch of your foot. This is dangerous as is riding without a helmet and doing that tandem thing over the shoulders. What is that anyway? Could anyone really ride a bicycle wearing today's foot fashions?

Ultimately, there are some things you do in high heels and some things you do not. At least that's what I thought until my friend Nancy sent me the story of the legendary Maurice Wilson, who attempted a climb of Mt. Everest in spite of an incredible lack of experience. He didn't make it -  you can read the whole story here.

Whttp://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/yorkslincs/series3/everest_mountaineering_climb_maurice_wilson.shtml

But Maurice, who owned a woman's clothing store, was even more complicated than your ordinary nut case who crashed a plane into Everest and then without training or experience attempted to climb it. When his body was found, there was women's clothes in his rucksack and some claim "he was decked out in woman's underwear".  But wait, there's more......

In the 60's during a climbing attempt by the Chinese, a woman's shoe was found at 21,000 feet.
Enough said.

For more stories on this photo, cycle over to Sepia Saturday.







14 comments:

  1. Now of all the directions I imaged this weeks Sepia Saturday thoughts travelling in; I never expected this one. Which will teach me never to underestimate the creativity of Sepia participants.

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  2. It would Make A Great Olympic Sport Though! "Fashion Cycling" !:)

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  3. Oh, speaking of girdles - I remember my mother getting ready for work and putting hers in the oven ON LOW because it hadn't yet dried. Surprise Surprise -- it burned!

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  4. Girdles, high heels, a he in woman's underwear, this is by far the most sexy Sepia Saturday contribution I've ever read :-) and I enjoyed it!

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  5. Wendy..that is so funny and such a coincidence. My mother stored all her undies in the rarely used oven, forgot about them and hers burned up too. I'll know I'm losing it for certain when I get the urge to store clothing in the oven.

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  6. What a perfect post. You managed to weave the two stories so seamlessly.
    Nancy

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  7. A dizzying spin on the theme! From Danes on bikes to men in girdles on Everest!

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  8. What a great link between cycling and high fasfion. I enjoyed your post.

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  9. Picking up on high heels for your post was a flash of inspiration. I just had to read the Maurice Wilson story when I saw Yorkshire/Lincolnshire in the link.

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  10. A perfect example of what makes Sepia Saturday so much fun.
    Helen, I'm so lucky to have you as a friend!...and lucky to live in the same town.
    I wish I could live as close to all the other Sepia Saturdayers.
    Barbara

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  11. Oh my do I envy the way your mind travels! What an interesting run I biked through with such pleasure! Thanks!

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  12. That was quite a turn for creativity. Loved it. I could never imagine riding a bike with high heels on.
    QMM

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  13. Just walking in high heels is dangerous enough, let alone cycling! You have to feel sorry for poor old Maurice Wilson, he was obviously not the sanest of individuals. An enjoyable post.

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  14. Your post was quite a fun ride! From bike riding in high heels to girdles and then to the eccentric Maurice Wilson. After reading the link about Mr. Wilson, it does cause you to wonder how a high heel made it to Mt. Everest. I'd like to think Maurice was successful with his climb and left the shoe as proof he made it.

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