Picture the average biker, and you might picture a member of a biker gang – or someone who hopes to evoke the same sense of rebellion and personal freedom. Leather-clad, gruff, and achingly butch, these riders tend to radiate an old-school masculinity, of the kind that many riders are seeking to explicitly reject.
The Rise of the Gentleman Rider
In 2012, a Sydney-based biker by the name of Mark Hawwa sought to combat negative stereotypes about men on motorcycles, by bringing together thousands of riders across sixty-four cities. These rides rejected the outlaw aesthetic in favour of a dapper style and sought to promote a healthy kind of masculinity.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride went on to become an annual tradition. It has helped to drive forward a broader culture of openness towards men’s health issues, like depression, anxiety, and prostate cancer.
Masculinity and Mental Health
It’s fair to say that there have been some positive developments concerning male attitudes towards mental health in the years since the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride first came about. A more ‘traditional’ approach to male suffering advocates a stoic ‘stiff-upper-lip’. Men are discouraged from speaking up about their struggles and forced to suffer in isolation.
Open conversation about mental health issues can be a way of reversing this trend. Statistically, around three-quarters of suicides in the UK are committed by men and boys. These occur for a variety of reasons, and it can be dangerous and misleading to posit one simple cause for all of them, but the pressures of traditional masculinity and societal expectations are some of the leading contributors.
Millions of men could benefit from finding the right emotional outlet. A positive community, like bikers, can provide exactly that.
When the Ride Goes Wrong
Of course, motorcycling has the potential to inflict serious injury and mental trauma, especially if proper safety precautions aren’t taken. Men are also more likely to avoid seeking help for the mental consequences of an accident.
Motorcycle accident claims might equip men with the financial resources they need to recover fully, and even eventually return to the saddle. But for a recovery to be complete, the affected rider will need to acknowledge all of the symptoms – not just the physical ones.
Redefining Strength
When many of us think of a strong man, traditionally, we would have thought of someone in good physical health. However, now, people are more likely to view strong men as people who are able to communicate and talk about emotions with others and also seek support from their networks. A motorcycling community, especially one like the Distinguished Gentleman Riders, can provide exactly the right support.
It’s important to remember that mental health issues can affect everyone – even those who don’t conform to any popular stereotype about what a sufferer might look like.