CINDY WHITEHEAD

STORY

Skateboarding is widely known for breaking rules. But it’s also known for breaking ground. Born and raised in Hermosa Beach, CA, Cindy Whitehead has smashed her share of both.

At age 8, she started skateboarding. At that time it was unheard of for girls. But by the time she was 17, she turned pro and was ranked the No. 1 U.S. female skater in the late 1970s for pool and half pipe riding. To this day, she holds the distinction of being the only female to have a centerfold and 2-page interview in a skateboarding magazine.

Years later, she created Girl is Not a 4 Letter Word (GN4LW), a movement and brand that seeks to empower and showcase women in action sports. Some of the vehicles for the GN4LW movement include a helmet collaboration with XS Helmets and a GN4LW skateboard with Dusters California. It’s about destroying the mold of what girls are supposed to say and do. It’s letting them know that they can do anything they want. And Cindy is a perfect example of this, because it’s a credo that she’s lived by since day one.

When she stopped skateboarding professionally, she began a brief stint at UCLA for film and TV production. She would later switch gears to become a stylist for advertising and commercial shoots – eventually creating HER niche – sports styling for athletes and working with brands like Gatorade, Nike and more.

Cindy’s years of groundbreaking hard work have paid off in many ways. Her proudest accomplishments include recently having her 1970s skate history as well as the first Dusters California x GN4LW prototype skateboard inducted into The Smithsonian Museum. She was also asked to do a TEDx Talk, giving her the opportunity to spread the message of what skateboarding has done for her and to share the stoke with others.

With all of her professional successes, Cindy remains true to herself. Her idea of authenticity is simple: Being YOU no matter what. Just a couple of years ago, she made headlines by skateboarding down the closed 405 FWY in Los Angeles (without getting arrested). To Cindy, breaking ground and "being you" also means that once in a while you break some rules, too!

For more on Cindy, visit her website HERE.