Inspirational read

[devoidapop]

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/green-life/one-instagrammer-s-quest-for-more-inclusive-outdoor-community?utm_source=messenger&utm_medium=promoted &utm_content=jenny&utm_campaign=sierramag

I know the subject of diversity in outdoor activities has come up on WB before and not always to a positive end. I think this a great, quick read about a woman who didn't initially think she fit in, but didn't let that stop her or her friends from finding the joy in hiking.

[KnightErrant]

Nice article! I like that she points out the lack of diversity out in the wilderness but without getting accusatory. So many hikers who are part of the majority in one way or another get really defensive when they read something like this and feel blamed. But saying "we should encourage more [insert characteristic] people to get outdoors!" does not equal "there should be fewer skinny straight white dudes out there." It just means that the wilderness is beneficial to human health in many ways and everyone should feel welcome out there if they have the interest.

I definitely agree with her point about hiking helping with mental health. I always feel more relaxed and grounded when I'm hiking a lot.

Thanks for sharing!

[illabelle]

Overall, I felt the article was okay. I'm glad she is hiking. I'm glad she had the inner strength to persevere when she didn't feel like she belonged. And I'm glad that she's making an effort to get more people into the woods.

I don't understand her resentment towards whoever it is that markets exercise. It's not the responsibility of those who market exercise gear or programs to promote diversity for diversity's sake. Their responsibility is to sell their product to people who show an interest in it.

“I resent the way exercise is marketed in our culture, especially to women, as a way to fix our bodies—implying that we shouldn’t like ourselves the way that we are.”

I'm a bit puzzled by her view of diversity. While she mentions age, body type, race/color, and sexual orientation a few times, the common factor seems to be her size. She didn't see many people her size hiking, so she felt that she was out of her element. Are obese people underrepresented in the hiking community? Probably so, but any one of us can describe the direct relationship between exercise and healthy weight.

Early on in her hiking career, Bruso noticed she kept seeing a very specific “type” of person out on the trail: young, thin, and white.

“I’ve been hiking now for about six years,” Bruso says. “I hike all the time, and I still get well-intentioned comments, like ‘You’re doing OK,’ and ‘You’re almost there,’ as if people think it’s my first time out.”

“In a lot of outdoor gatherings, I’m the only gay person, and also the only fat person,” Bruso says.....”

I've seen plenty of hikers who aren't young, aren't thin. Most are white. I don't know how many are gay. Without intrusive questions or obvious flag-waving, how would I tell?

Finally, note the photo of her group: It represents a range of weight, and a range of color (and of course, all the brown people are in front to put focus on their color). Half of them have sunglasses. No old people, no men, no unsmiling people, no barefoot people, only one tall person, maybe one blonde. How many are Christian? How many are Democrat? How many are introverts? How many are rich? How many are single? How many are parents? How many got an A in high school algebra?

Diversity goes so much deeper than the trivialities of what we see.

[Uriah]

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/green-life/one-instagrammer-s-quest-for-more-inclusive-outdoor-community?utm_source=messenger&utm_medium=promoted &utm_content=jenny&utm_campaign=sierramag

I know the subject of diversity in outdoor activities has come up on WB before and not always to a positive end. I think this a great, quick read about a woman who didn't initially think she fit in, but didn't let that stop her or her friends from finding the joy in hiking.

What I can't but wonder is why so many feel this apparent need to fit in when they head out. I know when I venture outside, I do not fret over such trivialities. I'm there for other reasons, reasons that transcend our pathetic, little humanistic world. In any case, it seems to me a little alone-time seems a good thing, regardless of "who" you are or who others perceive you to be.

illabelle, a great critique, by the way.

[rocketsocks]

What I can't but wonder is why so many feel this apparent need to fit in when they head out. I know when I venture outside, I do not fret over such trivialities. I'm there for other reasons, reasons that transcend our pathetic, little humanistic world. In any case, it seems to me a little alone-time seems a good thing, regardless of "who" you are or who others perceive you to be.

illabelle, a great critique, by the way.

Diversity goes so much deeper than the trivialities of what we see.

this ^^^^^^^^^

[devoidapop]

I think hiking and exercise in general are marketed as competitive and goal driven. They can be, but they can also just be fun, healthy, and relaxing.