--- title: "Ford Shows a Men’s Only Explorer To Celebrate Women’s Month" description: "The Ford Explorer Men's Only Edition celebrates Women's History Month by proving how many features were invented by women." date: "2023-03-08" modified: "2023-03-08" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/ford-shows-a-mens-only-explorer-to-celebrate-womens-month" categories: - "Ford News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "Explorer" - "Ford" - "suv/crossover" --- # Ford Shows a Men’s Only Explorer To Celebrate Women’s Month ![]() What would a [Ford]() Explorer look like if it were only developed by men? Well, it wouldn't exactly be road worthy. That's the message the Blue Oval is sending to celebrate International Women's Day during [Women's History Month](). Ford launched an ad for an Explorer "Men's Only Edition" built by men only. As cringy as it sounds, you'll get it once you watch the ad. It's quite clever, really. Because there weren't any [women involved]() in the development of this theoretical [Explorer](), it lacks all of the automotive innovations that were pioneered or developed by women. As a result, the Explorer would be pretty undrivable. For instance, it lacks windshield wipers, which were invented by Alabama native Mary Anderson, who patented a manually operated windshield wiper in 1903. Before that, a handle inside the car would operate a wiper to clear snow and rain from the windshield. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrjKDG8gGHI This Explorer also lacks a heater, as the in-car heater was invented by Margaret Wilcox in 1893 when she figured out to pipe heated air from the engine bay into the cabin. Being over 100 years old, it was a crude device that lacked any sort of temperature control but it prevented frostbite during frozen months. The men's only explorer doesn't have turn signals, either. Electronically operated turn signals were invented by actress and inventor Florence Lawrence, who created turn signal arms that would raise and lower from the rear fenders. Ironically, Lawrence's mother Charlotte Bridgewood ended up inventing the [electronically controlled windshield wiper](), improving on Anderson's invention. Want to check your six while driving? You have to thank Dorothy Levitt for that. The British racing driver and journalist semi-officially invented the rearview mirror, as she would hold up a mirror over the dashboard while driving to see behind her and it ended up catching on. ![]() *Wanda Young | Ford CMO* Women are now a force in every industry across the globe, but especially in the male-dominated automotive sector. Women now hold positions on every step of the corporate ladder and continue to succeed as engineers, designers, inventors, [racing team principals, drivers](), and more. Countless features and design ideas we use every day are owed to women. So, *thank you.* As Ford highlights with its unconventional-but-clever ad, it would be impossible to build a modern-day, functioning automobile without them. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()