How watching women in Pipeline allows you to understand sexist logic

The year 2022 is already historic for surfing and especially for women surfers. After a period of uncertainty and scarcity of events, the world tour has returned in iconic fashion.

In one of the temples of surfing, on the Pipeline and Backdoor waves, enthusiasts, practitioners and admirers have the opportunity to ‘consume’ the “cream of cream”. With open and expanded broadcasts, so to speak, this year’s surfing starts in an overwhelming way. And it confirms the fact that we are the country of surfing.

For better or worse, waves and surfers are in the spotlight, and it can be said that we most likely surfed the best wave of all time. After all, surfing has never been as cool as before, and Brazil has never had a participation like it has now (let’s leave the ironic debate about the Brazilian competition scene for another time).

In addition, not everything is flowers and despite numerous positive feelings, there are things that still bother. However, the discomfort arises from the surroundings and not from the show itself, but from comments about a single fact: the presence of women in Pipeline.

• They are evolving – this phrase is very uncomfortable, as it is permeated by misconceptions and is supported by a narrative that, in the first place, was created and reproduced until today by male and female chauvinists. For years, women surfers have been induced to believe that they are less capable than men, consequently the collective unconscious ends up creating a false reality: that we are in fact less competent, in addition to having restricted spaces and jobs. With this erroneous notion, women surfers end up not testing their limits, except for the most nonconformist. Finally, please stop using this phrase, or if you do, have the delicacy to narrate the full story, inserting those who do not follow the modality with transparency. Women are chasing the damage caused by men who, since then, have never accepted to share the waves with the opposite sex.

• Inappropriate places – it’s not just Pipeline that was banned for women for years. Several waves in the world are surfed by a crowd that antagonizes surfers and denies their presence. Pipeline is just a microcosm, a sample that identifies the logic reproduced by the sexist patriarchal capitalist system, which women should stick to less prominent places. When they pierce the bubble, this woman is usually required to develop masculine characteristics. Forcing her to camouflage her femininity.

• Women and not girls – I understand that for many, many, referring to the surfer woman using ‘girl’ can be cute. However, there are two problems in principle with this method of identification. First, it doesn’t match reality, since most of them are over 21 years old. If you want to be scandalized, I suggest knowing more definitions from our beloved dictionary for ‘girl’. The second problem of identifying female surfers as ‘girls’ is intrinsically related to the first, as it is customary to underestimate the abilities of the youngest in our society.

• risk factor – in a patriarchal capitalist society the woman who takes risks is often seen as crazy, inconsequential or masculine. It is common in surfing when a woman has an accident to hear comments like: ‘how crazy’, ‘she’s not prepared’, ‘inconsequential’. Historically, men are at risk, from epic battles to current wars. While men fight each other for reasons that are sometimes justifiable, sometimes dubious, women are dedicated to taking care of the home and family. Nothing wrong with that, if it weren’t for the imposition of roles and the pre-judgment of those willing to reverse them. Interestingly, when the man is in an accident practicing the risk, he is seen as brave, fearless and there is then a notion that that man needs honors and attention, while the woman just shouldn’t have risked so much.

Finally, to expect an equal performance today in Pipeline or any wave, between male and female surfers is at the very least dishonest, since until today we have been forced to doubt our own ability and strength, as well as being prevented directly and indirectly from developing our skills. physical/sports.

But the good news is that things are slowly changing. Surfer Moana Jones is a practical example of what happens when a society allows a woman to be herself and do what she wants, freely and without judgment.

Onward women of the sea!