We joined the world in celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) earlier this year by shining a spotlight on women in the outdoors and those who make it a better place for all. We shared the stories and words of advice and encouragement of leaders, role models, mentors, mothers, sisters, and daughters to uplift and empower all the women who share the outdoors. We have met and gotten to know many more incredible women since March 2022, and we simply couldn’t wait until IWD 2023 to introduce you to more Women in the Outdoors! One of the women we are proud to call our friend at Savage is Rue Mapp. This is her story!
Rue Mapp
I’m Founder and CEO of national not-for-profit Outdoor Afro; Commission Chair for the California Department of Parks and Recreation; and Board Member of The Wilderness Society, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
My advice for women in the outdoors: The outdoors is such a vast space to explore. It’s important to discover your niche – whether that’s program delivery, product development, or volunteer work. What are you passionate about? Do that in the outdoors, and if you’re unable to find a space that aligns with your passion, don’t be afraid to create your own opportunities.
How the outdoor industry can support women: Listen to what women have to say. Listen to their goals, needs, and vision for themselves and their communities. Offer supportive pathways for them to engage in sustainable leadership throughout the course of their outdoor journey.
How women can get involved in the outdoors: REI does an excellent job of supporting leadership from the executive level to design and marketing, plus customer-facing education positions in retail. There’s also a lot of local, state, and federal work to get involved with connected to our public parks.
How I Got Started: I was mainly supported through people who would use their platforms to amplify my work. Over the years, my leadership work continued to get recognized, which opened more doors to relationship building and cultivated meaningful connections within my community and the outdoor industry.
How I support other women: More and more my job has been a journey that’s helping people discover the diversity in opportunities the outdoor industry offers. Weekly I’m sharing experiences with my team, family, friends, neighbors, and community about how they can turn their goals in the outdoor industry into something tangible and self-sustaining.
Why I’m proud to be a woman in the outdoors: I’ve recognized that the leadership opportunities I have in the outdoor industry today were not available as few as 50 years ago. In my current roles, I’m constantly sharing what’s available to us today to build a healthier self and community through nature.
Challenges women face in the outdoor industry: The biggest challenge for women is gear and equipment. There’s this industry notion that if you “shrink it” or “pink it” then it’s for us. That’s not true at all. I’m a tall woman and would often have to get fitted for men's sizes; however, my overall size profile has not matched what the industry was offering. It’s important that women have garments and gear that are more true to our proportions and choice of performance when we are active in outdoor spaces.
How I overcome challenges: Product collaborations are a great starting point. In recent years, I’ve leaned into this piece more by giving input to brands that I typically wear. I want them to have the knowledge, and I want to be involved in the design process, which is critical so we don’t encounter so many mistakes in designing what might work best for women.
Photo Credit: Bethanie Hines
Photo Credit: Bethanie Hines
Follow Rue at @ruemapp and check out www.ruemapp.com.
Read more Women in the Outdoors stories!
