Second-Class Waves for Second-Class Citizens: The Modern Roots of Sexism in Surf Culture

This article traces the colonial origins of sexism and hypermasculinity in modern surf culture. As white Americans increasingly took up surfing following the US annexation of Hawai‘i in 1898, sexism emerged as an enduring feature of the pastime. Indeed, it became ubiquitous during the sport’s massive growth in the second half of the twentieth century, with sexist comments, photographs, and articles seemingly everywhere in the surf media. By the 1970s, women began to speak out more forcefully about the hostility and barriers they faced, though this was only the beginning of a long struggle for gender equality.