Boardies: Long or Short (The Ultimate Dilemma)
Britt Fletcher, Jen GilanFarr, Mikaela from Sweden, Lizzie Williams, Cassandra Scott
by Lacey Menkin
I am having an identity crisis because of a small pair of brightly colored boardshorts – the short kind. You know, the really short ones that don’t cover a whole hell of a lot more than a bathing suit and whose sole purpose is to keep water out of certain orifices of the body into which it’s not welcome. Said board shorts used to be my favorite until I noticed a trend among my female peers toward only wearing guys boardies. Thanks to a ton of hand-me-downs from my best friend, I was able to follow suit. But “why?” I wondered. Let’s face it, the effects of wakesports on one’s back, arms, and shoulders can be a bit masculinizing. Most male wakeskaters not only have a smaller waste-line than I do, but are also more in touch with their feelings than I ever was or will be. Furthermore there’s no doubt in my book that both Brian Grubb and Nick Taylor are ten times prettier than I am. So why are we women dressing in a fashion that would even further de-emphasize our femininity?
Is it because long boardies say “fuck tan lines, I’ve got my game face on!” or is it because they eliminate gender differences? Do guys feel like girls in long boardshorts are less concerned with their appearance and therefore more core, more dedicated, more…wakeskater-ish? Maybe I’m crazy, but I think people do tend to take me more seriously when I rock the longer boardies. Maybe the trend arose from female riders feeling like they’re looked at less like a “girl” and more like just another one of the riders if they dress in guys’ clothes? Or maybe it’s just a simple matter of comfort and style preference that has become more widespread. I just don’t know. But what I want to know is this: Can I, Lacey Paige Menkin, be a thigh-showing, short shorts wearing, womanly looking girl and still be accepted as a wakeskater just as much as my guys’-boardshorts-wearing counterparts?
Here’s my take on it and correct me if I’m wrong. Dallas Friday has a great rack and acknowledging it doesn’t detract from the respect she deserves as a wakeboarder. And James Balzer has been known on many an occasion to ride in a speedo. Has the sexual appeal of his lean stems taken anything away from his reputation as a wakeskater? I think not! That being said I’ve made up my mind to resurrect the itty-bitty, teeny-weeny boardies of my yesteryears. I am woman, watch me wakeskate!
October 29, 2009
Seriously? Like is this serious? Alliance get on your shit. Same with you Brooke Geery. I think wakeskatings SUPERIOR website needs a new editor.
October 29, 2009
on the contrary this site could use more shots of hot girls! Unlike the skateboard scene we have girls surrounding us in bikinis! Get your tighty whities out of a bunch! If you don't like the article, don't read it!
October 29, 2009
doesn't matter, the man makes the shorts…the shorts don't make the man/or woman in this case…rip in whatever you want. (a pair of hot "boyshorts" would be rad though on a sexy chick, and i'm not talking "long guyshorts" LOL
October 29, 2009
I know its hard for some of you guys to believe but Girls do wakeskate and check out this website just as much as all you guys do so when an article comes along targeted towards us I have to say it is refreshing! Then it gets hate mail…hmmm and you wonder why there aren't more women wakeskaters….quit hating, support the sport!
October 29, 2009
lovely ladies are lovely ladies, and good rippers are good rippers, regardless of what boardies they are wearing. wear what you wat, both styles are hot, and shred how you want, girls in wakesports are awesome.
October 29, 2009
Yeha Lace! Rock those short shorts lol
October 29, 2009
Great article, erase the hate…. equal shred for allll!!!!
October 29, 2009
863allday – seriously? i never knew wakeskating was so serious that a girl couldnt talk about being half naked.
October 29, 2009
I say wear a skirt!! That would be hot!! and girly!
October 29, 2009
A skirt! Now there's an idea..but that wouldn't do anything to keep water outta the important places…how about a skort? What ever happened to those?
October 29, 2009
put away the long shorts ladies…
October 29, 2009
Weather its long shorts or shorties, girls who shred are hot!
October 29, 2009
You gotta get the short skirt, like some booty shorts under the skirt! Roxy, Oneil, someone out there should get on this. Back in 2004 I taught a little girl at OWC and in a comp she wore a skirt. It was so cute. Come on girls you can do it!!!
October 29, 2009
Uhh can I please have five minutes of life back. If I would have known the article was this dumb I would not have read it, but by the time I found out it was too late. Step your game up Alliance. This is crap and its insulting that you guys think we would find this entertaining. It is embarrassing that crap like this is on the front page of THE wakeskating site. Alliance Wakeskate – For Real or a Joke (The Ultimate Question)
October 29, 2009
thank you mark! alliance please get more serious bout wakeskating, enough games and trying to be best friends with everyone. get real!! im tired of all the half ass monday covers and all the bullshit brooke geery posts. enough of it! its about time wakeskating looks a lil better than just some stoopid game to play. i wanna see better shit and i know its all out there but the editor of this site is to lame to post anything else but her friends! come on now.
October 29, 2009
Not gonna lie. These comments are better than the article.
October 29, 2009
are there any luhgit pro female skateboarders?? cause maybe all the chic wakeksaters should just quit and kill themselves.?? just a suggestion.
October 30, 2009
Ok, first of all- to all the haters.. Do you have anything.. and i mean ANYTHING better to do than hate on these articles..to sit at your computer, eating cheetos, picking your nose and trying to find articles that you (obviously the most influential and talented critic of this prestigious wakeskate website) can find a flaw in?
Because you know what they say about people who hate? They are just trying to make up for something they lack.. and in your case that must me wakeskating skills, because if you were ANY good at riding.. you wouldnt be sitting on your fat ass writing hate posts.. you would be out shredding and proving yourself.. getting yourself all over this website and giving it something to post that is not "stupid, embarassing lame bullshit" .. but obviously you SUCK and thats why you are a HATER
Second of all.. Short Shorts are a MUST for all of the sexy women wakeskaters… hell yeah lacey!;)
October 30, 2009
863allday – Your mom wears short shorts.
October 30, 2009
i only wear jorts and so does my mom so your talkin to the wrong person. this is the dumbest article in the history of man kind just like every other female article. and mr. haterneedtogetafuckinglife ill shred your face off.
October 30, 2009
Fuck shorts lets all ride naked!
October 30, 2009
I'd like to ride naked…just once in my life, I'd really like to!
October 30, 2009
I love wearing short shorts when I ride. Even guys like wearing them too these dayz. I feel the best riding in as little as possible like surfing.
October 30, 2009
short shorts!! -too many haters dude…
October 30, 2009
Someone was definitely sipping on some haterade!!! Maybe this article is directed a bit more towards females and fashion for a change….but who is gonna hate when girls show a lil bit of legs? Someone must be swinging the other way! Lacey…put your hater blockers on…..they just wish they could see that sexy package in them booty shorts…HA!
November 3, 2009
haters are gay! lol!
November 9, 2009
long live chicks in short shorts!
November 10, 2009
Sweet article Lacey! Thanks for the shout-out and keep rocking the short shorts, if it wasn't for the recent trend, I'd probably rock them too! Maybe in a few years…
November 11, 2009
I love shhooort !!
November 17, 2009
I see your point, and I know exactly what you mean. When I'm not riding I like those short shorts, But when I'm riding I use the longer ones to cover up my white-pale-wet tighs and my terminator-kneebrace.
I feel that people take me less serious as a rider when I dress more femine. But hey, let them talk.
I must also say that I love the feeling of being underestimated, in that way they won't expect anything. At least not from a girl…