How many members of this forum are women?

[SUPcheat]

HCOSUPB?  Just so utterly politically correct, there.

Yeah, that doesn't invite hooting, oogling and catcalls, along with a few damsels with rolling pins to pummel the rabid dogs.

Women will participate on an athletic blog to the extent they feel like it.  Potpourri and leaving the toilet seats down won't really change anything one way or another.

[TallDude]

RING RING........RING RING.......

[Weasels wake]

Well if political correctness is a goal, then how about "Hot whichever on standup paddleboards"?

[stoneaxe]

The downside of this is where does censorship stop. Whenever someone's feelings get hurt by something should the thread be purged? Despite my mixed feelings about the thread I hate censorship. I could certainly do without the but if more appreciate it than are opposed to it which way do you go? Just with your own opinion? There are what?...10 people here saying tear it down. I hope you realize that you are talking about removing the single most widely viewed thread on the zone......by far.... that's not really a good thing IMNSHO but it is the reality.    Is there this much hand wringing over women's magazines that show far more revealing pictures in checkout lines everywhere while proclaiming that this miracle fat burning diet will lead to better sex and a more understanding man?

[robon]

The single most widely viewed thread on the zone is click bait and very demeaning towards women. I just looked at it and the last three pictures are classless, tasteless and are chosen solely to illicit the idiotic comments that are sure to follow. It's not just a few pictures like this, but many. Men over 40 posting the pictures too. I don't get it. I'm not into censorship either, but the thread is very classless for the most part.

[lucabrasi]

HCOSUPB?  Just so utterly politically correct, there.
Yeah, that doesn't invite hooting, oogling and catcalls, along with a few damsels with rolling pins to pummel the rabid dogs.
Women will participate on an athletic blog to the extent they feel like it.  Potpourri and leaving the toilet seats down won't really change anything one way or another.

Have you tried this tho?

[Quickbeam]

To Weasels Wake - I can only speak for myself, but to me this has nothing to do with political correctness. It has everything to do with what’s right and wrong. More about that in a couple of minutes.

And to Stoneaxe, I understand the concerns about censorship. That is a legitimate concern, but even in the most democratic of societies there needs to be some form of censorship on certain things. I’m not using this as a parallel, but we have laws against hate speech. That is a form of censorship. And there are other similar type laws that society needs to function. And who gets to decide is always another concern. I do not agree that it should always be the majority. It once again comes down to right and wrong. So how do you decide that? Well, to me one test for this particular issue is would I want my wife or daughter to be seen in some of ways that are portrayed here. And the answer to that is definitely not. Take a look at a couple of the most recent postings. Women with their asses and other parts sticking up in the air with the picture being shot from behind. That’s just crude. This is not a men’s magazine nor do I think it should be. Another example is full, frontal nudity being posted recently. And when it was taken down, the poster said he knew it wouldn’t last. Well if you know it’s not appropriate, why post it?

 Also, would I want my overweight daughter to have her picture put up and then have a bunch of men write in caustic, crude remarks about her? No, I would not.

And sorry for the term for those who are into being politically correct, but I am sure we’ve all run into the “ball buster” type females. This doesn’t strike me like that in the least. It strikes me that we have some women who find this offensive. Does that in and of itself mean the forum should come down? That is a consideration, but I agree with you here Stoneaxe that this alone should not mean it comes down. I just think it should come down because of the type of postings it attracts. I would not want my wife or daughter portrayed the way some women are portrayed in this forum and I believe it’s just wrong. Again, good old boys humour. People who think that cracking jokes at someone else’s expense is O.K., and it’s not O.K. and under no circumstances will it ever be O.K.

[SUPcheat]

Take down HCOSUPB, or leave it up, I don't really care one way or the other.  The Forum's value won't be diminished if it is gone.  I suspect there will be the occasional pixel perv post whether the thread exists or not.

[stoneaxe]

I have to admit I didn't care for the latest postings despite having coffee come through my nose from one. I definitely hate the body shaming stuff being the dad of a girl that was bullied because she got mom's height and dads width. But I also know that even she as an adult wouldn't give a shit what a bunch of old men that are being juvenile think.

At the same time maybe it is time to move on. The zone's history has always been more of a boys club that paralleled the sport somewhat. The sport has certainly moved beyond those days when the number of men far outweighed the women. Time for the zone to catch up? I'd much prefer to see women posting their own pics and vids of great sessions than have guys posting pics of women's asses.

And you're right. I'd like my granddaughter to see the zone as a great place to find women she can emulate rather than pictures that bring question to her value because she may not have a certain bodyshape. My same feeling about the checkout counter mags but that's a different if related issue.

[lucabrasi]

Not into political correctness by any means nor anyone waving their moral superiority judgements on others. With that said...I do get SOME of the comments in opposition about the other thread. I wouldn't post my daughters on there. There is a killer video of Talia Gangini I ran across years ago. Actually don't think I ever saw it here on the Zone, maybe I did tho. Thought about posting it there but.....never did. I will here. My reasons for not posting it fits some of the reasons that others are opposed to the thread, which is why I never did. This girl rocks.

The thread is different than the mags at the market. It has a title. You have to choose to view it. The stuff at the market....there really isn't a choice. It's there for all, no matter your views, age, outlook, etc.
You don't like what's there, don't go back. There is enough other stuff here.....of all sorts to keep anyone with half an interest coming back. I can't see how that can be a deal breaker, even for Gramma Matilda.

[Area 10]

It doesn't have to be a "deal-breaker", it only has to be offensive to a group of people to whom you'd actually like to welcome. And you don't have to click on it to see what it will contain because the very title of it is dumb and offensive, and anyone can see that there are 100 pages of it!

How about just trying to be kind and polite for once, guys? That's all it takes. There's no need to have an existential debate about it, or try to defend it by invoking grand notions of freedom. All you need to do is agree to be polite and kind to valued members of this SUP community, and not keep doing things that they have plainly asked you - politely, and with considerable understanding, not to do.

Ya know, I was watching a documentary a year or so ago about the porn industry. And before you snigger, it was a serious and very enlightening watch. They were asking one of the sex workers what it was like to be working in male dominated industry, and what it was like to command such attention from them. She said that she thought that the men didn't actually "like women". This surprised me, until I thought about it for a while. Then I understood what she meant.

So I guess you have to ask yourself whether you like women. If you do, then why would you be offensive towards a group of people you like? It wouldn't make sense, would it? So, if you really do like women, the please be kind, and don't post pictures and comments that might upset some of them - our friends.

[Chan]

We can't identify ourselves as women.

[SUP Leave]

Pretty interesting thread. The HCOSB thread doesn't leave because it keeps getting new materials. Take a look at Instagram; search the term "surf" every 4th picture is a young lady (surfing better than most of us), with her bikini going up her butt crack. This is what surfing images are these days. Admin should change the name of the thread to "Paddleboard Pictures Thread" and allow all pictures to be included. If a picture of a lady paddleboarding with her bikini up her butt crack shows up (it will), it is merely because those are the common images  available on the internet. There will undoubtedly be some gross comments , but check any Instagram comment section and it will readily appear that there are a lot of men who can't keep their keyboards on mute. I would hazard a guess that if the thread is removed the number of women participating here will not grow substantially. Just make the thread all inclusive; a great, funny, or sexy (either sex) paddleboarding image should be fair game.

I have 3 daughters and am fully attracted to my wife, but I still have great appreciation for an athletic female paddleboarder doing yoga, noseriding, bottom turning, racing or whatever. I don't feel like it changes anything for me when I see one. My verdict - leave the thread, change the name.

Same general subject (sexes and surfing):

Yesterday, I took my 13 y.o. and her friend surfing at our local. I watched them for a while from the beach and went out to my own peak as the tide dropped creating a left hander off of a short jetty. While I was there, a group of 5 women came out to my peak (ages 25 to 40 or so). I was not SUP ing but on my 10 foot log. I said "hi" to all of them, "nice day", "lots of current, today" etc, and they all just gave me short replies, definitely wanting to be left alone. No big deal. They sort of made me feel like I was trying to perv on them, which is probably just a defense mechanism because that probably happens and so I minded my own.  The sets came in about every 5-10 minutes (inner bay break) and this pack corked me, snaked me, back-paddled me and generally tried everything to run me off. I basically got nothing and what I did get had one of them inside me every time. They all weighed less than 130# and with their longboards were standing while I was still paddling (if we took off at the same spot). I finally said to the worst offender "Are you going to paddle for every wave?" and she just looked at me paddled away to the rest of them. Then they talked about me under their breath while we waited for the next set.

I went well outside and waited for the biggest set wave and caught it outside of the pack and just came trucking right  into them on my 10 footer, 2 were all scratching for the corner, one was of course trying to cork me and I had to turn back to the soup. I wiped out and as I came up heard "Big boy needs a big board". I am 6-2, 225 and not really that out of shape. I had to laugh. I must have really trespassed for all the shade I got. I will say this, they protected their "spot" to the best of their abilities, but not coming out and saying something to me about it really pissed me off. My daughter commented after I came back in that I never was alone on a wave.

I just wonder if in the "action sports" world women aren't really that comfortable, and our number on this forum will never grow. I know I was uncomfortable yesterday, even though I was respectful,  I felt like an outsider. One kind comment would have changed the entire situation. I told my wife about it and she thought it was hilarious "Oh the women were mean to you? They didn't let you have any waves? hahahaha"

They left when the spot had about 4 sets left and I got some goof runners. Fun day. I screen shot my daughter's snapchat story:

[spirit4earth]

I would never want the hot chicks thread to go away simply because I don't like it.  It's soft porn, mostly disgusting, and not really representative of even the athletic women I know and see.  However, I would rather it disappear because you guys came around to realizing that it really doesn't have a whole lot to do with the sport of SUP.  Neither would a close-up shot of Kai Lenny's crotch, which I wouldn't want to see either.   
Most of you who have posted seem to love the sport, and you want it to grow.  Women who are starting out and want advice and opinions and a SUP community will most likely feel immediately inadequate if they take a look at that thread.  Honestly, guys, most of us don't look like the women in those photos, and most of us don't hang out on the water with our asses in the air.  I bet most of you don't look like Kai, either, and I'm pretty dang sure your asses aren't in the air. 
The best way for the thread to die is to quit viewing it and quit posting on it.  I agree that it might not substantially increase the number of women on the forum, but I really believe more women will feel comfortable here, tell their friends, etc.  We want to always improve our condition and our skills, but we don't want to feel bad right out of the gate, knowing that we might be older/chubbier/whatever than the chix in the pix.  I love this forum---I wouldn't leave because of that particular thread.  I understand why it doesn't bother some of the women you've asked.  We're kind of used to this type of thing, I guess.
Some of you have mentioned your wives and daughters.....think about our culture and how you, right now, have the power to change this small thing that can add to other changes that will help your daughters and granddaughters have great self-esteem.  They will also be able to look at you with even greater respect, knowing that you respect them.  Men are very visual, we all know that.  No hard feelings at all about that.  Surely you can find these kind of photographs somewhere else? 
I do think it would be cool to have a photograph thread, though.  Pictures of real people out on their boards, championing the sport.  Real men and women, of all ages and shapes, paddling.  Isn't that what the forum is really about?

[SUPcheat]

So, admin can change the name to something more copasetic and maybe a voluntary "check box" to hide it from view for those who don't want to look at it? I know other forums have that kind of capability. So if it makes you sizzle irregardless, check the box and peace out.

Vote for a new name in a poll? 

I still seriously doubt it would increase the female attendance, or keep geezers from acting like twelve year olds with a Playboy mag.