What kind of car is a "chick car?" A small roadster? A little coupe? A big SUV? No. Those answers are all wrong. No cars are chick cars. It's an unfair, sexist label that only serves to alienate and disenfranchise and it needs to go away. Now.
Of course, one of the main cars that is called a "chick car" is something near and dear to our hearts, the Mazda Miata (Full Disclosure: I own a Miata. I have for 10 years.). And even in recent years, as that "chick car" moniker has begun to take a back seat, the idea that a dainty, lithe, roadster is a "chick car" and should always be seen as a "chick car" has been held up by certain backwards commentators and reporters.
That whole notion is a crock of shit. A big fat steaming pile of horse shit, it stinks of oats and wheat, you can see the steam lines coming off of it as it sits on the pavement, waiting for a person on their cellphone to step in it and then get mad at the world.
Get the idea?
Cars, no matter how much we want to think they are alive, are not. They do not have a gender and they do not define their buyers. Their buyers define them. Buying a car is one of the toughest and most important purchases that anyone can make. It's how the world at large sees you on the road. Picking a certain car shows what you value in life.
But terms like "chick cars" are discriminatory, just like saying someone runs or throws "like a girl." Hey, how does a girl run? Because the last time I checked, most girls out there can run and throw just as well as, or, actually, far better than, a guy. Watch almost any first pitch thrown by a male celebrity and you'll know what I mean.
It's an antiquated verbal relic that is more offensive than accurate used by people who are uncomfortable with the idea that women and men are equals and should be treated as such.
Let's pick a couple of example of cars that have had a "chick car" reputation over the years. I think the Miata is a good place to start.
The Miata was created as the "Lightweight Sports Car," a throwback to British sports cars without the inherent unreliability, leaks, and other general shittiness. The idea was to make a car that was once again about driving, not going from Point A to Point B, and occasionally Point C. It had — and still has — every ingredient that makes up a great driver's car.
People who enjoy driving buy the Miata, not people looking to show off just how in tune they are with their feminine side. In fact, there are precisely zero people in the world who bought a car for that reason in the last... ever.
The same can be said for the new Volkswagen Beetle. It might not have the same rear-engined, rear-drive formula as the old Beetle, but it brings levity to a brand that was sorely lacking. So what if the Beetle is a Golf underneath? The Golf has been a best seller for ages, but it has also become so, so, so serious.
You know what isn't serious? The face of the Beetle. It's wide eyed and happy, it's a car that you can't be mad at when you look at it. There's a flower vase next to the wheel, a throwback to the generation that actually bought the first Beetle when it was new.
So these two cars are called "chick cars" because they put a smile on your face, are small, and are fun to drive? Cars naturally appeal to certain people, but that's because the car and the buyer share similar values. So what if a certain car is preferred by females and another by males? Spreading lies and declaring that a car should only be suitable for one gender is just wrong.
This isn't to say a car can't appear feminine or masculine, but that doesn't equate to who will prefer a car or for what reasons.
The car world needs inclusion, not exclusion. We own certain cars because of the appeal they have to us, how they make us feel, how they make us act, the reactions they get, and the reactions they don't get. But to declare a car a "chick car" is a misguided attempt to discredit a person for their choices. It's not a reputation that should be embraced, it's not even a reputation that should exist.
