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.

Hmm?

That was in response to @MrWasheeWashee, I realise it's not clear.

.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.

You're about the same size as Dani Pedrosa, and his lack of heft hasn't done him any harm. Same for Marquez and The Doctor. I would've loved for Ana Carrasco to get a couple of extra seasons just to see how she improved.

@AssassinatedBeauty maybe you could elaborate?

At the Gadget show there was this great racing game called MG bugs or something. DD did quite well and got on the leader board. We watched the prize giving, when the winner had to be photographed with their equivalent of the grid girls. It was so embarrassing for the men/Dads/boys/normal human males up there, let alone a very clear message to DD who nearly made it up there 'this is not for you, this is for stroking men's egos'. Step aside. Gross.

About bloody time

Not F1 but horse racing. Did anyone else see this in today's Daily Torygraph?

<a class="break-all" href="//www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/30/women-jockeys-just-good-men-finds-14-year-review/www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/30/women-jockeys-just-good-men-finds-14-year-review/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/30/women-jockeys-just-good-men-finds-14-year-review/www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/30/women-jockeys-just-good-men-finds-14-year-review/

and

/www.telegraph.co.uk/racing/2018/01/30/things-may-equal-not-aspiring-female-jockeys/

Sorry forgotten how to do short clicky links.

Whatever else its failings the DT is incredibly supportive of women's sport - more than any other paper. The sports columnists are always banging on about how badly female sports/sportswomen are treated.

Maybe the sports pages are the ones to target over self ID particularly if anyone has any contacts?

Sorry to be slightly off topic. Just a thought.

I agree with this.

But I am upset and frustrated at the way feminists are being painted in social media, and I mean twitter.

The hashtag #gridgirls is mainly people going nuts at feminists saying how nasty and ugly we all are, ruining women’s lives who do this for a living.

And that it’s their choice. I don’t know. It seems if you’re a beautiful woman, you should be doing something with your looks and nothing else.

Boxing - men fight, women come on to hold up score cards and look pretty

Formula 1, men drive, women look pretty

Darts, men do the sport, women look pretty

It’s all objectifying women. And when you grow up seeing women objectified like this, I just wonder how that affects how men see women, and talk about them, and treat them.

Just like the presidents club, men feel like women are just there for their egos, and to look pretty.

I get that women choose to do these jobs, but that’s because these jobs have been created...someone will end up doing them. But if they weren’t there...our choices would increase wouldn’t they? To do other things.

Like be a formula 1 racing driver

It's great, and way past due.

Are the same men who are worried about ladypay going to campaign for the amazing opportunity to be a grid boy then?

Thought not.

I don't know what the answer is to that @gluteustothemaximus. There will always be those women-haters who will use stories like this to spout their bile. And those who want to troll and goad for the kicks and attention.

I shouldn’t let it get to me, but it does. I want some great tweet comebacks, but I guess I’m wasting my time.

This argument did make me laugh though. Several (males) are suggesting that we are in fact anti-feminists because women in sport are in the minority, and we’ve just removed more women from sport, making it even harder to have women in sport.

What do you do with that!!!

I think all feminists would agree, that we’d like to see more female formula one racing drivers than grid girls.

Yes, or mechanics, engineers, team bosses (that aren't related or married to male F1 participants!), designers, pit crew, test drivers etc etc. You know, actually doing something that contributes to the actual sport, rather than just decorating the scenery.

[quote]Yes, or mechanics, engineers, team bosses (that aren't related or married to male F1 participants!), designers, pit crew, test drivers etc etc. You know, actually doing something that contributes to the actual sport, rather than just decorating the scenery.[/quote]

Has it ever occurred to you that some women aren't academic? I think it's awful that they've lost their jobs and ditto the darts women.

Of course some women aren't academic. That wasn't an exhaustive list of all jobs I think women should do.

They haven't lost their jobs, there is one less contract that they can contract for. There will be other modelling or brand ambassador roles they can apply for or get the contract for. Unless the women would normally get paid enough not to have to work for the rest of the year?

Nearly 2500 comments on the BBC article about this in just a few hours.

So many lovely men with totally selfless concerns about women's jobs.

Funnily enough, these women that everyone is so concerned about do seem to be able find alternative employment at some point, as they seem to stop being grid girls once they get a bit older. Which is a little odd, considering that the aforementioned lovely men seem so sure that the 'girls' love their jobs so much.

The ‘choice’ thing is a total fallacy. Women do not grow up in a vaccuum - our choices are informed by the oppressive system we live in. Are these people saying that the reason men are drivers/ engineers and women are decoration is just because this is what they are inherently suited to? I guess they are.

I heard a woman talking about being a darts girl and she basically said "we are just a billboard for the brand". I thought it was interesting she even compared herself to an object.
Can't feel too sorry for them as the women always appear to be from a privileged background in the first place - which is how come they get the gig.

@AssassinatedBeauty I was actually asking. Contrary to my username I'm actually a woman if that would make you more inclined to explain it to me.

I think this issue is being used as a springboard for the fear that men are feeling. They can jump on the bandwagon with the other men and feel some togetherness regarding the poor girls and their loss of a job. They feel like this is the safe message to bond on.

Actually men are pretty damn frightened right now. Women are coming to get their jobs, to get their pay and to take over their bastions of maleness (ie sports).

Remember the Susan Faludi book "backlash". I think that's where we are heading. We are about to be put back in our box, sharpish.

Ordinary men are scared they are losing something - but I just don't understand what they think it is.

There are a lot of men on another forum that I am on who are suddenly going on about how this kind of thing is anti-feminist These blokes have never ever mentioned feminists before except to call them ugly hairy pain in the arse people. But not they are concerned that a womans right to earn money has been taken away from them. You could not make it up.

uk.businessinsider.com/f1-grid-girls-have-lost-their-jobs-but-are-fighting-back-on-twitter-2018-2?r=US&IR=T

Rebecca Cooper, a five time F1 grid girl, said on Twitter that it is "ridiculous that women who say they are 'fighting for women's rights' are saying what others should and shouldn't do, stopping us from doing a job we love and are proud to do. [It is] political correctness gone mad."

I cannot eyeroll enough tbh.

And sick to death of seeing men who are sooo concerned about these women losing their wages from one day a bloody year. Its blatantly obvious that the real problem they have is they will not have women to perv over in this particular instance. Guess they will have to mooch off down the lapdancing club instead before those (hopefully) are outlawed too.

Can I just ask, what campaign have the feminists been running to get grid girls sacked? Have we been campaigning, and I missed it?

Why are feminists getting the blame for all this pc Gawn mad stuff?

I’ll sign petitions to free women in prisons in countries where their rights are non existent. I’ll donate to women’s aid, put food in the women’s refuge food bank etc but I never campaigned to get rid of grid girls.

So why are we getting the blame? Because of the current culture? What, the, I’m not taking this sexual harassment shit anymore that I’ve put up with for years culture.

The ‘what was acceptable back then, clearly isn’t acceptable anymore’.

The ‘I can’t even look at a woman without being accused of rape’

And the presidents club shut down - that wasn’t what I wanted.

I want girls to stop being sexually harassed and treated like objects.

Why couldn’t the presidents club just keep going? Only next year, invite wives/girlfriends and have both male/female hostesses.

If they truly cared about the charity - find a way to carry on - that doesn’t involve sexual harassment.

For charity - my arse.

And the sun and the daily mail lead with feminism gawn mad front pages. 🙄

Oh it's such crap.
The company are stopping it as the benefits no longer outweigh the costs. Ie grid girls are not bringing in cash/boosting sales enough.

The presidents club is totally different and was about exploitation of girls. The hosts could have hired escorts who wouldve been happy with the gig but i bet it wouldve cost a packet (and increased reputational damage when it got out)

Someone has tried to counter my viewpoint on FB by saying.... its no different to strip clubs and nobody objects to them! I have no words.

There's an interesting video on this link

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-16533289/booth-babes-stir-controversy-at-2012-ces

It's about 'booth babes' at tech shows. Very similar arguments to grid girls.