ABSTRACT
Whilst some researchers have noted female skateboarders’ disassociation from the feminist label or any other explicit political agenda, in recent years there has been a more vocal and visible feminist political dissent expressed by skateboarders. Within the professional realms of skateboarding practice, politics around identity and marketability are prominently discussed in populist articles and opinions expressed through social media.
Having explored a wide range of sources in the public realm in which skateboarders articulate a connection to feminisms (broadly speaking), this chapter examines three major themes that appear to be most pertinent to skateboarders in the current moment. These are ‘separatism’, ‘gaze’, and ‘gender regulation’. This chapter focuses on two of the most spotlighted professional skateboarders, Lacey Baker and Leticia Bufoni, as well as drawing upon the experiences and commentary of several other professional and amateur skateboarders to understand the network of feminist and post-feminist positions that operate within skateboarding culture. This chapter examines the need for and the development of strategies of space-making performed by women and gender-non-binary skateboarders, which has initiated shifts within the skateboarding industry and developed connections outside of skateboarding towards the mainstream sporting and cultural industries.
