So, I will start again, minus the video.
Today I have been obsessing over women bikers. I have crawled all over the internet trying to find any kind of fashion blog or tips for women bikers, whether they be the kind that ride their own bikes or as passengers. I did not find any sites or blogs specific to women bikers. I did stumble across a couple that are dedicated to helping women who ride their own bikes with tips about riding and mentoring. Great stuff! I even signed up for a couple of the websites newsletters. But, that was not what I was looking for.
I have been around motorcycles my whole life. My father rides, my step-father, my sister, my ex-husband and, of course, me. I have been riding my own motorcycle for the last 17 years. And for most of that time, I have worn the "biker uniform" of jeans, tshirts, leather jacket, chaps, and boots. Most of the clothing serves a purpose - too keep us safe and warm.
But I got to thinking about the fact that I don't look that great in those clothes. Being a fuller figured women, I don't look good in acid washed jeans. Having a large chest - I really don't look good in boxy crew neck tshirts. I look even worse in men's leather jackets and chaps. In fact, I look like a man with boobs when I was dressed for riding.
When I am on my motorcycle I feel sexy, empowered, beautiful, strong and dare I say it? Powerful! When I get off my motorcycle and walk away, not so much. In fact, I feel more like a man than a woman - I even have that man swagger going on. You know what I am talking about - dragging your heels, pelvis thrust foward, shoulders hunched over and that sway from side to side when you walk!! LOL :)
I started thinking, "Why can't I feel sexy, empowered, beautiful, strong and powerful when I get off the bike?" Why do I have to dress like a man when I am riding? Years ago, there weren't many options for women when it came to dressing safely and warmly when we were riding. If we wanted to ride, we bought what was available in our size in men's stuff.
We don't have to do that anymore. I have two problems when it comes to finding outer gear for riding. 1 - I am a woman, 2 - I am plus sized. That combination makes it rather hard to find jackets and chaps that are cut for a woman.
For some reason, even in the biker world, designers and stores only want to create for the size 4 woman. Did you know that the average American woman is size 14?! They sure are missing out on that market. But the market is growing and changing for the plus sized woman, Thank God!
Anyway, I was able to find one pair of chaps that was cut for a woman's body. They even have extra zippers and an expandable fabric sewn into them. I thought that was so terrific!! I am 5' 9 1/2". I have always had to wear men's chaps so they would be long enough. The problem with that is men don't have thighs, they barely have butts. Women, on the other hand, definately do.
Jackets were a little tougher. I am, shall we say, very large in the chest area (DDD to be exact) so finding a jacket that doesn't make me look like a very large blackberry is difficult. I set out with one requirement - it had to have a belt to accentuate the waist. I found two. One didn't come in my size and the other, thankfully, did. Although the jacket I was able to buy doesn't have a belt, it does have elastic that serves the same purpose. Here are pictures of my finds.
The jacket came from HotLeathers.com and the chaps came from LeatherUp.com.
Have you had some of the same problems find gear? Let me know where you were able to find stuff to fit you.
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