What’s The Word On Chick Cars?
“Girly Wheels” is a fun article by Tanya Barrientos in the October 31, 2004, issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer (of course, you have to register, for free, to read the piece in its entirety). As she puts it:
“Cabrios.
VW Beetles.
Mazda Miatas.
PT Cruisers.
Mini Coopers.
They’ve all attained the reputation of being chick cars.
It may not be fair. It may not be logical. But while some cars zoom down the highway in androgynous anonymity, others get parked and locked into narrow gender roles. Market analysts, car manufacturers and even consumers don’t exactly know how, or why, it happens. For women, these cars represent fun, freedom and funkiness. But when a car gets labeled feminine, men tend to shun it.”
And, Tanya goes on to mention the Geneva Auto Show, where this year, “Volvo unveiled a concept car designed entirely by women that included features such as big rubber bumpers, floral seat covers, and panels that rotated out when the doors opened to keep mud from getting on clothes.
It was sharply ridiculed by men and women alike.”
When Tanya asked for my opinion during her research, I pointed out that there is “a very fine line between appealing to women and condescending to them.” Floral seat covers may just cross that line, but you decide.
Check out the rest of the piece, and/or I’ll try to dig up more on that Volvo concept car in the meantime.
