The TyK Project was created to address modern day stereotypes of women. Frustrated with being pegged as either mechanically savvy but asexual, or cute but inept with their bikes, these PinUps showcase the dual nature that women cyclists embody.
The Ladies of TyK are everyday cyclists. They are not models. These women ride the streets of Chicago for a living, for transportation, or just for fun. But once in the photo studio, they’re given a chance to show off their femininity.
The Ladies who participate in the TyK Project learn to embrace their sexy side, too often crushed down in favor of being taken seriously.
The PinUp Calendar forces people to look at the women they see every day, dirty and greasy, riding their bikes out on the street, as feminine and sexual beings. It forces people to realize that just because a woman is wearing a dress doesn’t mean she’s unable to fix a flat.
The Proceeds from the TyK Project go directly to the Chicago Women’s Health Center [CWHC]. Providing health care and health education to women in Chicago, they have long filled a gap in the US health care system. TyK is proud to give CWHC a leg up.
THE CHICAGO WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTER
Chicago Women’s Health Center is a collective of women that includes health workers, counselors, outreach health educators, and doctors who work together to provide health education and affordable, respectful, and accessible gynecological and mental health care to women and trans people in the Chicago area. In 1975, a group of women healthcare providers and activists formed the health center for women in the community. We are the longest-operating women’s health collective in the United States. The Chicago Women’s Health Center envisions a world in which all people have access to comprehensive, affordable, and sensitive health care.
Chicago Women’s Health Center facilitates the empowerment of women and trans people by providing access to gynecological health care, alternative insemination, health education, and counseling services in a respectful environment where clients pay what they can afford. They provide sliding scale fees and flexible payment plans, longer appointments which allow time to focus on health education, an emphasis on preventive/self care including breast and cervical self-exam, education about and referrals for alternative health care, a street-level accessible exam room for women with physical disabilities, feminist therapy services, affordable emergency contraception's, and cervical cap fitting.
You can learn more about the Chicago Woman’s Health Center and the services they offer by visiting chicagowomenshealthcenter.org.
