No 'grid girls' from 2018 - F1

[GetShitDone]

Liberty, that took over F1 a year or two ago, have decided that they don't fit in with their vision of the sport.

Men are on F1 forums saying they should ask the women, and that it is anti-feminist as it is reducing women's wages.

I don't venture on here often, but I'm interested in your thoughts on this.

I'm delighted! The darts 'walk-on girls' have gone too. About time, it's the 21st century.

Men worrying about something being anti-feminist?

That sounds like a straw being clutched to me...

But yes, it is about time. Good decision.

About bloody time.

Anti feminist?

Ok then

Assume these men are all advocating for female focussed F1 development programmes for women to become drivers, pit managers etc etc, since they are so worried about ladypay...?

Yeah, that was my thoughts too.

Someone made the comment about the girls being out of work.

I replied that it's one day a year, hardly a full time wage.

Someone else (trying to disagree with me) said that there are other events in at the circuits.

To which I replied 'exactly! This only affects one of them'.

(although I'm hoping the others follow suit)

Its pointless and irrelevant. Someone else is saying that Liberty are only doing it to be seen to be 'hip'.

There's a long way to go, sadly.

I’m delighted.

They are so outdated and make me cringe when i see them , it will interesting to see if other motosports follow

I've just heard this on the radio & I'm both surprised & delighted.

Big LOLz at the men who are so concerned about the womens wages. I wonder if these bleeding hearts are also vocalising concerns about women's rights issues like FGM or DV?
Course they're fucking not.

About fucking time frankly.

I am a woman.

I ride motorbikes, drive cars, and love motorsports.

Almost every single major event is ruined for me by the treatment of women as mere objects, lesser than even the fucking cars.

Assume these men are all advocating for female focussed F1 development programmes for women to become drivers, pit managers etc etc, since they are so worried about ladypay...?

This is exactly what I was going to say.

There are hardly any women in top motorsport, and things like pit girls are the reason why.

Though I was heartened at a drag race last year at Santa Pod that there were quite a few "junior" racers that were female, so in the teen catergory that is hopefully changing.

Plus I wonder how happy these blokes complaining about the change would be if
a) Their daughter aired to be a glamour model pit girl.
or
b) If his daughter wanted to race and felt she couldn't/or was discouraged, because her role is to look pretty and let the menz do the cars.

Women want to race.

They are hardly ever given the opportunity.

I think it is good news. There is still a lot more to be done but it's important that the higher profile roles - the ones that can be seen on TV - are got rid of because hopefully that will start to lessen their use elsewhere.

As for arguments about jobs, I'm sure there are other things these girls can go and do.

I have a lot of issues with F1 as an ethical concept tbh....and I say that as someone who likes it!!

The money, the power, the ignorance of human rights just to get another course on the calender (Bahrain anyone?) the way WAGS are filmed as pretty breaks between the racing, never mind the fucking pit girls.

Why the actual fuck do we need women decorating the race track??

When they should be "decorating" the track with their amazing skills.

When women are encouraged into racing, I will eat my motorbike helmet, but sadly it just doesn't happen.

Oh and sorry for the ongoing rant (can you tell this fucks me off?!)

Motorsport is one of the few sports where women are actually, in a lot of cases, at an advantage compared to men, and so there is zero fucking reason to either a) have seperate leagues or teams and b) why there aren't more women out there.

Trust me from an avid biker......if I at 5'4 and 8st get on the same bike as a guy whose 6' 1 and 13st.....(assuming riding skills are roughly the same) I am going to go faster than him.

Physics....innit???

Hooray, about bloody time. Are they also stopping the line-up of enthusiastically clapping women who line the drivers' route between the parc ferme and the podium? It makes me cringe every time I see it. Hopefully now it will be a tiny bit easier for women to be taken seriously as mechanics, engineers or even drivers now that this awful practice has been stopped.

Oh god Mameh

Had forgotten about the hideous wall of women clapping the winners in.

WOMEN...

KNOW YOUR PLACE.

(As ego strokers and decoration for the men who get to have all the fun, power, money)

'only doing it to be hip'?!

I'm very happy about this, it's way overdue.

They had one of the grid women on the radio who tried to argue they were brand ambassadors who were there to advertise for the sponsors. Not very convincing! If the F1 ownership/teams want brand ambassadors then great, but employ men and women and have a similar outfit for both.

Now maybe men's cycling events can get rid of the random clapping women as well.

I think this is great. It's worth remembering that a huge amount of what men do is about trying to convince themselves what sex gods they are and grid girls are part of that - the attraction of risking your life is feeling all powerful while scantily glad girls fawn over you. For a lot of men taking away that element of it distinctly reduces the attraction of it - it's all a game of I Have A Huge Penis, which doesn't feel so satisfying when there aren't (paid) Penis Admirers around.

"Brand ambassadors"

LOLZ

What fucking brand??

F1??
Pretty sure doesn't need half naked anyone to be an ambassador for a multi billion, worldwide money making machine.

The team sponsers??
Isn't that the whole point of sponsering teams/drivers??
That they are the "Brand ambassador"??

The track??
Agian, pretty sure tracks able to host F1 are raking in enough cash to not have to rely on sex objects as advertisement.

The fucking watch company??

What??

What are they ambassadors for exactly???

Ambassadors for misogyny

It's worth remembering that a huge amount of what men do is about trying to convince themselves what sex gods they are and grid girls are part of that - the attraction of risking your life is feeling all powerful while scantily glad girls fawn over you. For a lot of men taking away that element of it distinctly reduces the attraction of it - it's all a game of I Have A Huge Penis, which doesn't feel so satisfying when there aren't (paid) Penis Admirers around

This is an excellent point.

Depressing and rage inducing....

But a fucking genius insight.

The only sport I've ever really watched is MotoGP (motorbikes), and even that not for a fair few years - I remember there being, for some teams, male umbrella holders (someone has to - in leathers in Qatar or wherever is a bit toasty!) for some teams - but still loads of skimpy costumed women, and of course the poor podium girls who knew they were first inline to get sprayed with champagne (or that Spanish stuff in the black bottle at some races).

If you're doing a job, fine, but how about we skip the skimpy costumes and let them wear suits like the people presenting the trophies are, or t-shirts and shorts like the other pit crew are.

In Summary VALE 46!

(NC) Pretty happy about this, a couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with a CEO of one of the 'trade bodies' of motorsport who didn't want this to ever change, and didn't think pit girls were creating a barrier to young girls interested in motorsport. In fact I worked at the trade body but didn't want to carry on after he told me that the women involved in the Weinstein case are as much to blame as him.

Awful misogyny in motorsport.

I'm actually asking and not being goady: what about the women who do these jobs? If they enjoy the job and want to do it then is that in itself not anti-feminist?

The job is becoming obsolete in society, there are always some losers, but there will be more winners from this change.

No it's not.