In the Driving Seat
In the Driving Seat by Ruthie at Me-Mo (Reproduced at www.womans-world.com)
I work in the field of motoring , one
of the last bastions of Jeremy Clarksonesque boys toys clubs, and it’s
interesting to see the subtle change that’s taking place, where women once
feared to place their tyre treads.
If you’re a keen telly viewer, you’ll
have noticed a discrete difference in some of the car ads that are now showing
on a loop: from Jennifer Lopez strutting her stuff in a Fiat 500, to the new
Vauxhall Adam and Citroen DS3’s, we, as women, are being encouraged to ‘express
ourselves’ via our car choices. Women, finally, are being seen as important
consumers within the car market...but how has this gear-change come about and
what makes us different as car users?
Without creating a head-on collision
of macho and feminine cultures, some women have cornered their share of the
road by, in part, personalising their vehicles in a particularly feminine way.
Who can be more ‘out there’ and visible on the road than the gal with the ultra
pink Mini, replete with headlight car eyelashes and fluffy pink car dice? Take
this as an ironic gesture, a nod to Girl Power or an extension of an arguably
restricted (pink) taste for fashion, the fact remains, we as women are far more
visible as drivers than our historic sisters ever were. (I’ve heard news that, women in
Saudi Arabia not allowed driving licences, often get their own sweet revenge by
insisting that their burly drivers plough through the traffic with cars adorned
with all things girly)
Does this desire to adorn our cars
derive from a quest to make ourselves more visible on the road...to ‘take
ownership’ of the road to a greater extent? Or does it stem from a more
profound difference in the way women and men view cars?
At the recent Gadget Show held at the
NEC in Birmingham, the zero emission Toyota GT86R was pride of place...but,
excuse me-Gadget?! If it belonged to me I’d probably put some stickers on it
and call it Ethel (or Harriet the Eco-Chariot)...and this is where I think many
women and men differ in their relationship to their cars. At the risk of
generalisations, many women see their cars as anything from a handbag on wheels
to a functional family carrier or a sexy symbol of unfettered fun. And who can
forget their first car (mine was Betty-an old style Beetle) and that
exhilarating feeling of freedom you felt-no more dodgy bus rides home, or
looking over your shoulder walking home after a night out.
Giving your car a name or
‘anthropomorphising’ it also appears to be a peculiarly feminine trait. In fact
a friend of my daughter’s actually held a wedding ceremony for her car and a
‘significant other’ vehicle (Neville and Marj have since divorced). Many of us
see our cars as our loyal friends (until they break down that is) and although,
in general, we may not be so keen to scrub them up nicely, inside or out-my car
looks like an overflowing bin for much of the time- adding a personal touch to
your motor ( a fun air freshener or car flower) can add that je ne sais quoi to
your ride.
Now that much of what goes on under
the bonnet is highly proficient, and, luckily, electronic (so it can only be
fixed by an expert at a garage) there is no longer any need to pretend that we
should know how to fix anything. I don’t think I’m acting dumb when I say that
I haven’t got a clue what a crankshaft is or in the ins and outs of a Wankel
engine (yes-really) it’s just that I’m not in the least bit interested. But
this doesn’t mean that I don’t love my car. I’m going to continue to be in the
business of taking the boring out of bearings, the Big out of Big Ends, the
silly out of cylinder heads, and er,something out of pistons.
Ruthie Collier-Large is Founder of www.me-mo.co.uk an online resource for all things fun and fabulous for your car.
A Me-Mo Car Review
A Me-Mo Car Review
Labels: womens online driving magazine
posted by Ruthie @ 5:30 AM
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