Lice, Ice, Bitches & Barf (LIBB)

Dear Trek, My 8 year old daughter needs a bigger bike and since her last bike was a Trek and you're based in WI (we live here too), I wanted to give you our business. However, the se descriptions of your boys' and girls' bikes are, perhaps inadvertently, sexist and off-putting. In your description of boys' bikes you write "But Trek also makes bikes specifically for boys, with the color schemes and frame geometry designed to spark a lifetime love of the ride." For girls you write "But Trek also makes bikes specifically for girls, with extra attention to the design and construction details that make riding especially fun for your little lady." Your messaging suggests boys are encouraged to forge a love of physical activity and embrace a healthy lifestyle, but girls are supposed to be "ladylike." Perhaps you don't realize how constraining that is. Are "ladies" allowed to be active, assertive, ambitious, and adventurous, or are th...

The girls and I were just a little excited that M’s city council term was finally over on Tuesday!! The girls decided to dress fancy and chose my clothes and accessories. Not pictured, the array of chocolate J put together for him, the beer I picked up in the most contactless way possible, dinner delivered from a local restaurant, K checking on him as he was banished to the deck while the preparations took place. J declared it “annual dad day” because the word “annual” sounded good even  though she didn’t know what it meant. There’s a reason volunteers and the civically engaged tend to be older and retired, from what I’ve observed. 1-3 evening meetings every week for 3.5 yrs. Most were 2-4 hrs each. Many were the first Mon of the month type ones, but there were lots of additional ones that came up with a week’s or few days’ notice. Society benefits from a variety of perspectives and the service of younger people and those with young families, but this configuration ...