Polly Ralda surfing Waimea Bay, Febuary 2016. Photo: Maria Fernanda
This is in response to a recent opinion piece published on The Inertia titled, “Women’s Big Wave Surfing Has a Parity Paradox Worth Rethinking” by JP Currie. In it, he wrote that instead of celebrating the recent Women’s Championship at Jaws, that he is delusional enough to “see women striving for masculinity, because it is the only way they might be accepted by a culture ingrained with testosterone.” Here’s my opinion piece: I strongly disagree.
As a female competitor of the Pe’ahi Challenge, I want to invite this so called “writer” to enter the waters like I do, when it is 30-foot plus. I invite you to feel the sensation of being discriminated against before you even paddle out because of your gender. Being told various times that “you can’t do it” and that “you’re going to fail” without even giving you the chance to try. I invite you to try to handle all the pressure and stay strong and still paddle in and surf some waves.
I think being a woman out there requires more strength than any man would ever imagine. JP Currie, I have never seen you out here in Hawaii surfing big waves; is the sport too manly for you, too?
With so much science to support women engaging in sports, I beg to ask you: How are we going to progress women’s sports without giving them the opportunity to show their talent? UFC professional fighters are pulling in numbers in mainstream television views and cash flow. The female UFC fights are paid approximately $120,000 for some of the most elite stellar fights. Would you ever put Ronda Rousey in the same ring against Conor McGregor? I wonder who you would bet on…
And female surfing is close to making a name for itself – this time in the big wave arena – with Pe’ahi being one of the first televised sessions of women surfing big waves. Big numbers for big waves. Sports are entertainment, and we drew an audience. That has value.
How about the fact that there were guys at Pe’ahi who also got hurt and surfed with injuries through to the finals, but no one is telling that story. We are going to call this “The Princess Effect.” When JP Currie wrote his article, he did not take into consideration this was the first female event ever run by the WSL Big Wave Tour. It was monumental for us women.
In a male dominant sport, when a male big wave rider has a near-death experience in big waves, he is celebrated as a hero. On the other hand, when a woman surfs a seventy-foot wave, her near-death experience is criticized, saying that she should not be out there – that big wave surfing is not a place for women.
This all sounds like medieval times to me. Still in the 21st century, some men still think limiting women to not reach their full potential is going to stop them, telling them they should act more feminine, practice a more “girly “ sport, look like a Barbie… instead of encouraging them to be active women and live healthy lifestyles.
I want to encourage all the women in the world who want to surf big waves to do it. And do not get discouraged by opinion pieces on the Internet. True big wave surfers are often too busy surfing big waves and training to surf big waves, instead of writing pity articles telling women what they should and should not be doing with their time.
JP Currie, I want to honor you by dedicating my next big wave ride to you. I will think of you dearly while I drop in, decked out in a pink wetsuit and pink bra, full makeup and hair done up – just for you 😉 and I’ll look up to that 30-foot face wall and remember the time I read a shit article about how women don’t know how to surf big waves. I will do my best to look less manly and more girly for you while I’m doing it. PS. Don’t tell me what to do. Kisses.
