To ask what you think about 'Grid Girls' no longer being used?

[Sallystyle]

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/42890261

I think it is a great thing.

Some people on my FB clearly don't.

Well it looks like those top models have been replaced by children doesn’t it? Which shows the skill level expected and training required to be a grid person is minimal. And also shows the people doing the role do not have the be sexually attractive in order to do the role to an acceptable standard. Who knew?

Is it not a bit obvious that they are just going to use the kids for the on show aspect. The waitressing and hospitality stuff is still going to need an adult

The part you're not addressing is that only women were used as "grid girls"

If women both comprised a substantial part of the viewers, and were wanting to see hot men then F1 would have obliged.

It’s well known that men tend to be more visual than women, and are so hot women parading around are more likely to be appealing to men than vice-versa. I don’t see why men should be demonised for enjoying looking at attractive women who very willingly do what they do.

Oh god. Twitter outrage at grid kids and how peados will love it

Really??

What the hell is wrong with people...its like the littleones who walk out with the footballers isnt it

Have i missed something??

And just because a grid girl is decorative in that role, doesn’t mean that’s all she is, any more than a F1 driver is only an F1 driver and can’t be a dad, bf, musician, poet etc.... It’s rather insulting to them actually.

I'm friends with a lot of grid girls and they're all very upset about it, so I have mixed feelings on it. Ultimately I understand why it can be seen as a positive thing but, all grid girls I know love their jobs. I've seen some daft things being said too, like 'they're all a size 6 with massive fake boobs (my friends are all a healthy weight and look after themselves well) and 'It's all pressure on them (just not true). It's difficult to see it as feminism when its' upsetting women.

Why does the role require one to be decorative?or a certain weight or appearance
There are plenty charismatic,charming women who won’t get grid girl job as they don’t have the prescribed look
Now,That’s insulting, denied a job on basis of appearance
Given a job solely on basis of appearance that’s insulting to women

F1 is not feminist. If your friends are so sad they need to take it up with the people that employed them who are not feminist and I doubt in fact that any of their employers were even women at all. Now these women have been replaced by lovely ikkle kiddies I wouldn’t expect your grid girl friends to get anywhere to be honest as it will look like sour grapes or mean spiritedness on their part. Like what other women have been accused of with regards to this who have had nothing at all to do with this situation whatsoever.

It's a good move. Women are more than their looks.

Yes Rufus - I can’t quite believe what I’m reading.

Someone wrote - bet all the peados will be celebrating seeing kids in uniform - well done feminists.

At a loss for words.

I think its a good move. Women are not decoration and I think it sets a bad example to young children to see them IMO.

Now,That’s insulting, denied a job on basis of appearance

So should All modelling be banned?

I could never get a job as a model - I’m not insulted by that!

It’s well known that men tend to be more visual than women, and are so hot women parading around are more likely to be appealing to men than vice-versa

Why do they need hot women parading around when watching F1 though?

Just because men enjoy objectifying women doesn't mean we should indulge that at every opportunity for the sake of it. It sends a bad message.

SpikyCoconut - this must be hard for you. But there are so many feminist myths out there, and it’s dividing women, which is really sad.

Firstly - no one is jealous of beautiful women. Women should be free to use their looks for money.

Secondly - it isn’t about wanting women to use their brains instead, or to do a different job that doesn’t involve looks.

Thirdly - no one thinks grid girls are airheads/bimbos

It is simply this. When my sons grow up, and enjoy watching sport, what do they see? Beautiful women holding up score cards in boxing, gorgeous women on the podium at the Tour de France, lovely grid girls applauding the f1 drivers...it builds up a picture that women are objects. When something is an object, it’s treated very differently to a person.

We have a massive problem in our world of how women are viewed and treated.

Back to the presidents club - all beautiful hostesses - reactions were ‘why shouldn’t they make money for being beautiful’. Correct. Why shouldn’t they. That’s not the point though.

These men treated these young girls like objects. I can appreciate a good looking man, but I haven’t got the right to go up to him and put my hands down his pants.

In all this shit storm of feminism gawn mad, we’re missing the real detail here. Formula one don’t give a shit about how women are viewed. They want to avoid a presidents club scandal, and save a shit load of money by employing kids.

But instead of seeing that, we’re arguing about feminism, peddling loads of myths, and not getting any further forward with any real or genuine change and progress.

There are plenty charismatic,charming women who won’t get grid girl job as they don’t have the prescribed look

There are plenty of roles for charismatic and charming women, as there should be.

Why should someone who’s not especially charismatic, or intelligent, or academic, be denied a job on those grounds? Wouldn’t that insulting to her, just in a different way?

You’re tying yourself up in knots trying to defend F1 anachronistic grid girl

These men treated these young girls like objects. I can appreciate a good looking man, but I haven’t got the right to go up to him and put my hands down his pants.

If F1 drivers were feeling up girls on the grid and harassing them for sexual favours, I’d agree that grid girls need to go, in the same way the Presidents Club needed to be shut... but this wasn’t happening with grid girls so you’re making a false comparison.

You’re tying yourself up in knots trying to defend F1 anachronistic grid girl

In what way? A physically attactive girl may want a job as a tv presenter.... she doesn’t get the job as she’s not charismatic enough.

How is that any more unfair than if you swapped ‘attractive’ and ‘charismatic’ and replaced ‘tv presenter’ with ‘model’? It’s not, but we make an issue of one, and not the other.

Do all TV presenters have to be attractive?

Lets tell women that we support them... By taking a job away from them... Why are we telling grown women they aren't allowed to do a job they picked?

Do all TV presenters have to be attractive?

That’s my point... I’ve assumed they’re looking for someone charismatic but not necessarily physically attractive.

but this wasn’t happening with grid girls so you’re making a false comparison.

It's all the same though - women are viewed as objects. And when they are viewed as objects, men (some men) feel that gives them the right to touch you whether you want that or not.

And no, the presidents club didn't need to be shut. They needed to learn how to treat women properly.

This could all go away if they just had both men and women doing these roles.

There are plenty of male models, the presidents club could easily have had 50 girls and 50 boys. Same with F1. There's plenty of good looking male models out there, who probably wouldn't mind a grid boy role.

Lets tell women that we support them... By taking a job away from them... Why are we telling grown women they aren't allowed to do a job they picked?

How many times does it need to be said that this is not down to feminists and that it's a business decision that Liberty Media have made? Y'know, before people get it?

Gosh, feminism isn’t that omnipotent. F1 made a business case that grid girls is incompatible with modern business

In what way? A physically attractive girl may want a job as a tv presenter.... she doesn’t get the job as she’s not charismatic enough.

Because charisma is a skill that can be used to convey information on TV, and beauty isn't. Charisma is not visual, beauty is. Men don't masturbate over the charisma of women, they (generally) do it over physical attractiveness.

Charisma says 'listen to me', beauty says 'look at me', that is a significant difference. It's ironic that most women are simply asking for that in their lives... 'stop looking at me, and start listening to me'.

Rebel Wilson is def charismatic,but she doesn’t met the aesthetic criteria of being grid girl
So despite fact rebel could do job well,she wouldn’t be employed as she’s not got the look
And that’s whats patently wrong with grid girl role,it’s based on prescriptive aesthetics