The Chick Car: Myth or Fact

With the end of World War II came a new dynamic in the average American households. Women’s roles in particular started to change with an increasing number of them joining the men on that long stretch of concrete known as the road. Driving gave women mobility and freedom, but it did not change her gender role in society. Even today, the two main roles of a woman are wife and mother. With the growing need for women to have their own vehicle, automakers gave them the following:

·         Station wagon/1950’s & 1960’s

·         Hatchback/1970’s

·         Minivans/1980’s

·         Small SUV/Crossover/1990’ – Present

These cars have one thing in common and that is they are geared toward domestic responsibilities. Toward the end of the 20^th century women started to become more financially capable of buying the car of their choice. With a choice now, women began to choose cars that were small and sporty, also known as the “chick car”:

·         Mazda Miata

·         Mitsubishi Eclipse

·         BMW Mini Cooper

·         VW New Beetle

·         Toyota RAV4

·         Audi TT

Young single women or empty nesters own these types of cars. Owning a “chick car” gives them a sense of accomplishment, freedom, and for the older generation independence from their domestic roles.

            For men, the car has always been a source of freedom and masculinity. It also seems that men understand the technology, power, and performance that go with driving a car.  Women are often times seen as not having the capability of understanding the true nature of cars and because of this, men tend to think that “chick cars” are lacking in technology. Keeping that in mind, men feel that if they were seen a “chick car” it would affect their appearance of being masculine. Even automakers don’t like the idea of the “chick car”. General Motors and Mazda have even tried to debunk the myth. Advertisements for these so called “chick cars” are people-less, or have male drivers.

            Whether men want to acknowledge it or not women play a powerful role in automobile industry. Women are stepping out of their normal roles and finding independence and freedom when purchasing a car. Is it just a myth that the “chick car” exists, the evidence shows otherwise.

            When looking over this article it is easy to see that there is indeed a “chick car”. However, I don’t think that the “chick car” stops at fun and sporty. I believe that the “chick car” should include those cars geared toward families. Car manufacturers know that women are generally the ones that will be driving these types of vehicles and their ads just reinforce the roles that society says a woman must fulfill. It is also true that men generally don’t want to be seen driving either type of “chick car” because it degrades their sense of masculinity. This article is very important because it shows that women still don’t quite have equality with men. Women today are still perceived as wives and mothers first. Sure we have come a long way but there are still hurdles to jump over in terms of total equality.

References

LEZOTTE, C. (2012). The Evolution of the 'Chick Car' Or: What Came First, the Chick or the

Car?. Journal Of Popular Culture, 45(3), 516-531.