Video: A Girl And Her Bike Are A Wonderful Thing Part Two
So ladies, if you struggle with fear of trying downhill, grab a bike and do it, because you can!
With all love and joy,
Linda
Project by Linda Paluc & Mitja Kodric
Filmed & edited by Matej Gostincar
Graphic by Niko Poljansek
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
What about this girl?
Are you that insecure about your riding skills that you had to resort to sex to get any attention? Respect yourself, keep your clothes on and stop being a poser.
The majority want boobs and DH....not feminism.
Brian, uneducated? please explain to me how letting her make a video however she wants is foolish for me to respect? its actually quite the opposite, i respect that she did it, shes attractive, who cares? its a video. im well aware that it isnt the only case but by YOU advocating that because this video is sexual, weakens women empowerment in the sport, you yourself are adding to the dilemma....
Surely if there is an issue, it is with Pinkbike? They are the ones making money off this (I doubt Linda is making a penny). They know that boobs = page-views & comments = ad revenue.
Pinkbike's slogan is 'for the latest in mountain biking news'. I don't think this is news, especially when there are more newsworthy stories involving female riders today, such as Manon Carpenter being selected for Sky Sport's Sportswoman of the month, that are not on the front page. I think that is the bigger issue here.
And even if I'm wrong, there is inherently nothing wrong with her expressing her sexuality or the naked human body. Only stupid institutions like religion and conservative society try to apply shame to the human body or the act of sex. Lighten up a little.
Same argument as religion. I don't care who practices what.. just don't force it onto other people. BTW, her riding was way better than the description made it seem. Good job.
If the girl was massively overweight, oddly proportioned and by current mainstream views unattractive, and did the exact same intro, I wonder how many of you nay sayers would laud it as "a fantastic ironic statement about the sexualisation of women." Which would essentially be a subtle way of calling her ugly. Which wouldn't exactly be very feminist of you either now would it?
And before you come at me with something about how I'm missing the point because men view women merely as sexual objects whilst women look for deeper more meaningful stuff in men, I give you this:
2.bp.blogspot.com/-TR4wXl-U6c8/TswA-zU_ArI/AAAAAAAAAA0/OHealOWvcIs/s1600/hollister-promo1.jpg
They didn't even bother showing his face for gods sake. But thats fine apparently. Cos were men, and we dont care about being sexualised, as long as we get some attention.
Or this:
www.dreamboys.co.uk
Click it. I dare you...
www.pinkbike.com/video/368925
Quit your bitching....The key to entertainment is being seen. I mean for real man, she's a model and a mountain biker.
I just hope she's 420 friendly and single
Linda... Your riding can entertain on its own, I don't understand why you felt a need to strip off to "entertain" these monkeys? (No offence boys)
A bit of Self respect goes a hell of a long way these days.
Props on your riding btw.
but linda is telling girls how to behave, how to act, and how to use her sexuality to sell her participation in action sports.
she doesn't even know it, or does and could care less, put she is 'telling' a lot of young girls how to act and behave in the way she portrays herself.
fionn knows whats up.
linda could have avoided the whole controversy by just showing her riding instead of going the 'eastern euro soft core white trash' route.
let the riding say all that is needed to be said.
This video isn't about Linda being confident in her riding ability or even in her physical appearance; this video was posted to help a 20-year-old female convince herself that she's good enough through the validation of a bunch of creeps on Pinkbike.
Linda, let me tell you this: you are good enough. You are smart enough. You have some amazing riding talent that you should definitely work your ass off to develop and pursue as a career. You can model, too. You're beautiful, and I'm sure you're probably a really nice girl.
But let me tell you this: you don't need this shit to prove how awesome you are. I know it feels like you do, but your riding would have stood on its own as there's very little video of chicks really shredding on Pinkbike. You're talented, but you definitely need to kick the sexual stuff -- it just undermines your riding and devalues you as a female athlete. What you need to ask yourself is this: do you want to be valued for your looks now? Or do you want to be valued as a rider for always? Looks fade, boobs sag and sexuality dims. But talent? Legendary, work-your-face off talent? That creates stories that will live much longer than sexual allure. You've got this, girl. Let's see some more riding.
Again why do you think her life will mirror yours just cause you're unhappy with yours?!?
Why do you think she needs/wants or even cares what you think?? Again this isn't about YOU!!!!!
God PB has some unhappy "women" on here. Get on fixing your own insecurities and stop trying to knock somebody down that's CLEARLY happy and having a great time.
Maybe you missed the positive tone of my comment or maybe you're just a dick, but how about you step back and honestly read my comment again? Someone who isn't actively seeking attention doesn't put out a video like this, hands down.
Who cares if she's seeking attention???? It's for her!!!
And maybe you're just still an insecure bitch......since you're throwing out juvenile names now.
Seriously simple minded people here...
HOWEVER.. this does not give men the right to be creeps about it and publicly post harassment. I am 100% in favor of having more women in our sport and am working hard to destroy the old marketing campaigns we did in the 90's and early 2000's that opened the door to lechery in order to create a more friendly sport that is also more open to women. That said I am sure Linda was just having fun in the beginning and I believe it was more of a juxtaposition of two worlds.. One of what the general public of men think of attractive women and another view from the woman herself (Linda's riding).
With companies like Juliana, Liv and Sombrio helping make large strides in that direction too, I think it is far time for all the men (and boys) of this sport to welcome more women riders and keep your harassing thoughts and rhetoric to yourself. The sport needs more women in it, let's welcome them all and not post comments about them as objects. It only shows to the world that our sport is nothing more than jerks.
MTB as a whole is better than that guys!
(my 2 cents)
-DM
Speaking for myself, part of my frustration with this stuff is knowing exactly what I'm going to see: a bunch of idiots that make comments that border on assault. I was actually surprised at the level of restraint here compared with other places. I get tired of feeling like I have to be ashamed of my gender group because of how freaking creepy & psychopathic some members are when women are on the interwebs.
There's also the fact that there's been some women who've been getting attacked in pretty horrible ways lately: a woman who's done some critiques of gender roles in video games has been getting both death & rape threats. Heck, a guy in england just got sent to prison for a few months because he threatened a politician over twitter, say that he we was going to rape her the next day. Seriously, WTF? Because she has different politics than you?
Anyway, those cases have put this stuff at the forefront of my mind, i guess. It's getting old feeling like I have to apologize for a bunch of degenerates.
I agree, David. There should be no shame in being a women who rides a bike and I am certainly not going to go out of my way to convince others that I am not trying to use my gender as a ticket to stardom just because others make that assumption. We are all entitled to express ourselves however we want. What saddens me more than people like Linda who decide to proudly showcase their personalilty is the people (mostly other women) who try to drag her down, judge her, and offer mislead and self-centered advice. It's such a shame and so counter-productive. Rock on @lindapaluc! You are a phenomenal rider and your confidence is inspiring!
That being said, boys will be boys and keyboards are safe. There is a pretty easy solution.. Delete the unacceptable comments.
If that is her message then I do support this video. I just missed that message early on, and as is often the case with art, if you prohibit it from making you uncomfortable (censorship) you also prevent it from making you think.
Saddly though, it is easy to look at this video and not think. As you say, the responsibility is on us to think and not just react, whether it be horniness or outrage, either objectifies her.
awesome vid linda.
@ people who find this offensive: There is NO point arguing why you dislike it here!
I seem to remember on the last video people picking fault with your riding, this video shows just how good you are on a bike so you just keep doing what you love
Nice riding and video otherwise.
Agreed Layman, 100%. I am struggling so hard with my 10 year old daughter to try and find her positive images of women (especially in mainstream Japanese society/media) that do not require one to conform to the current view presented in the same of "what a woman is" as a pre-requisite for any kind of success.
However, and this point is a general one made for the benefit of all readers, it is not a direct response to you Layman, so please do not take it as such, do not for a moment think it is only girls under that pressure; we are all, regardless of gender, subject to it.
Subsitute "rad" for "sexy" above and nothing changes except the gender of the person being told how to act. I find the image portrayed of male mountain bikers in the media, especially on places such as PB, is that if you are a skinny, lycra-clad XC rider, you are somehow inferior to anyone under the influence of Sean Palmer, Troy Lee or anyone who has spent many an hour getting inked, ripped, who whoops alot and throws three's off everything and anything. The atmosphere here on PB requires one to have a thick skin in the face of the crowd. Unfortunate, but a reality.
It can get frustrating sometimes yet, I live in the hope that there are enough of us around in the world who can, though how we act towards and treat the people around us, show young people that you can, if you believe it, succeed, even if you do not conform to how society wants you to look and act. Go on kids! Go do it. Here are some heroes for you: www.pinkbike.com/u/brule/blog/video-singletrack-high.html
there are videos for all the ages, it's your duty as a father to watch over what kind of informations your child come across, and i'm sure you're doing a great job, given the concern you express in your post. that said, it's true this sport is 80%, maybe 85% male territory, and it would be nice to have more girls on the trails. but still, if your girl's gonna love (and hopefully practice) this sport as much as we do, she'll do it independently from the number of female riders video she'll watch (imho). She'll see some dude (or dudess) taking of a jump in ultra slow mo and she'll think "that's the awesomest thing in the universe". After all, when on the trail, the only thing that matter is how committed you are, not what's between your legs
It is really difficult at times, and frustrating, to see children being so confused, and I think that is a good word to describe what I see in my own 10 year old daughter, confused, as to what she herself should be doing or how she should be acting. There is, to me at least, signs of conflict within her about what is 'good' to do, how is 'good' to act. Often this conflict seems heavily influenced by the media. It is what it is right and we do our best to help her find meaning in it.
ericbs.
Could you explain? As far as I understand it, a hypocrite is someone who espouses one course of action in others, yet follows a different course of action themselves. Could you explain to me how my comments on your contribution here are as such?
Don't get me wrong, I believe in female empowerment and body positivity and all that shit. I also recognize that their are differences in gender, and that their are certain environments where it is ok to embrace sexuality. When I go out to the bars, you bet your ass I'm going to put on a short skirt and heels..because the goal their is of a sexual nature. But when mountain biking, the last thing I want is attention being drawn to the fact that I am a female.
I think if women want to level the playing field and be appreciated for their true ability, then they need to stop sexualizing themselves in environments where sex isn't involved.
Let's be honest -- this is also not a video of her painting her toenails or putting on mascara. This is a video of her prancing around (what can be perceived as) topless and licking a lollipop.
m.pinkbike.com/news/lady-shredder-hailey-elise-video-2014.html
As for the intro that is getting so much attention, I like your smile, the glasses, and your form, but think the lollipop was cheesy. That being said I find the smooch through the helmet and the idea of a girl that could shuttle and ride the park with me all day much more sexy.
*There is way too much OVERREACTION going on in here! Why is sexuality looked down on? I see no foul play. Be who you want to be. True, there are numbskulls that are going to make vulgar comments but that is going to happen no matter what and I doubt Linda would have filmed that intro if not prepared for public review. The population is so varied in opinions and some without common sense to compliment respectfully. As for it impacting the sport, I don't think this video would influence a new girl rider to not pick up her bike and go ride. Does the fact that we saw her bare shoulders degrade the skill level at which she is riding?? I think not! Would the same argument be made for a really tight pair of lycra shorts on a guy?? I doubt it has ever been argued that tight lycra shorts are inappropriate and pose a bad image for the ethics of cycling. As for the parents worried about their kids seeing this type of media, have you watched or listened to television and current music lately? Kids will grow up and find their way, and nothing is hidden nowadays. Plus, it was just her shoulders! You can see that in public, at the beach, etc. I've seen yoga pants at the grocery store that were more offensive.
Enough with my tangent, I'll get off my soapbox now.
Linda, keep up the great riding, don't let the negativity impact you, and keep being yourself because no matter what this sport needs more women at every park, trail, or event!
1- Be amazing at riding,
2- Have a great filming team,
3- Know the right people,
How to make the front page of pinkbike as a woman:
1- Be attractive,
2- Don't be unattractive.
Linda: great video and great riding!
Haters gonna hate. Go Linda!
Linda's first one (which is really cool, attractive girl rides bike looking attractive, ample proof that the two can go hand-in-hand) got about 33,000 views.
This one gets over 100,000 views.
The conclusion: Sex sells.
Which is what all advertising and PR people have known for decades.
I don't think it was necessary to try and make a statement that you can be beautiful AND ride a bike by having a sexy intro (though I thought it was quite playful and tasteful FWIW), cos I thought that was pretty well stated in the Part 1 video. So I'm not sure what the purpose of this one was, other than to boost viewings, which is kinda what sponsors want their sponsored riders to do..
I think we'll always be caught in some kind of Catch-22 with this. If sex sells, then people will continue to use it to boost ratings/viewings/sales.. and sex sells because viewers will continue to watch. You could liken it to the problem of being vegetarian because you disagree with killing animals for food. For as long as the majority of people continue to eat meat, animals will be killed and eaten for food. For as long as the majority of people continue to positively react to advertising which used sex in some way (i.e by buying into the brand advertised, or by keeping on increasing ratings/viewings), there will be adverts using sex to sell.
Great video @lindapaluc! Keep it up!
I am shocked @ some users' comments. Lost of sexism or narrow-mindedness?
One can clearly see cultural differences from by reading those comments, it would make a part of good study btw.
Linda you rock keep up a good work!
If you consider yourself a good rider, cut the sexual shit out and take yourself seriously. You don't see men riders sexifying themselves.
I'm all for sex and appealing to the opposite gender, but good god, why are appearances so relevant in every part of female existence?
It's a simple message.
Good on you Linda. Keep it up!
As for the sexuality comments, how many times did we see pictures of guys like Semenuk and Zink with their shirts off during rampage (and the rest of the season)? How many well cut guys like to walk around the bike park shirtless in the sun? They ain't doing that for the other guys now are they..?
The haters are gonna hate and the potatoes are gonna potate
I thought the stripping was cool and then you was descent on a bike, I think the beginning part was about all the boys that just see a women and think fit fit fit and then she started riding and it was actually great rather then just fit fit fit and then being crap.
There is a lot more positive comments on the link then negative........so please keep the beginning bits in for all your videos.
Stay frosty (cool)
She's also really good at it! Better than me anyway!
as per me, i like both DH and pretty girls, guess where i stand
There's a difference between being 'beautiful' and selling sex. Beauty is one thing -- to deny it would be criminal, and what would we have her do, wear a burqa? No.
However, what Linda has presented here isn't beauty. It's sex, and she's presented it for the sole purpose of gaining views and notoriety. Do you know what that's called, kids? It's called 'sexual objectification', ie, a human who presents their sexuality in a way that is exploitative and sales-pitchy to get what they want.
What does Linda want? Attention. And she's gotten it. Congrats, Linda. You're up there with Paris Hilton and Anna Kournikova; you've gotten attention, but you've also exploited our sport to get it.
The issue isn't Linda's sexuality, it's the fact that it's her commercialization and exploitation of her sexuality combined with a sport that doesn't CARE IF YOU'RE SEXY. You've sold your sex to an audience who will forget you as soon as the next set of tits comes along. Why? Because that's all you've reduced yourself to being -- a pretty, lollipop-kicking face atop a set of tits that rides a bike reasonably well. Congrats. I do mean that, because you've gotten what you came for: attention. However, you've cheapened every other female rider out there and you've fed into a lie by exploiting yourself like this. How? Because you don't have to be sexy to be great at biking, or to be a good person. You shouldn't have to be sexy to get attention for riding a bike, and you shouldn't have to get naked for your riding videos to get views. Your riding should be good enough to speak for itself, and your beautiful face should be enough to make you feel good about yourself WITHOUT having to present yourself as a sexual object.
Congrats on the success of your business plan -- I just hope it holds up for you when your body begins to sag or show signs of someone that truly pushes their physical limits.
Obviously there are female mountain bikers who, based on merit, deserve much more coverage than this particular rider is getting. Something isn't right with the culture that some sponsors and media outlets are perpetuating, and with some of the attitude that young men are picking up from "other kinds of websites." To me it seems the problem is with sponsors/media not properly representing women athletes, rather than individuals who take advantage of the system we have.
Ms. Vonn can and does often hang with the men -- she rocks men's skis, shreds the hill as hard as she can and has a physical presence that literally engages people the second she walks into the room, and she doesn't need to take off her clothes to do it. However, she has. And that's unfortunate.
But you do raise an excellent point -- IS is the responsibility of the media? Or of the athletes? Or the industry? Or the demand from the (male) public? Quite frankly, it's the responsibility of all of us. Athletes, industry, media and the male public -- hold us to a higher standard. Appreciate our beauty, but applaud our skills. Highlight our efforts, not our appearances. Sponsor and support women who are reaching beyond their appearances to raise the level of progression, create dialogue, build relationships and create a stronger future for mountain biking for EVERYONE.
Only then will mountain biking be truly equal.
I agree with your original post in principle, but in practice, beautiful men and women flaunt their sexuality for attention... If Christiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Rafael Nadal and Ryan Kesler (who don't need the attention) feel comfortable doing it, is it really fair to judge them so harshly?
When beautiful men inside of any sport, like mountain biking, strip down (ie, Gee's naked Cosmo feature), that's all it is -- a naked man. What does he gain? What does he lose? Did Gee lose respect as a rider for stripping down? Was his skill level questioned? Was he objectified as only as sex object, or out to exploit his physical attractiveness? No. Why? Because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what Gee looks like. It doesn't matter what Steve Peat looks like, or Sam Hill. It doesn't matter because their value, as human beings, isn't tied to how they look... Because they're male.
I didn't create the double standard, nor do I support it. I'm an avid fan of discussing sexuality, social norms and am, in fact,not someone who's very conservative about anything along those lines. I am, however, a female athlete trying to keep my head above water in a world that would have me strip down, bend over and smile all while being a virgin. Is that crude? Yes. Is it the truth? Very much. Women are still bought and sold in this world as property. Look at women on the World Cup -- we've been assigned value not as what we're doing for ourselves and as our own genetic makeup dictates, but as to how we compare to the men.
My sexuality doesn't belong in mountain biking because my sexuality doesn't influence my skills as a rider on a major basis. Part of who I am is linked to a sexual being, yes (everyone is unless they're Asexual, but don't get me started on the specifics of sexual psychology inside of personality formation), but it doesn't bear weight on my skills as an athlete. Should it? No. My skills are only comparative to those on similar competitive levels (for example, WC and national races, etc) and where I decide to take them and develop them. The way I look and my sexual choices outside of riding have ZERO to do with any of that.
That's the beauty of athletics -- they allow us to rise above our human limitations (appearance, thoughts, IQ) and perform truly superhuman feats of athletic performance. That's why the Olympics was created. I'm not saying that strip clubs are evil, I'm simply saying that mixing the Olympic Games and a strip club would combine two human arenas that I feel should be kept separate when it comes to professionals.
However, here's the thing: I don't have a problem with an athlete that is also a professional stripper on the side as a way to subsidize their finances. Quite honestly, I don't give a shit about whatever anyone else chooses to do. That's their call.
Inside of mountain biking, however, going to certain sexual extremes feels really perverted because then, the sport isn't about being the best at that sport or gaining attention for being good at that sport -- it's about who will go the farthest sexually.
So yes, at my core, I'm a purist -- keep MTB about bikes and sex about sex.
Regardless, don't worry about it. I will not post anything further and will no longer be a part of this website. Your desire to paint me as a prude or some other nonsense is well heard and I will find another more positive place to exist.
As for me, I spent years fighting cancer, unable to ride. Now, just on the other side, I give thousands of dollars and countless hours to trail building, enduro and advocacy related to this sport. Am I jealous that I am not able to ride like her? Hells yea -- and I'd bet many of you are as well. She's a badass rider - just like I posted.
I must say I do not agree with you that there is absolutely no place for sexiness in mountain biking. Yes women can often be found flaunting their bodies on any sports based website, as there are usually a lot of men looking. The thing is though, if you stick a man in a situation heavily populated by women he will do exactly the same thing, to the very best of his abilities. Look at any famous male pop singer. It never takes long at all between him realising there are a lot of women looking at him, and him starting to prance about in tight clothing and essentially milk it for all he's worth. We all just want to be loved. I don't think the fault lies with the flaunter, who essentially just wants people to like them, as is natural and normal, for any human. The fault surely lies with the viewer who can't look past this and see the person underneath?
Despite the fact that we disagree on this point. (and I must say I am even now slightly unsure of my argument, and will probably swing wildly back and forth on this topic for a long time yet) I think it would be a bad thing if anyone decided never to put forth their views again, just because some people said some stupid unfounded shit about a subject they can't possibly have any real insight on. The fact that ericbs needed to fall back on such crap merely proves that he has nothing of any real value to say.
^^^This.
Unfounded and unnecessary, thats all im saying. falling back on personal insults just weakens your argument.
"brianasaursus's name and profile picture speaks for itself"
Weak.
p.s. flag gabriel-mission9 (6 hours ago)
"Brianasaurus. Please don't leave pinkbike. The internet is indeed full of nonsense, but if it helps at all I do tend to find that on pinkbike most of the really offensive nonsense gets neg-propped into obscurity." ...dumbass
Your contributions, expressed in the ways you have chosen, tend to weaken your arguments. Do you disagree? If so, could you explain how they do not. As others have pointed out, and with whom I agree, your choice of phrases has led to your argument becomming weak. You could make your points, which are points worth making, with much more effect if you refrained from personal attacks on people.
"Brianasaurus. Please don't leave pinkbike. The internet is indeed full of nonsense, but if it helps at all I do tend to find that on pinkbike most of the really offensive nonsense gets neg-propped into obscurity." ...dumbass
Huh?
Not entirely sure I follow your obviously complicated reasoning there...
Pull the stick out of your jealous ass and let the girl do what makes HER happy.......it ain't about you!!!!
Linda kicks ass.
Do you run quick release or through-axle rear dropouts....^,^ ?
Just like it would be screwed up for a dude to portray himself as a sexual object and expect his riding video to make the front page of Pinkbike, it's screwed up for this sort of video to have made the front page.
If she were a dude, would this riding have gotten front page coverage?
Considering most of the users on here are men.
#youvebeenhazed
PLEASE
It's an awesome video and awesome riding btw. To be honest, you probably ride much much much better than all of us. I haven't even done those big drops and jumps in Semmering.
I don't have top-notch videos nor quality riding but here is a recent highlights video of our recent trip.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M07AaBzf1oY
To have a video on pink bike
This: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIGeNOBjlkc
@lindapaluc , its a public place where debate happens... and your choices have made for a very interesting debate. I'm sorry you feel we're giving you a hard time over what is really a small issue, but it's worth discussing (when it's being discussed intellectually)
@stickman5000 , so what is the line? Full nudity? For me, this is a very small piece in a much larger jigsaw. I'm not for one minute suggesting that this video is some kind of crime, but I am suggesting that it is a shame I can't show her fantastic riding and personal achievements to hundreds of young women who everyday have to juggle their self-image with the images they see of their role models.
If you're interested, I did show it to a class. They made some intelligent observations.
(its really dirty)
gotta say though --- white is a horrible color for video work.
you should wear blue's --- IMO, its a color that will stand out no matter where you are.
here's a couple self promoting examples:
Sky backgrounds
www.pinkbike.com/photo/10726629
www.pinkbike.com/photo/10735707
tree / dirt back grounds
www.pinkbike.com/photo/10822868
www.pinkbike.com/photo/9309090
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sorry, i was wiping my jizz off the keyboard