The Gradual Acceptance of Women in Sports

Cycling 

One of the more controversial activities for ladies was cycling which grew massively in 1892 and, after some improvements to the bicycles and lower prices, it became a popular form of transport. Before the improvements to the bicycle, women were expected to ride a tricycle because it was more “ladylike” but by 1896, it was estimated that there were 10 million cyclists in Britain. There were magazines, sports clubs (over 300 cycling clubs in London alone) and events all centred around cycling and this helped to encourage more women to take up the sport. In 1897 the first cycling show was held in Nottingham, over 27,000 people attended and there were over 2000 exhibits.

Tessa Reynolds, who rode to London from Brighton in 1893, made her own cycling costume inspired by the Rational Dress.

The Rational Dress was a group that started in 1881 and advocated for women’s clothes to be more practical and comfortable for the modern woman.  Generally, women were still wearing restrictive corsets, big skirts and high heels. More women than ever were in the work place and their clothes limited their movements when performing tasks. The Rational Dress brought out the Society’s Gazette which also promoted emancipation and equality. It ran for 6 issues in 1888-1889. This gave the Suit a political and social undertone, meaning it got a bad reputation.

The craze was taken up by many women as it gave them more freedom, they were able to travel and take themselves out without an escort but because of this, men were scared of women abandoning their 'duty' as a wife and mother in favour of politics, education, and independence. This also led to a new profession called professional lady cyclist which was created as a chaperone for women.

Medical professionals were quick to remind women of their weakness. Articles were published to deter women from taking up any sports. Women, when cycling, were told, “not to be sweaty or red and to look presentable at all times.” The Lady Cyclist, and other magazines, put emphasis on being 'graceful', 'neat', 'sensible', 'becoming', 'charming', 'dignified' and 'modest' unlike men's cycling products where they described the male cyclists as ‘heroic’.  The Lady Cyclist published an article on what women shouldn't do whilst cycling so as not to become un-popular. These included to 'look graceful both off and on her machine. Her costume must be simple, suitable, and neat'

The "Bicycle suit" was made for easier cycling and consisted of a jacket and bloomers.

This was controversial but few women wore a full cycling suit as many would get verbal and physical abuse in the street. Instead, many women would have worn a skirt with a deeper pleat in the back (to be able to sit on the seat) or a shortened, simple skirt over bloomers. Other critics argued that women bicyclists favoured shorter skirts, thus “inviting” insults and advances. This sounds like something that women get accused of even today, just showing how little we have advanced over the last 125 years. 

At this time, many patents were taken out by women inventing skirts and bloomers for riding the bike. These women included Helena Wilson, a London Costumier, who patented fluffy cuffed bloomers in 1897. This invention was a pair of bloomers with fur cuffs that helped the skirt over the top stay down and not ride up when the wearer was riding the bike.

There were many other patented inventions to try and achieve this but most consisted of buckles and straps. There were some in which the bloomers and skirts were attached or the skirt clipped up to reveal full bloomers that made it look like you were wearing a skirt. Convertible cycling costumes were most loved because they tended to be made in dark fabric that hid the dirt and they concealed the fact that the wearer was going to ride a bike until they made the conversion. In one version, the skirt converted into a cape and in another, the skirt was on a set of pulleys that pulled the skirt up when the wearer was riding. The convertible costumes also avoided any frills or fancies so it was easy to wash and repair them.

To get a cycling costume, women would have to convince tailors or dress makers to make them. Many professionals were against the idea as it was not considered to be proper and so women started to make their own. The magazines saw the demand and started to print patterns for these suits. The magazine ‘The Lady Cyclist’ included many patterns for only 1s 6d. However,  some societies were against women making their own and thought it was best if women sought professional help so that the cycling suit didn’t get a bad name.

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