In a June 24 editorial by Lois Friedland in the The Snow Industry Letter, I, among other women, was singled out as being part of a trend of women breaking barriers in the industry (or cracking the glass ceiling). I wish I hadn’t been named. In fact, I wish I had been simply forgotten, brushed over, ignored. When someone states that I am here largely because of the passing of Title IX in 1972, my eyes glaze over. I was five years old and trying to master the finer arts of tricycle maneuvering. Besides, I am largely here because I have an in with the owner.
Yes, I am part of that horribly selfish generation that takes most everything for granted, including my role as a player in the ski industry. While I appreciate the battles our foremothers had to wage, it is time to stop drawing attention to ourselves as women or we will be differentiated as such. I, for one, do not want to be Jennifer Rowan, female, co-publisher of SAM. There isn’t enough room on my business card.
In addition, the attempts to draw attention to the female seem somewhat silly. At the NSAA national trade show in Colorado Springs this past May, the year-old Snow Sports Association for Women (SSAW), assembled a group of female consumers to come up with the ideal ski resort for women. On the wish list were moving sidewalks from the parking lot to the base lodge, chairlifts with heated bubbles, high-speed lifts only, no lift lines, lower costs, better rental shops…who in their right mind wouldn’t want any of these things, male or female? If they had perhaps come up with better daycare (though that’s a concern for parents, not women) or a rental shop offering women-specific equipment, their point might have had some validity. Instead, they concentrated on getting snowboard racks on the shuttle buses and better food. Sounds to me like they should have just invited the men to join in and formed a human rights group of skiing promoting basic creature comforts for all.
I was further amused to read in the same TS/L editorial that an unspoken part of the agenda of SSAW is to have “a better understanding of what each (male and female) is really saying, when the word is the same but the implied meaning is so different.” Ms. Friedland continued: “Both men and women tell me that a dictionary of connotations, to help define the meaning of a sentence or word shaded by how each sex thinks, would be helpful.” Last time I checked, I spoke English, my husband spoke English and we really had no need to consult the reference section in the library. In fact, I really don’t think Anita Hill had any problems understanding Clarence Thomas—it was just a lousy message.
My plea, my opinion is that I do not want to be included on lists of women. I would rather be on a list based on my accomplishments than my gender. Furthermore, when I ski, I am first and foremost a skier. Then I am almost 30, then I am middle class and lastly, I am a woman. I do not speak a different language. I, like most, am seduced by extreme photos. That’s why I participate in a thrill sport (in addition to all the cute men). And, please don’t confuse women with families. Make things better for families, but do not assume that I, as a woman, have a family. If you are going to do anything for me, get me some more stalls in the bathroom.
