Last weekend I was coerced by one my best friends into doing “The World Naked Bike Ride” in Portland. At first, you probably think, how typically Portland. Yes, it is, considering we biked past the infamous “Keep Portland Weird” sign in downtown, but this was an event that wasn’t what it seems it would be about.
The first thing to note that it actually is a protest (fun fact: It is the world's largest naked protest). At first, I judged my friend for wanting to do this, but as I looked into it I realized that this wasn’t quite what it seemed. People were gathering around to fight what they believed in and for a good cause. The bike ride has three objectives: raise awareness for more bike safety laws, encourage more people to use biking as their main means of transportation, and body positivity. This isn’t a random event. This happens annually in Portland and people devote months out of their lives to plan this. They collaborate with police to block off the roads that ride goes through, so the bikers can ride in safety.
Now, you might be thinking, where does the nudity come into play? At least that was my biggest thought. The nudity symbolizes the vulnerability that the bikers face every day when they have to bike on the roads. It also is the component where body positivity comes into play as it encourages people to embrace all different shapes and sizes of bodies. These are the few things I figured out before going on the bike rode, and because it actually stood for something I decided to participate. But the learning did not stop there. Not to be clichéd, but don’t judge something before you know what it’s about. This was the morale of what I learned.
Although at first, the idea seemed really uncomfortable and awkward, it ended up being a great time. We towed our bikes across the river and got to the gathering area. Everyone was socializing and upbeat, and random strangers came and introduced themselves. Once we started the bike ride, people lined the streets to cheer us on. The sidewalks were packed; people had signs, flags and noisemakers. The policemen worked proactively to keep people safe. Once we got to the end of the ride there was a party with huge speakers setup in a park, and everyone was dancing. On the way back, my chain fell off and multiple people stopped and offered to help me put it back on. Although the Portland Naked Bike Ride might seem silly, it taught me a few things. It showed me to look into events instead of immediately judging them. It brought out the best in people and taught me to let loose. It really emphasized its three protest points: bikers are very vulnerable next to cars on the road and there should be laws implemented to protect them. It is our duty it help protect the environment and biking instead of driving is an easy way to save energy and to embrace all different type of bodies.
And always, keep Portland weird.
