Thursday, August 26, 2010

making sexy

A post on Simply Bike today about stickers that read, "You'd look hotter in a helmet." with a website reference to Safety Is Sexy made me think about one of the few things that many pro-helmet and anti-helmet advocates have in common: they protray them as 'ugly'. Anti-helmet: well, obviously. Pro-helmet: "Who cares what they look like--think of your brain!"

Image is not truth.

Image can be manipulated, molded, can change (and can't be stopped). It's in the eye of the beholder and it varies from person to person. It's irrelevant to ask whether helmets are sexy. Ask: can we make them sexy?

I hypothesize: sure we can. Or at least improve the current state of affairs.

So what, in my mind, is most sexy about a helmet? A bicycle, motorcycle, scooter, or moped helmet?

Taking it off.

It's about that moment when somebody rolls up, kicks down the stand, swings their leg off their ride, and pulls off their helmet. The shake their head, run a hand through their unfussy hair, and saunter off for a beer in the dusty roadside pub or a glass of wine on a patio overlooking the mediterranean.

It's all about the reveal. Like sunglasses or leather gloves.

Or like they say about wearing unusual clothing? Own it, and that's sexy.

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