Skate and Destroy
With the recent unveiling of sexual harassment within the beer industry at the forefront of everyones minds, it feels weird to publish anything about beer.
When Samer first came to myself and Rachel about this piece, we knew we wanted to publish it. There is a huge skateboarding community in Cardiff, and the discussions around alternative spaces such as skateboarding and craft beer actually being just as harmful, if not more so, as conventional spaces is something we have wanted to explore for a while.
The past month has proven this to be true on a scale bigger than anything craft beer has seen before. With multiple women, men and non-binary people coming forward with anonymous and public statements of abuse within the beer industry. An industry hiding behind monikers of ‘craft’ and ‘independent’.
As much as Samer and myself are struggling to engage within our industry right now, we didn’t want to lose the contributions of the wonderful people in beer and skateboarding who are the reason this piece was written in the first place.
Until our most vulnerable can thrive in our industries, craft beer and skateboarding are just an extension of everything they proclaim to be against.
Helen
When I first saw the tweet that said, “The current beer industry is similar to the skateboard industry of the 90s,” I thought that it was referring to the invasive toxic masculinity of both cultures, and not the economic insight of market saturation or carefree cannibalism.
Like most tweets, it was an equivocal post up for interpretation. And as it turns out, the similarities between craft beer and skateboarding overlap in more ways than one. Both are at risk of what one user replied, “becoming a parody of itself”.*
While the narrative of these industries center men, or are generally male-dominated, there are numerous initiatives challenging that notion. And yet, there are still beer labels or skateboard graphics, spaces, and marketing approaches that undermine these developments. In skateboarding and craft beer, inclusion always seems to be celebrated, but in many instances the actions led by women and non-binary people have been created as a direct response to these obsolete promises.
“I think there are too many lazy marketers that fall back on idea that "sex sells” because they can’t come up with anything more creative,” says Sarah Huston, the Founder of Yeah Girl Media, a global platform that connects “women’s skateboarding community through meaningful experiences and authentic storytelling.” She adds, “But also, I think it comes down to the assumption that these are male dominated industries — and to a degree they are, but not as much as marketers seem to think.”
Huston found data to back this in a recent interview with Mariah Davenport, the orchestrator of the 2021 Skateboarding Representation Study. Similar to the beer industry, Huston comments, “If you look at the way skateboarding is marketed and then compare it with some of the more recent data about the demographic, it’s clear there is a huge mismatch. I saw some data from last year that showed that 36% of skateboarders are female. That’s still a minority but it’s a huge market.”
This misalliance sounds familiar not only in beer, but in most professions. And while the prescribed notion that “sex sells” in marketing and advertising may never be irradicated, more problematic is targeting impressionable consumers by perpetuating misogony. There is also a dichotomy of these entitled spaces, which ironically stem from counterculture attitudes. They acknowledge and boast about a welcoming or alternative “community”, but continue to gatekeep.
Beth Demmon, a San-Diego-based beer writer and former ad agency professional, has addressed these nuances in many of her works. She states, “Marketing is always going to be responsive to the culture at large. So if the culture at large is complacent with misogynistic imagery and marketing, Then why would they change?” That isn’t to say there hasn’t been more access or outlets for those trying to make a difference. It is a gradual process that photographer and writer, Linnea Bullion, has seen both sides of.
In 2018, Bullion published “My Experiences In Skateboarding” exposing some of these hard truths. She agrees, “Nothing changes overnight. The people that made those disparaging comments more or less aren’t going to be the ones to wake up and see things in a whole new light.” Where Bullion does find hope is in the emotional awareness and education of younger generations, even if “every company is doing this probably five years too late.”
Beer is a facilitator in many social gatherings. It is a common drink among skateboarders and is usually the promoted drink at events and contest afterparties. In her piece, Bullion recalls deciding “to forego attending Creature’s Rumble in Ramona contest after the flyer brazenly proclaimed, ‘BANDS – CARS – BREWS – BABES – GOONS – SLUTS’.” She has been more selective of such gatherings, and recognizes the conitnued efforts to create spaces for women and non-binary skaters. These tend to be fostered by those who have felt the need to own their own narrative.
Kay Russant is the organizer of one of these skate groups that have been growing globally. Russant’s Prom Queen Social Club, is based out of Cardiff, Wales, and demonstrates how the power of community can be used for good, whether in celebration or education.
She says, “When we began our events we were inundated with women, trans, and non-binary folk asking if it was for them and could they come. I was naive in thinking I was just running an event, but you can see the positivity and energy the girls feed off each other, the confidence boost of seeing someone just like them being able to do something they’ve always thought was not for them. This community was needed.”
From partying to teaching skate tricks and tips, Prom Queen Social Club, like other inclusive skate initiatives, are becoming more visible. In fact, most major cities have local chapters dedicated to meetups for women and non-binary people.
“I often get told by others who are more confident in skateparks that being nervous in the skate scene is just a ‘mindset’, but until you’ve seen the relief these spaces give to those starting out you can see it’s more than just willing yourself to feel comfortable. We all need support,” says Russant.
Like beer, skateboarding is for everyone. But it is important to address things created by women for women. Latosha Stone is the founder and designer of Proper Gnar–the first Black Woman owned skateboard company, and despite being endorsed by Beyoncé’s Directory of Black Owned Businesses, Stone has been subjected to all sorts of critique.
“People think you’re a poser, you don’t really skate, and want to give lots of unsolicited advice. They think you’re just doing it for attention, or you can’t be a skater and wear certain things. I’ve been skating for over 15 years, it’s kind of funny I feel like I’ve been skating longer than some of the kids commenting negative things have been alive,” Stone says.
The parallels to stories I have heard from women in the craft beer industry are uncannily similar to what Latosha shares. Her passion and resilience are channelled through her creative expression and brand. Stone continues, “I feel like my mission is important because it shows others, specifically women and women of color, that they can do it too, and just as good. Another aspect of my brand is the support for beginners too. I like to show that it’s ok to not know everything about skating yet, to show the good and the bad, and have fun. So many people take skateboarding so seriously but I think it should be about having fun too.”
Sometimes, beer is just beer. And skateboarding is simply a fun activity. Sometimes they are not.
As companies are becoming more self reflective, it is also up to individuals to acknowledge nuances and to learn and educate themselves to be better. The onus should not be only on those experiencing maltreatment. Men need to hold each other accountable in these spaces, even through trial and tribulation. Both Linnea Bullion and I have contributed to Girls Are Awesome, which is founded by two men. On that dynamic, Bullion comments, “We don't need to demonize people for creating cool things because they want to be a part of the solution.”
Beth Demmon shares a similar sentiment. “Every single step that we take every day, every interaction we have with another person, everything that we put out into the world, should be to make it a better place. I work towards a world that is a slightly better place, not a perfect place, but a slightly better place than when I leave it.”
In 2005, professional women skateboarders organized a boycott at the X Games competition. At the time, male winners made 25 times more than them. In fact, the last place contestant in the men’s street group was actually getting paid the same amount as the first place winner of the women’s vert group. By 2008, the X Games offered equal pay. After three years of persistent and actionable steps.
There is a brewery out of California with 15 skateboard ambassadors. All of which are men. That is something that I hope can change. Soon. Someday. Progress can be slow. Progress can be accelerated–especially when assisted with more networks, platforms, and avenues to create visibility and aid.
[After reaching out to the brewery for a statement, the President of the brewery commented, "The ambassador team are actually all partners in the brewery. So unfortunately no woman invested in the operation at that time."]
Sarah Houston of Yeah Girl Media, says “Pabst’s support of the Patti film ’This Way’ was a great example of how a beer company can associate with skateboarding, without taking a macho or sexist approach. They helped bring to life the creative vision of women and let them tell the story. We need more of that. The male gaze is so yesterday.”
