You’ve come a long way, Baby!
While the emancipation of women is commonly associated with Emily Pankhurst and her followers in 1903, it was the emergence of the pill in the early 1960s as a contraceptive that really changed the woman’s role of being tied to domesticana and motherhood.
Women were suddenly seen as individuals. So much so that in 1968 tobacco giant Phillip Morris decided to launch Virginia Slims, a cigarette just for women. This came with a slogan attached to an advertising campaign the, “You’ve come a long way, baby”. It instantly became a catchphrase that became part of the popular culture. Morris only switched in 1990 to “It’s a woman thing.”
And these ‘woman things’ seem to have continued to expand over the last 25 years, taking women away from the kitchen to academia, the workplace, and more recently the sporting field.
Just recently, here in Australia, we have enjoyed a narrow window where the Women’s Tour de France and FIFA Women’s World Cup were both vying for popular tv time slots at the same time. Here in Australia, where men’s sport dominates the media, that is quite an achievement.
Bicycles
The history of ‘The Tour’ also dates back to 1903 when it was held in France as a promotional tool to sell more newspapers. While the route, style, and strategies have changed over the years, it has always been described as grueling. The first 6-stage race covered 2428 kilometers, with riders cycling over rough unmade roads both day and night. While the first equivalent race for women held in 1955 covered 5 days and 375 kilometers, it would be nearly thirty years before the women’s race took on the formalized version it now holds. The Tour de France Femmes is now an 8-day event traveling 956 kilometers.
Balls
The origins of football, or soccer is as varied as its’ original rules. The Chinese were the first to kick balls into a net, way back in the third century B.C. Since then it has been credited with the Americas, and back to Medieval times throughout Europe. However, England is typically associated with inventing the modernized version beginning in 1863, with the Sheffield Club being formed. But it is Australia’s Melbourne city that is known as the world’s oldest professional club having been founded four years earlier, in 1859.
What comes as a great surprise to all, is that sixteen years later, the first British Ladies Football match occurred at Alexander Palace with over 11,000 people attending to cheer the north team beat the south, 7-1. Sadly the FA imposed a ban on women’s football in 1921 which was not broken for fifty years.
Thirty-two years ago the FIFA Women’s World Cup was formed and is held every four years. This year it was hosted by Australia and New Zealand, with the Australian Mathildas, formerly known as the Female Socceroos, smashing the Olympic Canadian team 4-0. They will go on to play Denmark, and hopefully, for us, continue on to become the winning team.
It is also worth noting that this week marks 45 years since the 1975 Australian team from NSW was endorsed by the Australian Soccer Federation. Back then the players took part in lamington drives, car washes, raffles and even rattling tins on the street, just so they had enough travel money to represent Australia. This year, according to the Financial Review, the base rate is between $100,00 to $200,00 according to players, signaling our earlier statement
You’ve come a long way, Babies!
