The 'Great' WEC Grid Girl Debate

[CTD]

I haven't read the entire thread, as to be honest I find the discussion to fit my opinion about the grid girls:
When thinking about it, I cannot remember noticing the grid girls at Le Mans or when watching Motorsport in TV.
So, I really don't care about the grid girls being replaced, or missing entirely. I'm there to watch the cars not the girls.
So I personally find this discussion "pointless" as we, as "hardcore" fans really won't miss them at all.

[carbsmith]

With all respect to Shea she didn't do a very good job showing how the first part of that story connected to the second. Maybe she has a good point but I didn't get it there. It sounded like it would be the same issue about not expecting women to be looking for certain jobs whether or not others exist or not.

[Hiro]

I think grid girls are kind of spice. Spice is needed for the main dish.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by CTD

I haven't read the entire thread

So I personally find this discussion "pointless" as we, as "hardcore" fans really won't miss them at all.

Sadly thread seems to have revealed the true hardcoreness of some fans at least.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by tyronnezx

i cannot believe WEC is stupid to allow the FIA to do this.

It's funny how literally everything has been automatically FIA's fault ever since Jan 1, 2012.

[Acid09]

Originally Posted by tyronnezx

i cannot believe WEC is stupid to allow the FIA to do this.

If this was a FIA initiative you'd see it happening all across their series. The fact that the WEC is at the forefront of this should tell you that the series organizers are behind it and not the FIA.

I can only applaud the decision. The WEC has a fantastic female role model in Leena Gade who shows that female racing careers can be more than holding a board in a short dress for the enjoyment of men.

Last but not least, the decision makes plenty of sense marketing wise. The WEC wants to be seen as the progressive and modern series who does things differently and in a way that is relevant to today's society. This decision perfectly fits the bill.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by CTD

I haven't read the entire thread, as to be honest I find the discussion to fit my opinion about the grid girls:
When thinking about it, I cannot remember noticing the grid girls at Le Mans or when watching Motorsport in TV.
So, I really don't care about the grid girls being replaced, or missing entirely. I'm there to watch the cars not the girls.
So I personally find this discussion "pointless" as we, as "hardcore" fans really won't miss them at all.

I agree this is s pointless discussion as it relates to the on track product and possibly an event experience, but this is obviously a discussion about a bigger picture, which just so happens to involve Motorsport.

[tyronnezx]

Originally Posted by deggis

It's funny how literally everything has been automatically FIA's fault ever since Jan 1, 2012.

No Deggis. It's their fault since killing group C off

[Paradise City]

I'm in the motorsport zone when I'm watching motorsport. When I'm in the motorsport zone women don't feature on my radar.

I see alot of high principled commentary across the net about how backward it all is from people who think they see this issue through some kind of feminist lense. Frankly, I see the gradual fall from grace of the "grid girl" as symtomatic of the information age in that we are bombarded with images of dolled up women and therefore the grid girl has become jaded and ordinary for people.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by tyronnezx

No Deggis. It's their fault since killing group C off

Don't get me started on that semi-myth.

[Holt]

I dont see the need to get rid of them alltogether.

NASCAR does it right with 'Miss Sprint Cup'. Basically they are NASCAR's gird girls but the difference is they are modestly dressed. No mega cleavage or revealing mini skirts.

Theres nothing wrong with having beautiful women being on the grid. A woman's beauty and charm is one of her assets, in the same way a man's physical strength is one of his.

This doesnt surprise me though, some people nowadays are offended by any media that portrays a woman cooking or cleaning.

[garcon]

Originally Posted by BudLightJaguar

Just a moment, I'll prepare my popcorn maker.

Big bucket of salted, please. Do you do bacon flavour?

[GTfour]

Originally Posted by BudLightJaguar

Just a moment, I'll prepare my popcorn maker.

Why, because you think these developments are entertaining? Personally, I can't see the funny side of a vast totalitairian group infiltrating in, what once was, our open and enlightend societies. To then see armies of politically correct governments and governing bodies(ACO) bow down in dhimmitude to even meat them in their backward and women degrading ways, is just downright shocking.

We all know that these grid girls have a right old laugh when performing their duties at Le Mans or any race(except for chillingly freezing wet days at some English circuits ) and get some very nice pay for it as well. Don't forget it's quite the thing to boast about among young ladies to be able to say you were on the grid of the famous Le Mans 24 hours.
So, at least 24 women are not gonna have a handsome wad of cash thanks to the hypocritical ways of yet another badge of board derictives who think they can fool us into thinking that enjoying our eyes on pretty ladies is a very, very bad thing to do.

[VIVA GT]

It's my Easter holiday and today I hoped to sleep in a little but unfortunately was wide awake t my usual time so got up and decided to see what was happening in the motorsport world.
Thanks to ten pages of this I will now head off back to bed for a snooze.
The benefits of Ten Tenths just keep showing in different ways!

[Spyderman]

Originally Posted by Holt

I dont see the need to get rid of them alltogether.

NASCAR does it right with 'Miss Sprint Cup'. Basically they are NASCAR's gird girls but the difference is they are modestly dressed. No mega cleavage or revealing mini skirts.

Theres nothing wrong with having beautiful women being on the grid. A woman's beauty and charm is one of her assets, in the same way a man's physical strength is one of his.

This doesnt surprise me though, some people nowadays are offended by any media that portrays a woman cooking or cleaning.

The problem is that this is not really about the grid girls at all. It's about one very vocal and politically correct group imposing their will on the rest. One can now watch them take their victory lap on twitter and forums. They are celebrating a comprehensive victory. They feel good about themselves, have demonized all that disagree, and imposed their will. All round victory.

[Peat]

Originally Posted by GTfour

So, at least 24 women are not gonna have a handsome wad of cash thanks to the hypocritical ways of yet another badge of board directives who think they can fool us into thinking that enjoying our eyes on pretty ladies is a very, very bad thing to do.

It's not a bad thing, it's the time and place that is in question.

Would it be appropriate to have girls revealing outfits handing out flyers at the supermarket for example?

People seem to be confusing WEC's decision to not have grid girls at their 'family friendly' events with a worldwide ban on smut. Come on chaps, it's not as if we are short of ways to look at T & A.

[porsche91722]

Has there been any comments from the girls, as to how they feel about loss of income, lack of exposure etc. Sorry, poor choice of words.
I mean, they all paid top dollar to have those boob jobs done, to earn money flaunting their assets. Now the mean old WEC has taken their line of income away. They could probably attempt some sort of legal action like restraint of trade.

[bella]

lisa crampton made a solid point that none of you are thinking about:

@_LCC7: May I just add that it's not grid girls which are the point here - it's what's broadcast to the masses in terms of Women in Motorsport.

this is what you guys don't get. it's hard to get into the sport when you're not a guy. you have a decent proportion of management 'worried about having a girl on the team' (actual words that i've heard) when they employ 3 in conventional female roles and 'don't like the extra cost' of having to book an extra hotel room. then you have the traditional male phobias of 'woman troubles' and not being able to make sexist jokes and lewd comments because theres a lady present.

so reducing the 'token fluff' quota of women is great from that point of view. neither gender should be used as token fluff. you only need to check out the side panel of the daily mail website to see an example of the self-image hate that both women and men get from the media. taking a step away from that is great.

ps. i hope i don't fall under the radical feminist banner. i'm just trying to get taken seriously as an employee. i want little girls to see the great women running the sport in team and organiser shirts and not wonder why they're not wearing high heels and carrying a flag.

[Gingers4Justice]

Interesting how feminists and Muslims have been "blamed" for this (as well as the FIA...and the ACO).

That only proves to me how confused some people are about this. Change the P2 regulations and people are unhappy, take away the grass at Le Mans and people complain, but if you really want to rile some people, take away a bit of leg and cleavage from the grid.

I've read a few posts which appear to suggest that this is the feminist's fault for wanting us to live in a world where women are covered up. That's an incredibly outdated view of feminism - if it was ever accurate at all. This isn't to do with what women wear, but it is to do with their roles and why they're wearing what they wear. Google "Free the Nipple".

It might be different if these girls did something which required talent. No - it most definitely would be different. I have zero interest in cheerleaders either and I find that concept strange as well, but at least what they do requires an incredible amount of skill and hard work. They're dancers, and they're not being objectified in the same way as a glorified flag pole.

[bella]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

It might be different if these girls did something which required talent. No - it most definitely would be different. I have zero interest in cheerleaders either and I find that concept strange as well, but at least what they do requires an incredible amount of skill and hard work. They're dancers, and they're not being objectified in the same way as a glorified flag pole.

exactly. if somebody is employed in a sport where their only function is to look pretty or handsome, we have a problem.

[Spyderman]

Actually I blame it on the "professionally offended".

[canamman]

Originally Posted by bella

lisa crampton made a solid point that none of you are thinking about:
i want little girls to see the great women running the sport in team and organiser shirts and not wonder why they're not wearing high heels and carrying a flag.

Being a father of two beautiful (now grown) daughters, I am quite sure that given the choices of flags and high heels vs. clipboards and headphones when they were little girls, they would have chose flags and heels.

[Spyderman]

Originally Posted by canamman

Being a father of two beautiful (now grown) daughters, I am quite sure that given the choices of flags and high heels vs. clipboards and headphones when they were little girls, they would have chose flags and heels.

Indeed! My daughter would have too. Sadly they will not rest until their right to choose is no longer. We will all get browbeaten into group think.

[bella]

fascinating. i (and my best friends) grew up without being given the pink girly dialogue and spent my summer holidays holding toy car races. i liked the pioneer branded f40 the best so i made it win all the time. think i have a future in wec management?

one bestie is the daughter of a rally mechanic, and she grew up on motocross bikes. the other wanted to be in motorsport engineering for as long as she can remember. my best friend 10 years ago was also the daughter of a mechanic and also grew up around cars and racing. when you don't expose little girls to traditionally little girl things, they don't go out of their way to find it.

[Spyderman]

..and that is Fantastic!.....but it is their choice!