The Daily - August 11,2021 - 26

Field Notes
J E N G U R E C K I
and ashamed about our bodies and
our desires. Body liberation and
sexual liberation must be a part of
our industry's conversations and
work. You can't pick and choose
the parts of justice, diversity, equity,
and inclusion that you like the
most. They all are equally important
and valid.
This is why I'm so passionate
Sex Sells
Here's the best thing the CEO of Coalition Snow learned
during the long COVID-19 quarantine.
By Jen Gurecki
THE LANGE GIRLS NEVER DID ANYTHING FOR ME. THEY WEREN'T MEANT
to. In fact, their narrow representation of sexuality was by design. The manner
in which they were (barely) dressed, the suggestive positions, the cheeky copy...
Bob Lange and his team weren't interested in selling someone like me a pair of
ski boots, likely because they didn't bother to actually see someone like me.
But it isn't just Lange who has used sex to sell gear. 32 Snowboarding,
Burton, Nideker, Red Bull, Ride, and fill in the blank with so many other
major brands founded and run by men, have all capitalized on the white
male gaze. The women are thin, bronzed but never Black, and busty, and
exist only to cater to the fantasies of straight cis men.
As lazy as their tactics have been, sex sells because we love it. And by love
it, I mean that for many of us, if we aren't thinking about it on the daily,
we're doing anything we can to figure out how to have it and make it better.
It's been our shared dirty little secret. Yet with most things where the
truth is whispered and the public-facing narrative is carefully curated and
stripped of lived experiences, there are real consequences. In terms of sexual
health, it goes far beyond the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases
and unplanned pregnancies; it affects our physical and mental health.
In an industry that not only prides itself but rests upon the experiences
that foster healthy lifestyles, it's surprisingly not surprising that sexual
health has remained in the shadows. For a lot of us, society-and the out26
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OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2021
door industry-has told us that our
sexuality and our sexual wellness
aren't important. We're too old, too
fat, too ugly, too slutty, too prude,
too not what we are supposed to
be. And again, this is by design.
The racist, misogynist, ableist patriarchal
systems that the industry
has been attempting to address are
based on the very same set of beliefs
that tell us to be embarrassed
about the launch of our new brand,
Après Delight, a CBD intimacy
oil (because why rub CBD only
on your sore muscles?) made with
all-natural organic ingredients
here in the U.S. It's more than a
product that helps us to have better
sex; it's fostering a community that
welcomes everyone in embracing
their sexuality, in whatever way
feels right. We promote resources
(including education from Laura
Borichevsky of Sex Outside) to
help us better understand and take
ownership over our sexual health.
We created Après Delight
to feel better in and about our
bodies. It encourages us to be our
full selves in everything that we
do. Openly discussing sex, sexual
health, and pleasure isn't something
that the outdoor industry
has done, and when we have seen
glimmers of it, it's been primarily
from the perspective of cis men.
So are we selling sex? Absolutely.
But what's different is that we're
normalizing our pleasure, on
our terms, in a way that centers
our experiences as humans with
vulvas.
BODY LIBERATION AND
SEXUAL LIBERATION MUST BE
A PART OF OUR INDUSTRY'S
CONVERSATIONS AND WORK.
COURTESY APRÉS DELIGHT
The Daily - August 11,2021

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