The Boys of Vespa™

THE VESPA MOTOR SCOOTER, IT’S TOO MANLY FOR YOU, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND

When you hear the phrase “Vespa motor scooter” what image comes to your mind? Do you see a rugged guy in a flannel shirt and a three day stubble tearing down the road on his scooter, a beautiful woman sitting behind him, with her arms around his waist and her head on his shoulder? Or do you see a pimply faced boy zipping around town, perhaps carrying a portfolio of his pastel artwork over his shoulder?

If you chose the second image you’re like a lot of guys, who have a stereotype of Vespa scooters as not manly modes of transportation. Real men don’t ride scooters, they say. Real men ride motorcycles, thunderous chrome and steel bikes that prove their masculinity with every roar of their engines.

The Stereotype is False.

The trouble is, the stereotype is not true. In Europe, manly men have no issue with the Vespa scooter — they’ve been using it to get around for over 70 years now.  Celebrities like Hugh Jackman, Mark Ronson and Peter Townshend tooling around on their Vespas, the “Boys of Vespa™” campaign is raising the machismo factor for the Vespa motor scooter.

Vespa motor scooters have a lot to recommend them to today’s socially conscious male. Along with the scooter’s practicality for getting around in an urban setting, plus its small carbon footprint, the classic Vespa design just oozes a sophisticated masculinity. It’s been the preferred mode of transportation for tons of guys across Europe for decades now and the preferred choice of the British Mod movement.

Some guys think riding a scooter is a somewhat castrating

Despite all that, however, there are still some guys who think riding a scooter is a somewhat castrating experience. They seem to think that riding a Vespa scooter is going to take away their lifetime pass to the Guys’ Club. The “Boys of Vespa™” is a showcase for the men who aren’t concerned about being judged on the size of their bikes. These are guys who have enough confidence in their masculinity that they can ride a scooter and not care who sees them. They’re not afraid that riding a Vespa scooter will suddenly turn them into a chiffon-wearing girly girl.

So, let’s get real, boys! Vespa scooters have been the preferred mode of transportation in cities for millions of guys since the 1940s, and as far as we know there hasn’t been one reported case of a guy losing his masculinity in all that time.  Just look at the guys in the “Boys of Vespa™” — Gregory Peck was in a lot of movies, and he played a man in every one. Peter Thownsend from the super rock group The Who — there was no question about his masculinity, and he was photographed on a Vespa. Brad Pitt, Michael-Schumacher, Paul Newman — manly men, every one.

The Best Kept Secret

One of the best kept secrets about Vespa motor scooters — they’re irresistible to women. A guy on a Vespa scooter is like catnip to a sexy woman, and the Owen Wilsons of the world know that. Have you ever noticed how whenever you see a guy on a Vespa scooter, he’s usually followed by a horde of sexy, beautiful women running after him? No? Well, just look for it the next time you see a guy ride by on a Vespa. It might take a minute or two, but eventually you’ll hear the sound of hundreds of women stampeding after that scooter, hoping to jump on the back and throw their arms around the manly man who’s riding it.

The guy on the scooter is looking at all the guys on the street who think Vespas are not for them, and he’s laughing to himself and saying, “It’s too manly for you, not the other way around.”