Bonnie Blouin (RIP) and her younger brother Blaize (RIP) were powerhouse siblings in the east coast skateboarding community during the 1980s. While this entry does end tragically [*Warning*], the goal is to celebrate the life and contributions of Bonnie, whose presence in Thrasher was often the only positive portrayal of women, in contrast to ads and articles that catered to a male market.
Photos: Billy Pickett
Bonnie was born on April 1963 in Santa Monica, CA then moved to South Carolina, and eventually headed to Richmond, Virginia and also lived in Charleston, West Virginia. Her brother Blaize was a vert legend and went pro for G&S. On episode 37 of Kickturn Party featuring Blaize, Bonnie was also acknowledged. The hosts said, “She was punker than most dude skaters,” and “She was probably more punk than Blaize” (March 20, 2020).
Bonnie had a zine called True Devotion Publications (TDP) that she wrote with her roommate Gigi Gits which celebrated the local scene and ran from 1984 – 1986.
Above: Bonnie and Gigi in April 1985 at Richard Austin’s ramp (aka Wiggy) with Mike Mapp skating. See “The Fellowship of Skateboarding” by Bob Umbel for the report.
In 1986, Bonnie submitted True Devotion to the zine department of Thrasher, along with a letter which made an impression that led to further publication. In her letter from February 1986, she wrote, “‘Hey-O’ from the East Coast. This here’s Vol. II #5 of True Devotion. Many headaches later… What do you do when your only other female skate / mag partner quits skating, shines the zines and follows The Grateful Dead?! Ya smile, ya drink a few and then ya get down to business. And that’s exactly what I did… This is the ‘last’ issue of True Devotion.”
Bonnie was also contributing to Lapper Mag as a writer and photographer, which was based out of Virginia and launched by Bruce Adams in 1984, documenting the East Coast scene. A small photo of her appears in Lapper Mag Vol. 2, No. 3, with her brother Blaize on the cover, there’s a sweet layback photo of Bonnie at Franconia, and she appears YAKK ‘zine #1, skating in the Psychoramp II Jam.
Photos: unknown, Dan Brown
Photos: Ramp shots are from Goshen Ramp in Gathersburg MD most likely by Mike Mapp in 1985, and the laidback photo was taken at Franconia, which appeared in Lapper zine.
In a memorial article for Thrasher, Skip Towne shared that, “Her writing is funny and hopeful, honest and feminist in a way that was unique to skateboarding at that time (and for the next 30 years, really). Longing for more women to skate with (and way before the Internet), Bonnie made trips to California to connect with the few female skaters she could find, reporting on their scenes with a mix of glee and frustration.”
Photos above by Mike Mapp of Ramptech
Bonnie’s name is most widely recognized for her contributions to Thrasher from 1986 – 1989 writing the “Skater’s Edge” monthly column. She first appeared in print in the March 1986 issue within an 8-page article titled, “Poetry in Motion.” Various skateboarders contributed actual poetry (some better than others) and Bonnie’s was called, “I See You.”
She also had a letter published in that same issue in the Mail Drop, in support of a skater named “Jane Doe” who shared her alienating experience of being called a poseur and that “she sucked” simply for taking up skateboarding, which made her want to quit. Bonnie totally had her back! She explained how these “boyz” were simply thriving on their insecurities and that “kids are our future. NOW. They are gonna be the deciding factor on whether or not this sport survives… So next time you wanna bust on someone, think about it.”
The following month Bonnie’s game-changing article, “Sugar and Spice…?” appears in the April 1986 issue. At the time of her writing, she had only officially met and skated with three girls being Gigi Gits, Deirdre ‘Dee Dee’ Devine, and Trish Wright, but this article opened up the doors for an underground network of women skateboarders to begin. While Bonnie had yet to meet these skateboarders, the article included photos of April Hoffman, Michelle Sanderson, Stephanie Person, KZ Zapata, Babs Fahrney, and the author.
In her article, Bonnie speculated on why many girls were reluctant to skate, and determined that society was fixated on this idea of girls being cute and sexy, and that aggression in sport was ‘unfeminine.’ She also noticed that some guys felt threatened by female skaters as if her presence was a ploy to undermine men’s manliness. Bonnie was frustrated because she was not out there to impress anyone, she simply just wanted to ride! But she was also tired of being alone.
“I guess the weirdest thing of all is that there aren’t any other girl skaters around. You don’t have any way to ‘measure’ your ability or progression. You always know when you are progressing or jelling, but you wonder, ‘Gee, can I really do that?’ If there were other girls around who you could see shredding, you’d have no doubts, ‘cause they paved the way.”
“I know there are girls out there who ride and take it seriously. I wonder all the time what they are like, how they are progressing and if they have the same thought that I do as a girl in a guy’s game… I saw a girl doing a boneless in the new Powell video and I was like, ‘Hey, wow, that’s a girl, rewind it.’ No one else even noticed.”
Bonnie concluded that “One of my dreams as a skater is to see-through the formation of a nationwide, non-profit girl’s skate club, a directory of names and addresses, a video and a contest. We are out here. We are few and far between, but we are out here” (April 1986).
In June 1986, Bonnie Blouin represented at the “Public Menace” skateboard contest in Pennsylvania, captured below by Steve Villarreal.
Bonnie’s writing exhibited so much passion for skateboarding, as illustrated in her article about the CCCC ramp in the July 1986 issue of Thrasher. “When your mom says you can build a ramp, you’re stoked. When the city says they’ll build a ramp, you’re ecstatic… but when the owner of an esteemed country club says he wants a ramp for the entertainment of his guests, you become serious and talk business… When you create a ramp like this, the first thing you do is ride, then you have a contest.”
And then things began to really open up! Bonnie acknowledged that, “The last girls article in THRASHER brought in a lot of positive response. As a result I’ve become acquainted with numerous pen pals, including the Women’s Skateboarding Club, and have participated in ‘Push Push Then Go,’ Karen Zapata’s zine. Best of all, I got off my buns and headed out to San Francisco to skate with Karen Zapata and Amy Paul. It was [my] first experience skating with other dedicated females” (Feb. 1988).
Push Push Then Go! Issue #3 and #4 (1987) – see full scans on Zine page:
During her roadtrips to the westcoast, she became close friends and pen-pals with KZ Zapata, who was aligned with Bonnie’s vision of not wanting to be compared to male skaters, but simply be a skateboarder and progress at one’s own pace. KZ, Amy Paul and Bonnie skated Oakland together and started expanding their network, which also included Stephanie Person.
Bonnie rhapsodized about her experience skateboarding with other women in her February 1988 “Skater’s Edge” column. Swapping tricks, motivating each other, blowing people’s minds ripping around town as a crew. “Most of all, you have someone to share your hopes, your fears and your dreams with, and that, in itself, is an indescribable privilege.”
Photos: Billy Pickett, Jim Noonan, Mike Mapp
The experience of returning home after her west coast road trip was hard. Bonnie reflected on how some of the leading female skaters of the 1970s and early 1980s were pioneers and inspiring, but she almost seemed abandoned by them. Her lack of role models and mentors was a point of deep disappointment. But she had incredible impact herself and women in her local Charleston community like Shannon (Horne) Smith and Mary Chris (Garner) became part of the skateboarding scene.
“I no longer wonder why more girls don’t skate… Unless a girl has the total strength and desire within herself to ride and to keep riding, there is truly nothing to keep her motivated. In fact, society and a lot of guy skaters prevent girls from skating” (Feb 1988).
Photos: Browntown mini ramp circa 1986 by William Pickett
While the article is heart-breaking to read, Bonnie had to know that her contributions and voice was sustaining so many female skateboarders during such a bleak time of misogyny and isolation for women skaters. KZ Zapata certainly was inspired by their friendship, and still has many of her hand-written letters.
As a result of her February article, a skateboarder named Kim M. from Virginia Beach, VA wrote a letter of gratitude to Bonnie, published in the May 1988 issue of Thrasher. Kim said, “She’s right. It is hard for girls to get out there and shred without getting criticized by some stuck-up skater. Let me tell you skater dudes something I know for a fact: some guys don’t want us around, but tuff. We are here to stay and we’re going to be out there shredding too.”
Bonnie had a fantastic run of articles, taking on the “Skater’s Edge” column for Thrasher from October 1987 until May 1989. Her complete set of articles is linked below, and they cover a wide range of topics from dating, unstoked parents, road trips to rallying your skateboard community. They are a joy to read.
In fact, Harper’s Magazine even re-printed Bonnie’s article “A Skateboarder’s Guide to Unstoked Parents,” originally published in the October 1988 issue of Thrasher in their August 1989 magazine! The advice switches between mom and dad and concludes with the statement, “Your parents will get the idea sooner or later, so keep your chin up and skate with pride.”
Photos of Bonnie and Amy Paul from San Francisco appeared in the May 1988 issue of Thrasher – a session that was described in her “Skater’s Edge” column in February 1988 where she rallied contest organizers to consider hosting a women’s division, so girls could improve and be inspired at their own pace.
Photo: Bonnie at Fort Mason circa 1987, taken by Kevin Thatcher. It was re-published in March 2022 issue of Thrasher.
From here, I’ve found it really challenging to conclude this entry. Reading through her articles, which are so intelligent, passionate and articulate it’s hard to imagine what was going on internally. Life is good, and skateboarding is freedom, and to anyone reading this last paragraph, who has any doubt please remember you are unique to this world, and you are loved. Reach out to a friend or a professional if things are feeling dark, and find the light to sustain you, and that flicker of hope that things will change for the better.
At age 32, on September 11th, 1995 Bonnie tragically took her own life and then her brother, Blaize died in a car crash a few years later. Skip Towne writes, “For Thrasher readers of the late ‘80s, especially girls and women, her voice and even her very existence was world-expanding, enriching and inspirational. Lest we forget, Bonnie Blouin.” RIP Bonnie, you beautiful, radiant skateboarder! WE SEE YOU and we won’t forget you.
Skater’s Edge articles in Thrasher:
- October 1987 – “Harsh Realities” on the theme of dealing with cops.
- November 1987 – a philosophical piece on the skater’s edge and state of mind.
- December 1987 – “Road Trips” with advice on options, strategies for skaters.
- January 1988 – how to occupy yourself when it’s raining.
- February 1988 – **A follow-up to “Sugar and Spice..?” on the realities of being a lone female skater, and encouragement to girls to enter contests and create their own league.
- March 1988 – Injury prevention
- April 1988 – Advice for beginners
- May 1988 – Getting older and rejecting the idea that one becomes too old to skate.
- July 1988 – Harassment of skateboarders
- August 1988 – How to establish organized unity of skaters
- September 1988 – “Skater Dater.” Discussing relationships with non-skaters, and the benefits of dating a skater like yourself.
- October 1988 – “Coping with unstoked parents.” Bonnie regarded this as a worse situation than dealing with cops but had some strategies.
- November 1988 – “True Devotion.” An article about the survival of the skate scene and maintaining community. True Devotion is also the name of Blouin’s ‘zine with Gigi Gits.
- March 1989 – “Choosing the Right Equipment.” A review for beginners, and the article is next to Thunder ad for her brother, Blaize.
- May 1989 – “On Walking and Pedestrians.” A review of being misunderstood by walkers and how to avoid pedestrians with their “simple, clogged minds.”
References:
- Blouin, Bonnie. “Sugar and Spice…?” Thrasher. April 1986, pp. 56-61.
- Towne, Skip. “Bonnie Blouin: a trailblazing skater and writer.” Thrasher. August 2021.
Photos: Steve Villarreal, William ‘Billy’ Pickett, Jim Noonan, Mike Mapp, Dan Brown
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