Skip to main content
  • Main menu
Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
  • Home
  • Explore
    • Study
    • Try
    • About
    • Multimedia
  • Invention Stories
    • Blog
    • Places of Invention
    • Beyond Words
  • Joining the Boys Club: Cindy Whitehead and Skateboarding
Cindy Whitehead at Innoskate 2013.

Joining the Boys Club: Cindy Whitehead and Skateboarding

August 26, 2013 by Lemelson Center

Cindy Whitehead is one of the only women ever to be featured riding vert in the centerfold of a skateboarding magazine.

Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Print

Editor’s note: This post is by Natalie Scavuzzo, an intern in the National Museum of American History’s Office of Public Affairs. Natalie is a junior at the College of William and Mary majoring in Film and Media Studies.

One of the highlights of my time interning at the National Museum of American History was the opportunity to help work on the Lemelson Center’s Innoskate event, where I met Cindy Whitehead. Cindy hails from southern California and has been active in the male-dominated pro vert skateboarding circuit since the 1970s. Cindy is one of the only women ever to be featured riding vert in the centerfold of a skateboarding magazine and, following her skateboarding career, has been working professionally as a self-proclaimed “Sports Stylist.”

CindyWhitehead2.jpg

Cindy Whitehead skateboarding in the 70s.

Photo courtesy of Cindy Whitehead.


Innoskate-200.jpg

Cindy speaks at Innoskate about skate fashion.

Cindy speaks at Innoskate about skate fashion. Smithsonian photo by Tyrone Clemons.

After meeting Cindy in person at Innoskate 2013, I asked her about her unique skateboarding and career experience.

How did you get into skating?
I grew up in a beach community in southern California. A lot of people surfed and, eventually, skateboarding became popular. I’d go to the beach with friends to hang out and cruise and do tricks. My favorite parts of skateboarding were being with my friends, being outside, and enjoying that freedom. Just being able to push off and seeing where you end up.

Did you ever feel like the skating scene you joined in on was a “boys club”?
Well, we were always jumping in and joining the boys club whether or not we were invited or not! The boys were always welcoming and couldn’t have been nicer or more excited for us to participate. More girls should join up!

There are people out there in the world that sometimes do not believe that girls belong in certain things, like sports or upper level management. That is just a very, very antiquated way of thinking.

Are there any organizations pushing for girls to get out there and skate?
Yes. There’s plenty—my own Girl is Not a 4 Letter Word, Skateistan, Long Boarding for Peace, there’s so many out there. More girls skate abroad than skate here. Skateboarding gives skaters a lot of freedom and girls are finding out what boys have known all along. Skateboarding gives them somewhere to go, to hang out, to do a sport, and go outside.

Do you have any words of wisdom for girls looking to start skating?
Some people don’t think you belong, but the majority of people think you do. Believe. Go out there and do what you want do and push ahead. It’s fine, there will always be a few naysayers in anything you decide to do.

What does it mean to be included in the Smithsonian?
We’re all still talking about it, still amazed that we’ve been embraced—it’s an honor. To be honored here alongside the guys, it’s an amazing thing.

CIndy Objects from Instagram.jpg

Competition bib, sneakers, and shorts donated to the national collections by Cindy Whitehead.

Objects donated from Cindy to the national sports collection. Photo from Cindy’s Instagram (@SportsStylist).

I believe Cindy is a great example of a woman who proves that you don’t need permission from “the guys” to achieve success. By staying true to herself, Cindy is a trailblazer for female skateboarders and women in general.

Tags

  • Innoskate (Relevance: 6%)
  • Sports (Relevance: 45%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 39%)
  • Game Changers exhibition (Relevance: 14%)

Related Stories

Invention Stories

A Unique Way to See the World: Skateboarders and Inventors

Highly creative and innovative people seem to share a common characteristic of being able to engage their world—not for what it is, but for what it has the potential to be. While meeting with members of the skate community, I learned about the unique way in which they view the world.

Invention Stories

Dude! Tony Hawk Skates into History

Tony Hawk's early career and the evolution of skate culture in the 1980s can be read through the technology and the stickers on the skateboard that he donated to the Museum.

VIEW 2737 Matching Results

Found 2737 Stories

  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 5.1881622214103%)
  • Air and space (Relevance: 6.7592254293022%)
  • Archives@NMAH (Relevance: 8.4033613445378%)
  • Chemistry (Relevance: 3.0690537084399%)
  • Food and drink (Relevance: 3.2882718304713%)
  • Industry and manufacturing (Relevance: 7.5264888564121%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 4.5670442089879%)
  • Military technology (Relevance: 3.3248081841432%)
  • Mining and drilling (Relevance: 3.397880891487%)
  • Patents and trademarks (Relevance: 11.32626963829%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 3.8728534892218%)
  • Power generation, motors, and engines (Relevance: 3.4709535988308%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 3.5805626598465%)
  • Textiles and clothing (Relevance: 3.3613445378151%)
  • Transportation (Relevance: 5.9554256485203%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 3.397880891487%)
❯
Go to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History website

About Menu

▼
Open menu
▲
Close menu
  • Explore
    • Blog
    • Invention Stories
    • Places of Invention
    • Beyond Words
  • Study
    • Research Opportunities
    • Archives
    • Lemelson Center Books
    • Lemelson Center Research
    • Symposia & Conferences
  • Try
    • DO Try This at Home!
    • Spark!Lab
    • Spark!Lab Network
    • Encouraging Innovative Thinking
  • About
    • Events
    • Exhibitions
    • News
    • Who We Are
    • FAQ
    • Donate
  • Multimedia
  • Tags
  • Surprise Me
  • Search
  • Open Drawer
Copyright 2023, Smithsonian Institution, All Rights Reserved
  • DONATE
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Print