Curvy women on curvy scooters… it ain’t what it used to be!
In these days of political correctness where we are saying goodbye to grid girls, podium girls, darts girls and the like. Will scooter models be next?
Of course the morals of this is a whole different subject on its own, but it led me to (honestly) research girls on scooters. Well… that was my excuse, and I’ll be sticking to it! But it has led me to a surprise discovery: scantily clad girls appear to prefer Vespas… and probably, all things considered, look better on them than other scooters too! An hour whiled away on Pinterest and Instagram revealed that (in my very unscientific period of research) there are actually far more photographs and artistic works featuring girls on Vespas than there are similar style images of females on Lambrettas. Now isn't that an amazing discovery? So I suggest that you enjoy these images while you can before they start disappearing. I have spoken before about how the Vespa is an artistic and style icon the world over, often itself having its bodywork curves compared to that of a curvaceous woman. And it has to be said that that the Vespa significantly beats the Lambretta in these stakes. There is something more stylish about vintage Vespas in that ‘arty farty way’ that we can see and agree on, but perhaps not explain quite so easily. Although I personally think that the Lambretta looks every bit the stylish Italian thoroughbred, I think in the streetwise ‘art stakes’ the Vespa translates to that level of stylish art far more easily. Now before the female readers of
Scootering start sticking pins in an effigy to balance the scales, I decided equality and balance was required, and thus researched guys on scooters too (no sniggering at the back!). Amidst my continued (and still unscientific) research, it seems the girls have a bit of a raw deal here, in reciprocal terms, as there was hardly a scantily clad man in sight… but plenty of old fellas on mobility scooters! Not really the same as a beautiful lady on a curvaceous Vespa, so quite the imbalance!
Googling scooter calendars didn’t change the pattern either, although I guess that was entirely predictable but again whiled away a few hours of research, all carried out in the name of helping the readership of Scootering (honest). But the use of the female form on calendars takes a variety of styles from retro chic to glamour, but overall, the mix between the girl and the scooter is about 50/50, showing that the style of o the scooter is of equal importance. Phew… scooters a actually being important in a s scootering calendar!
The use of girls in magazine pictures and the like has been on the slide for a few years, due to huge progression in equality laws and so on, leading to employers and businesses having a greater responsibility to monitor such practices more closely than ever before. To the extent that, in recent months, the use of promotion girls and imagery has suddenly become very unfashionable and is being outlawed on all fronts, so is more than likely to be destined to be something you just don’t see any more… at least not in mainstream media.
But as I’ve said before, the use of scooter related images, especially classic curvy Vespas, is unlikely to be stopping any time soon, much to my delight (and continued research into the matter). Beautiful scooters are always going to be in fashion and will continue to influence many aspects of the design and fashion world.
So in future years, the appreciation of curves on a calendar could be limited to the curves of 1950s Vespas or Series 1 Lambrettas rather than a curvy 1950s vintage girl or Jayne Mansfield sitting astride a Lambretta which many readers will consider a shame! What on earth are we going to put on the workshop wall in the future?
...the appreciation of curves on a calendar could be limited to the curves of 1950s Vespas or Series 1 Lambrettas rather than a curvy 1950s vintage girl or Jayne Mansfield sitting astride a Lambretta which many readers will consider a shame!