68 replies to this topic

[Johnny D]

No Walter this isn't Mazda related...

 

F1 bans 'Grid Girls'

 

Formula 1 has announced it will no longer use 'Grid Girls' in the sport, starting from the upcoming 2018 season.

 

In a statement released on Wednesday, F1 said it "will end the long-standing practice of using walk-on Grid Girls," in a move that will also apply to other race series taking place as part of the grand prix weekend schedule at each venue. As the debate over the relevance of grid girls has increased in recent years, F1 had previously experimented with using men in the same role at certain races, but has now dropped the practice altogether.

 

Explaining the decision, the statement added: "Formula 1 considers the time spent by teams and drivers on the grid before a race as one of celebration, where guests and various performers can add to the glamour and spectacle of the Grand Prix, enabling promoters and partners to showcase their countries and products."

 

Grid Girls have previously been used to hold driver boards and flags pre-race, as well as lining the route to the podium after the checkered flag. F1's owners Liberty Media recently said the practice was "under review" and the sport's managing director of commercial operations, Sean Bratches, says Grid Girls are now outdated.

 

"Over the last year we have looked at a number of areas which we felt needed updating so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport," Bratches said. "While the practice of employing Grid Girls has been a staple of Formula 1 Grands Prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms.

 

"We don't believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world."

 

Formula 1 is not alone in making such a move, with the Professional Darts Corporation in the UK recently announcing it will no longer use walk-on girls at events. The FIA World Endurance Championship had stopped employing Grid Girls in 2015.

[Jim Drago]

what is the world coming to..  We just fired about 350 girls

[gerglmuff2]

bout time really. 

[Johnny D]

bout time really. 

 

From the #metoo movement ?

 

J~

[Johnny D]

Should be interesting to see what expensive thing they'll replace them with. Drones not to impede the crews on track.

 

J~

[LarryKing]

 

We just fired about 350 girls

 

Maybe F1 can offer education assistance so the ladies can seek a STEM career

[LarryKing]

 

Should be interesting to see what expensive thing they'll replace them with.

 

Because how can you hold a grand prix without pre-race grid flags.

[ChrisA]

what is the world coming to..  We just fired about 350 girls

 

Yep, just plain stupidity from bureaucrats thinking what they are doing is politically correct. F1 grid-girls uniforms were usually tasteful and represented some aspect of the race venues nationality. They weren't slutty like the Monster Energy motorcross girls uniforms. These ladies weren't forced to apply to work a modeling job for the weekend so they could make some extra money. But the bureaucrats think know better and take work from those that want it and take some of the pageantry away from the race. Heck, they need them there, as the races are not all that exciting... "Hey, I wonder if anyone will challenge Mercedes this weekend... Nope, guess not." 

[Alex Piku]

Oh no, where on God's green earth will creepy old men be able to ogle scantily clad, attractive, young ladies now?!  A travesty!

[MPR22]

https://www.exhibiti...com/grid-girls/

 

So, I see both sides of this, especially since I have a daughter.  What will this company do for its clients since it seemed very geared to our sport.  (get it geared  )

[Johnny D]

Oh no, where on God's green earth will creepy old men be able to ogle scantily clad, attractive, young ladies now?!  A travesty!

 

Hey !! I resemble that remark,

With the internet I can do better than F1

 

Isn't the EU not as uptight as we are though ?

Doesn't Britain have a news paper with nude pics in the middle?

French riviera and and all.

TV ads

 

I guess things are a changing.

Just sayin

 

J~

[LarryKing]

Honestly, leering at women makes men look foolish, or as my gym teacher use to call us, "a bunch of flaming assholes."

 

Once upon a time that type of behavior was considered lewd and lecherous, and was not the conduct of gentlemen.

[Johnny D]

Maybe F1 thinks they're losing viewers from country's that cover up their women ? (no disrespect)

 

J~

[LarryKing]

There is a lot of discussion about the future of motorsports and how to attract a wider, younger, demographic.

 

Maybe F1 thinks a more enlightened presentation will help?

[SaulSpeedwell]

Maybe F1 can offer education assistance so the ladies can seek a STEM career

That's a movie I've been watching for 20 years.  According to the latest available government statistics, women are already equally or "over-represented" in every field of STEM, and in total, except for two fairly small line items:  "Engineering", and "Computer Science", which themselves are itty bitty teensy weensy fractions of college graduates and the workforce as a whole.  I'm having trouble finding the primary source data at the moment, but I have it on another computer.  I'll try to update the post or PM you when I find it.

 

The problem is that the government (and the media shills and the virtue-signalling laypersons on both sides) don't have an agreed-upon definition of "STEM".  When you include health sciences (including mental health), environmental sciences, and science-science (Chemists, scientists, mathematicisns), women are "over-represented".  If you focus the lens on "Engineering" and "Computer Science", there is a clear male dominance in those line items. 

 

I'm fine with solving inequality problems of any and all types ... but I refuse to support incorrect, or politically tortured interpretations, of the facts ... and incorrect problem statements formed from those tortured interpretations.    

 

As for grid girls, if women don't want to be engaged in objectification for profit, then I'm happy to support them.  Presumably that should apply to "models" of all types, if we are not to be hypocritical?  Something tells me that women won't achieve a consensus position on that within their own ranks ....

 

Update:  This is not the chart I was looking for, but the NSF is the source I relied upon for conclusions I made that matched my career observations.  If you look at this table of data, where is the problem?  Must every line item be 50.00% before "we" are happy?  The other table I relied on utilized the number of jobs available in each line item.  Spoiler alert:  Engineering and Computer Science are tiny line items of the overall "Science and Engineering" job market.

 

I'll update this again if I ever find the source data that shows the # of jobs in each category.

 

https://www.nsf.gov/...ation/women.cfm

[Tom Sager]

That's a movie I've been watching for 20 years.  According to the latest available government statistics, women are already equally or "over-represented" in every field of STEM, and in total, except for two fairly small line items:  "Engineering", and "Computer Science", which themselves are itty bitty teensy weensy fractions of college graduates and the workforce as a whole.  I'm having trouble finding the primary source data at the moment, but I have it on another computer.  I'll try to update the post or PM you when I find it.

 

The problem is that the government (and the media shills and the virtue-signalling laypersons on both sides) don't have an agreed-upon definition of "STEM".  When you include health sciences (including mental health), environmental sciences, and science-science (Chemists, scientists, mathematicisns), women are "over-represented".  If you focus the lens on "Engineering" and "Computer Science", there is a clear male dominance in those line items. 

 

I'm fine with solving inequality problems of any and all types ... but I refuse to support incorrect, or politically tortured interpretations, of the facts ... and incorrect problem statements formed from those tortured interpretations.    

 

As for grid girls, if women don't want to be engaged in objectification for profit, then I'm happy to support them.  Presumably that should apply to "models" of all types, if we are not to be hypocritical?  Something tells me that women won't achieve a consensus position on that within their own ranks ....

 

Update:  This is not the chart I was looking for, but the NSF is the source I relied upon for conclusions I made that matched my career observations.  If you look at this table of data, where is the problem?  Must every line item be 50.00% before "we" are happy?  The other table I relied on utilized the number of jobs available in each line item.  Spoiler alert:  Engineering and Computer Science are tiny line items of the overall "Science and Engineering" job market.

 

I'll update this again if I ever find the source data that shows the # of jobs in each category.

 

https://www.nsf.gov/...ation/women.cfm

 

[LarryKing]

I was being facetious regarding the retraining of the poor put-out grid girls. Improbable, though not impossible, that a young lady who trades on her appearance would pursue a career in science. Something tells me that they will land on their feet.

[Johnny D]

https://youtu.be/p6lhekN_hag

[ChrisA]

A friend of mine has a daughter that started modeling somewhere around that high school/college transition period. She's worked with her professors to accommodate the course work and modeling travel demands. She's having fun and making some money modeling. She is also pursuing a post graduate degree in neuroscience.

[OrangeCrush86]

Any company whom sells media as their primary product is walking on egg shells in today's hyper sensitive world. I can understand why they changed it, but at face value I suppose they are trying to attract more female F1 viewers. I don't think a lack of grid girls is going to stop the current viewership from going to a Grand Prix.