Originally Posted by
LyzurJane
I'd be pretty pissed if someone told me I shouldn't ride at night. As though they're in a better position to know what's best for me than I do.
Heck, I've even had it happen here on BF, in the Commuting Forum, IIRC. It was on a thread where the guys were all kvetching about how people tell them riding a bicycle is too dangerous and how much they hate it when people do that. Self-awareness was pretty lacking in that one.
The makeup study that I linked to, though, I think showed that women have the same perceptions linking competence in the workplace to a "natural" but made up look. So even if they're not rude enough to say something, many of your women coworkers may have absorbed the same standards for what constitutes a "professional appearance." I mean the general "you," of course, since I have no idea what your specific workplace situation is like.[/QUOTE]
I'm a paramedic, so we're all dressed in pajamas(scrubs), anyways. Some of my female co-workers manage to wear makeup and look fantastic. I'm a sweaty mess by the end of the shift, and I'd look like an even bigger trainwreck if I added smudgy/streaky eyeliner to the mix. Thinking about it, I think only about 50% of the women who work at the hospital wear make up. Most of the female MD's do not.
Also, sorry your weekend commute is such a nightmare. I actually feel pretty safe in the college bar areas around here, cause cops are everywhere and it's incredibly well lit. Also, I'm an old, so the college kids look straight through me like I'm invisible. No harassment there. It's the drunk drivers that I worry about on weekend nights.
The main drag is well-lit, with frequent police patrols, but the area the bike path empties into is residential - only stop signs, no lane markings on the roads, and tons of student rentals/frats/apartments. I go through there because it's the same distance but not having to deal with the traffic lights means I get through the last 1/2 mile of my commute in 3 minutes instead of 10. Besides, the people who are drunk enough to think that attempting to stop someone on a 56# bicycle going 15 mph are usually drunk enough to push over with a feather, so it's annoying but I've never felt REALLY in danger. Also the Airzound gives them a good scare.
