First, an update on the Hub women's rides. Mondays @ 6 PM, meet at the Hub on Minnehaha Ave (just south of Lake St). I've done both the road and casual rides and they're both lots of fun. What are you in the mood for? The last time I made it to the casual ride (I've missed a few weeks) we took a nice, relaxed cruise down the Midtown Greenway. The ride is usually about an hour long. I went on the road ride today--about 26 miles, less than two hours. We went up one large and a few smaller hills, but took long water breaks at the top...and that translated into some pretty awesome descents. None of that "dashing off as soon as the slowest person reaches the top" nonsense.
Both rides are no-drop (we won't leave you behind!) and an excellent way to learn new skills.
Actual post topic: I found this video on Sociological Images this week. It's a short film by Michelle Lehman titled "Marry Me" (2008 award winner Tropfest Australia). They say it's a "a sweet seven-minute film short about a little girl who wants to win the heart of a boy, and does so by his [bikingly awesome] equal instead of his object. It’s cute."

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/XFdbZHMBxfg&hl]

Many of the commenters, and I, disagree. Female lead likes male lead. Male lead won't give her the time of day. He tries to take the training wheels off his bike; she actually takes hers off and teaches herself how to ride without them. She offers to loan it to him and he says no because, "it's pink." So she colors it with a marker. And still he refuses. Everything that she does that could be viewed as empowering herself can also be viewed as an attempt to change herself to impress him. By the end of the film she can ride without training wheels and take her bike off jumps. He can't do either. But she's also switched from dresses to pants and tried to change the color of her bike.

What I liked: Kids riding bikes = cute. Badass WTF-in-training developing awesome new bike skills. Totally stunning the boy with her new skillz. Whether or not we agree with her decision, she decided what she wanted (boy's attention, or, actually, a 7-year-old's version of marriage) and did what she needed to do to get it. She's seriously determined.

Didn't like: The girl/boy dynamic and that marriage was such a desirable goal. That the girl changed so much about herself, seemingly just to impress the boy. That she had to be his superior to get his attention, not just his equal. The scene where she colored her bike broke my heart.

What do you think about the film? What does it say about the filmmakers and/or society?