Safety first or a sexist worst? These mainly pink “For Women Only” parking places and spaces are meant to give ladies a break whether they want one or not.
Brescia, Italy
Let’s dash one preconception right from the get-go: not all parking places designated “women only” are a gaudy riot of pink. That doesn’t mean they can’t be distinctive and/or patronizing, however. Stefano Bolognini snapped the above image of a Ladies’ Parking spot in Brescia, Italy, and while the sign mainly hews to the familiar Big P, white-on-blue theme it does feature a small rose to ensure the illiterate get the message. Regarding the fact that the car occupying the space appears to be poorly parked, well, maybe Bolognini purposely parked his own car there just to be humorous.
Kuwait City, Kuwait
The Marina Mall in Kuwait City wants its female customers to feel welcome so they’ve laid out a number of pretty pink parking spots especially for their use. Meanwhile in neighboring Saudi Arabia, women can only dream of parking anywhere, pink-trimmed or not. As for the signs indicating where women should park, it would seem that every day in Kuwait City is a bad hair day… and by bad, we mean sasquatch-with-a-purse.
Does the Marina Mall have an ulterior motive in creating peaceful pastel pink parking places for its female clientele? The advertisement above provides a few clues, mainly the high-end Mercedes Benz used to depict the presumed conveyances of its desired upscale buyers. “Free Ladies’ Parking”? Spend your dinars indoors, ladies, not in the parking lot if you please.
Iksan, South Korea
Talk about swatting a fly with a sledgehammer: The South Korean city of Iksan has been chosen by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (yes, there is such a thing) to be country’s first woman-friendly city. Presumably SK’s other cities are openly hostile to women. In any case, Iksan is bending over backwards for female drivers by creating almost 700 “pink line parking” places for the use of women drivers in 21 public parking lots.
The initial G-spots (hey, someone had to do it) were installed at Iksan’s City Hall and the Madong City Library, and they’re hard to miss, sporting pink border lines with a stylized pink flower. Pretty, yes, but practical? You betcha! The segregated spaces are 2.5 meters (8.2ft) in width compared to the standard 2.3 meters (7.55ft). But wait, there’s more… just to ensure there’s absolutely no excuse for faulty fair-sex parking, some pink line parking places have been fitted with raised bumpers so distracted gals won’t overshoot the expanded pink lines while applying their mascara.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Suria KLCC is one of the leading shopping and entertainment malls in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and they’ve taken the lead in providing their female guests with designated parking places as well. Special parking zones have been set up in the mall’s underground parking garage and they’re easily identified by wide pink-painted bars featuring a central stylized female figure in white… similar to the type gracing lavatory doors. According to Suria KLCC chief executive officer Andrew Brien, “customers’ safety was the mall’s number one priority” when designing the spots, which are located near entry/exit doors in brightly-lit areas monitored by CCTV cameras. Hey blondie, they can see you taking up two spaces!
