70 SurfGirl Magazine
dawn of the shortboard revolution, shapers in Malibu were
creating smaller boards for a contingent of outstanding
and dedicated women wave riders who requested crafts
to suit their more diminutive style. Inevitably, men soon
discovered the virtues of these lighter, shorter models;
and not long after, shortboards became the equipment of
choice.
It was even a young woman who popularised surfi ng
globally in the late 1950s, when the fi lm Gidget became a
worldwide phenomenon.
The natural connection of feminine style with the sea
was a valuable asset to the tourist and fashion industries,
yet garnering recognition for women’s actual performances
was much more challenging. The women who attained
prominence in surfi ng during the early years were a
determined and irrepressible crew.The immense progress women have attained is a
testimony to their talent and tenacity. Nowhere has it been
more visible than in the surf world. Professional surfi ng is
the fi rst sport to off er parity in the prize money for men
and women internationally. Today riding huge waves,
competing in dangerous conditions, or pushing the limits
of performance is no longer the singular domain of men.
Today tens of thousands of women enjoy the act of surfi ng
with pride and pleasure.
None of this has been easy. Women on waves endured
the hardships and broke the barriers generation by
generation. Yet it is an undeniable truth that the milestones
they accomplished and the oft-overlooked infl uence
feminine mystic has had on surfi ng is both immeasurable
and fortuitous. And the world is all the luckier for it.Joyce Hoff man, in1968 she became the fi rst woman to surf
the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii.