Skate shoes worn by Cindy Whitehead

Pair of white, hi-top Puma sneakers given to Cindy Whitehead by Puma, one of her many sponsors. As a pro skateboarder, Whitehead had many sponsors who supplied her with equipment and clothes she used during her competitions.

Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a centerfold in a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, a job title she also created. Whitehead is especially supportive of young female skaters through her “Girl Is Not A 4 Letter Word” skate team and her products which are geared towards women and girls. Whitehead’s signature phrase printed in gold on many of the “Girl Is Not A 4 Letter Word” products personifies her independent spirit, "Live life balls to the wall. Do epic shit. Take every dare that comes your way. You can sleep when you’re dead."

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