My Gibb River Road adventure started with an online discussion about whether you had to be ugly to be allowed to drive the Gibb.
Well, they weren’t the exact words used, but it seemed to be the sentiment.
I posted a question in a Gibb River Road facebook group. “Is there anywhere across the Gibb I can get my nails done?”
Now, before you start, it’s really not a stupid question. People who work in the beauty industry (hairdressers, masseurs, beauticians, etc) travel, and they often take their tools with them and set up in caravan parks or stations for a while. It gives them some money for their travels, and provides a service for those who want it.
And, believe it or not, some people who travel the Gibb have fingernails.
Given the amount of time I was planning to be on the Gibb I knew I’d need a nail technicial some point.
While a lot of women responded positively, there was a lot of negativity as well. From women as well as men. Along the lines of “this is the Gibb, not a beauty contest”, “try not glamping for a change”, and even “you don’t belong on the Gibb”, just because I have fingernails.
Honestly, the insecure blokes with little dick energy and the pick me women really outed themselves. Fancy feeling so threatened because somebody does things differently to you. As if me 4wding and camping with fingernails was a direct threat to their world view. Though, to be honest, from the responses I got I think it probably is
But seriously, this opens up a whole discussion about who is allowed to be out there 4wding and camping. It’s a very blokey world at times (just watch some of the 4wd shows), and if you don’t fit in and do things the ‘right’ way, then you get put down.
I generally don’t fit in.
So here’s some more for them to stress over:
I wear nice jewellery; do other beauty treatments while on the road; have a crystal hanging in my roof top tent to catch the sunlight, particularly of a morning; have fairy lights under my awning; sleep in high thread count, white, cotton sheets and a doona; drink wine and champagne out of real glass and even bought new glasses before I left Broome; and make myself cocktails. And I wear sexy af bikinis and lingerie even though I’m “a woman of a certain age” with wrinkly skin.
I also do my own set up and pack up, daily maintenance on the car, maintain my own set up and repair things as needed, and do all my own driving. And have probably driven tougher tracks than the vast majority of the haters.
So while I’m writing my Gibb River Road diary it seems I’ll have to monitor how my nails are travelling. I figure if somebody can climb to the top of the Empire State building tower with fingernails, I can drive the Gibb River Road.
I’ll keep you updated 💅
