Why Can’t Barbie’s Job Be “Mountains”: how the film industry can increase female participation in the outdoors.

“Are you really doing that?” This was the main response I received from peers in the fall of my Junior year of high school when I told them I’d be traveling and living out of a backpack with a group of 15 women for four months. I received many questions about how I would be prepared, what I would do in the event a bear stumbled into camp, and how I would carry all of my stuff. Let’s be clear: In the course of this adventure, I would see many bears, carry a heavy backpack for miles at a time, and be fully prepared, so why did my peers doubt my readiness? I always thought it was because I didn’t “look outdoorsy.” But that wasn’t it. I was doubted because I was a girl entering male-dominated terrain. I didn’t realize the community into which I was stepping was one that would doubt me before I even entered. I wondered how many other women had turned down this type of opportunity because it didn’t fit the status quo. Since my four months in the wilderness, I’ve reflected about why more girls do not have access to these types of opportunities. Why is nature a male-dominated domain? Sure, Ken’s job may be “beach,” but why can’t mine be “mountains?”

Tara Stamnes, a female-identifying hiking enthusiast, claims lack of female engagement in the outdoor community is a result of the absence of resources created specifically for women. I believe this explanation is oversimplified and that, in fact, female engagement in the outdoor community and the availability of resources perpetuate each other simultaneously: fewer resources lead to less participation, which leads to even fewer resources. So, did the egg or the chicken come first? Do we need more resources to participate? Or does participation create resources? I believe it is only a third factor that can interrupt this cycle: representation. People are not inclined to try things they cannot envision themselves doing, and when resources are not readily available, outdoor activities become increasingly inaccessible.

In 2021, 46% of all outdoor participants were women — the highest record to date (“Outdoor”). Unfortunately, however, the resources available to women looking to enter this community are limited. Stamnes describes a time she was in search of a hiking backpack that would accommodate her camera. Frustrated from hours of internet scouring, it occurred to her, “wait, these are all bags for dudes…” She continues, “I started again, this time with my keywords including ‘for women’ at the end of my Google search.” She explains that by the end of her research, for the roughly 30 backpacks for men, she only found one built for women (Stamnes).

Now, Stamnes could’ve stopped right there. Seeing only one option “made for you” is discouraging enough. Maybe the one backpack didn’t fit all of her needs. Because resources are unavailable, women have the choice of making mens gear work or not participating in the community. Equipment in the outdoor world is gendered, and it is biased towards the male gender. Hannah Weinberger, another female-identifying hiker, writes about this issue saying, “We’ve dealt with the frustrating gap between our bodies and backpacks that don’t account for our shape … reminding us we don’t quite fit” (Weinberger). Without the material resources, how is anyone supposed to participate in any activity? If the companies creating these resources are basing their production off of the statistics, there should be at least 46% of equipment made for women. So, where is this misrepresentation coming from?

Today, “representation” is something of a buzz word — people just say it to say it, with little to no idea what it truly means in practice. Let me be explicit here: representation (in this case) is the ability for everyday women to see, in everyday places, people with whom they identify doing outdoor activities. This can be on social media, in advertisements, in stores, and in films. For example, Stamnes describes her experience attending the 2017 Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, where she felt “underwhelmed and underrepresented as none of the ~8 films I watched featured women” (Stamnes). As a filmmaker myself, I can see that the medium holds promise when it comes to representation, as it is all about amplifying stories.

Movies were the first form of media in which individuals saw themselves represented or misrepresented to wide audiences. As Stamnes writes, “Accurate and equal representation reinforces the idea that girls and women can interact with the outdoors, too.” Representation is important for many reasons. As psychologist Dr. Nadal explains, representation can aid in “reducing negative stereotypes” and, in addition, for some minority groups, “any visibility can feel like a win” (Nadal). There is a caveat, though: representation is not always enough. As Dr. Nadal describes, “representation” can be “one-dimensional, superficial, and not actually representative” (Nadal). To avoid this, it is important to create and consume a wide variety of media that approaches the problem from multiple angles. No one movie can solve this problem, but it can aid in raising awareness.

I believe that with filmmaking (and storytelling generally) comes a responsibility to tell authentic stories and amplify voices. But, not all of us are filmmakers, so how does one increase representation on an individual level? If you aren’t Greta Gerwig, how do you make waves in the feminist movement, or even just the outdoor community? One approach is to focus on supporting brands and filmmakers already doing this work. Patagonia is a great example of this, using their social media and YouTube to promote women in the outdoors through documentary filmmaking. Be inspired by their work! Watch movies like “Nomadland” that tells the story of a fearless woman traveling solo after the death of her husband. Support stores like Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) who are making strides towards making resources equitable. REI alone has created close to 1,000 women centered events in the last few years (Weinberger). Their marketing has also been focused on “playing up women’s athletic abilities and physiological needs” (Weinberger). And, on an individual level, when the women in your life want to try anything — outdoor or otherwise — encourage them. Be the representation you want to see in the world.

Representation will cause a ripple effect in the outdoor industry. The more girls who can see themselves participating in outdoor activities, the more they will participate, and by doing so, they will put pressure on gear companies to accommodate female needs. If we focus on the film industry, we can bring attention to this issue on a larger scale. We don’t need to have a Barbie-level movie to demonstrate that women are capable of everything they set their minds to. We just need to see women on screen doing what they love shamelessly. And, I believe that when we do this, we will see the vicious cycle of underproduction and underconsumption of female-specific products come to an end, replaced by female empowerment in the outdoors.