Surfer told to “paddle harder” in the lineup takes it as deplorable sexist slur

"I didn't ask for his advice. I don't know him and he doesn't know me."

Strange and divisive days, these, with almost any interaction with strangers examined from multi-pronged, loaded angles. The latest bit comes from a surfer who was told to “paddle harder” for a wave and took it as a vicious sexist slur. But let us examine the case of Jana Barrett, a fitness and movement coach who boasts 85k followers on Instagram.

Barrett took to the platform to share:

A man I’d never met shouted ‘paddle harder’ at me in the surf last week. And it made me furious! I didn’t ask for his advice. I don’t know him and he doesn’t know me… what’s happening in my body or what I’m recovering from. But he felt completely entitled to tell me how to surf. And we both know he wouldn’t have said it to a man. What men on surfboards and in gyms, on trails and at the golf range never see: A woman paddling through day 2 of her cycle, surfing through perimenopausal fatigue that no amount of sleep fixes. Recovering from illness. Women’s bodies are not men’s bodies. Our hormones fluctuate across our cycle and across our lives in ways that directly impact our energy, our strength, our recovery and our output. The audacity is not just one man on a surfboard. It is a culture that has always felt entitled to tell women what to do with their bodies. How to move them, how hard to push them. How they should look and perform. We have been taking unsolicited advice about our bodies our entire lives. I paddled at exactly the right intensity for my body that day. I know my body. The only person qualified to give me advice on how I move my body is me. And maybe my coach. ho I actually asked. Tell me your version of this. The unsolicited advice from men. I have a feeling the comments on this one are going to be something.

Something they were. A sampling:

These comments. I’d love to hear a man shouting “paddle harder” at another man. It doesn’t matter if they *think* it’s supportive, that’s the whole point, they need to pull their heads out of their own arse and actually listen to women. We don’t want unsolicited advice so don’t give it. Ask if we want it or we can ask if we want it. Being cheered on, that’s totally different. Had he yelled “go for it”, “that’s awesome”, “yeah!” this post probably wouldn’t be here.

lf the people telling you your enotional reaction was wrong or overblown are actively shaming you. They need to go study what an emotion is, where it comes from, what its purpose is and how many wrong ideas about emotions have been used to gaslight women. They are all guilty of internalized misogyny. He crossed your boundary. If that doesn‘t make you angry, you have been well trained to turn other people‘s transgressions against yourself.

I used to get it a lot cycling. A lot don’t appreciate that you’re just doing something you enjoy, it’s not about speed it’s about the moment.

Etc.

A thoughtful professional surfer took a lightly different stance, opining, “Woman gets told to paddle harder, presumably as in most cases, as a word of encouragement to not miss the wave. We’ve all seen it with beginner, surfers, etc. They just have no clue what’s going on behind them.”

I would say men get told that, too, if clearly blowing it. Have you ever thought you were encouraging your fellow surfer? Will you think about it differently now?

Getting “furious” about unsolicited advice does seem a bit much, though.

Something to ponder, I suppose.