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Grid Girls - F1 Living In The Past?


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522 replies to this topic

Poll: Grid Girls - Yes/No (414 member(s) have cast votes)

F1 Grid Girls - Stay or Go???

  1. No, I like seeing them, keep them (230 votes [53.12%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 53.12%

  2. I'd like grid girls replaced with mascots (ie fans) (27 votes [6.24%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 6.24%

  3. I don't like them but I have no alternate suggestions (26 votes [6.00%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 6.00%

  4. I don't care (96 votes [22.17%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 22.17%

  5. I like them but I'd like to see them go (19 votes [4.39%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 4.39%

  6. Have no mascot/eye candy (35 votes [8.08%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 8.08%

Vote

#501 ExFlagMan

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 17:25

You only have to watch the after race forum section of the TV show to see the sort of dumb-ass gooning that some fans get up to when they get into camera shot - not sure they would act any better if on the grid..

 

Someone suggested getting the track marshals to hold the grid boards - I guess they have never tried that task at a race meeting - there are a lot more important tasks they are doing in the run up to the start, for one trying to stop B/C/D list 'celebrities' getting themselves run over by teams pushing the cars onto the grid, or occasionally trying the stop rival TV cameramen/presenters getting into conflict over whose turn it is to talk to the drivers.

 

Are the grid boards necessary? - as someone said they help the spectators in the grandstand identify the start positions of their favourite driver.  I would also suggest they may even aid the mechanics pushing the cars to orientate themselves as to where to stop, after all, with all the 'celebs' milling around, it can be hard to see grid markings or even see where your team personnel are standing whilst trying to avoid damaging the car by running over one of said 'celebs'.



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#502 Anders Torp

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 17:30

It's the individual not the gender and to not realize that is pretty daft. 
 
Also as an employer i would consider not employing a woman who could require maternity leave and has priorities towards family/children more often then men. lol.....

Pretty daft indeed...

#503 johnmhinds

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 17:34

I don't think the groups of people shouting silly things during the post race show can be used as an example here.

 

If you gave any of those same people the job of holding the grid board surrounded by their racing idols they'd act differently to how they will act in that group.

 

And of course you would always vet the fans you choose to weed out any silly people.



#504 smitten

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 17:40

If you gave any of those same people the job of holding the grid board surrounded by their racing idols they'd act differently to how they will act in that group.


But what if these fans were young, female, conventionally attractive, and chose to dress in a bikini? Would you disappear in a cloud of existential angst?

Edited by smitten, 07 August 2014 - 17:41.


#505 Option1

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 18:32

If I was the company looking to take up the advertising opportunity of sponsoring the grid representatives, why would I want a bunch of yobbo fans, or snotty brats instead of trained, professional models representing my company? 

 

I still find it amusing that according to some, using professional models in the capacity for which they're trained is somehow to be considered inappropriate and wrong.  Apparently presenting a uniformed, corporate, professional image is less preferable an image for F1 than any of the alternate amateur suggestions.

 

Neil



#506 Force Ten

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 19:48

If I was the company looking to take up the advertising opportunity of sponsoring the grid representatives, why would I want a bunch of yobbo fans, or snotty brats instead of trained, professional models representing my company? 

 

I still find it amusing that according to some, using professional models in the capacity for which they're trained is somehow to be considered inappropriate and wrong.  Apparently presenting a uniformed, corporate, professional image is less preferable an image for F1 than any of the alternate amateur suggestions.

 

Neil

Of course you know it already, but that is quite likely because not once has this thread really been about grid girls and presenting anything anywhere.



#507 byrkus

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Posted 07 August 2014 - 20:14

You only have to watch the after race forum section of the TV show to see the sort of dumb-ass gooning that some fans get up to when they get into camera shot - not sure they would act any better if on the grid..

 

Or Tour de France... :D



#508 Brother Fox

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 02:22

I don't think the groups of people shouting silly things during the post race show can be used as an example here.

If you gave any of those same people the job of holding the grid board surrounded by their racing idols they'd act differently to how they will act in that group.

And of course you would always vet the fans you choose to weed out any silly people.

Until you put a rabid 15 year old Hamilton fan at Vettels car and he starts dry humping the number board and making oral sex gestures in the background of the shot.
At times 15 year old boys can act quite normal and pass the sanity test to get there. That doesn't make them normal.
It's not like they're going to get asked back anyway!

Edited by Brother Fox, 08 August 2014 - 02:23.


#509 LewDaMan

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 02:37

As attractive as a majority of them are, I always ask myself this: "Would I be happy for my daughter to be an F1 grid girl?" The answer to that is an overwhelming "no." My daughter should always be a lot more than something pretty to look at. Being a good person and having a degree of intelligence is infinitely more important. Good looks are a significant bonus, sure, but there are more important things in life.

Ignoring the "daughter" angle for a moment, I don't need to see attractive young women at an F1 race. There are hundreds or thousands of real-life attractive young women to meet and talk to in towns and cities in every country. Further still, the internet is saturated with websites of attractive young women "doing the dirty," for those who want to see a bit more.

So all in all, I don't get the point of grid girls. They're superfluous as far as I'm concerned. For ninety odd minutes I am watching for the adrenaline rush of F1 and hoping for a good race. Attractive young women can wait for other times and circumstances.

Accordingly, for the reasons above I couldn't care less if grid girls were no longer a feature of F1 race weekends.



#510 Brother Fox

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 02:46

Apparently girls can be pretty AND intelligent



I know, blew my mind too when I found out

#511 LewDaMan

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 03:49

Apparently girls can be pretty AND intelligent

I know, blew my mind too when I found out


Well, would any truly intelligent young woman (especially one with any sense of self-worth) want a job where the role extends only to being ogled at by men and/or being a potential notch on a motor-racer's bed-post?

#512 PayasYouRace

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 06:32

Well, would any truly intelligent young woman (especially one with any sense of self-worth) want a job where the role extends only to being ogled at by men and/or being a potential notch on a motor-racer's bed-post?

 

You'd be surprised at the academic qualifications some of these women (including the one's "doing the dirty" online) have.



#513 chdphd

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 06:50

Well, would any truly intelligent young woman (especially one with any sense of self-worth) want a job where the role extends only to being ogled at by men and/or being a potential notch on a motor-racer's bed-post?

 

It doesn't have to be their only job - it can be a hobby.



#514 Force Ten

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 07:00

Well, would any truly intelligent young woman (especially one with any sense of self-worth) want a job where the role extends only to being ogled at by men and/or being a potential notch on a motor-racer's bed-post?

No. They'd prefer to stay home, and go out wearing a burqa and always with a presence of a chauperone. They just found their champion here!

 

Yes, your question WAS that dumb.

Not only would exceptionally intelligent women want that job, they have it regularly and the job extends to many more avenues to what you just described there.



#515 Timstr11

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 07:04

No. They'd prefer to stay home, and go out wearing a burqa and always with a presence of a chauperone. They just found their champion here!

Yes, your question WAS that dumb.

Not only would exceptionally intelligent women want that job, they have it regularly and the job extends to many more avenues to what you just described there.

It was not a dumb question at all. The women I know do think it's totally beneath them, and they're all intelligent self-aware women.

Edited by Timstr11, 08 August 2014 - 07:07.


#516 Force Ten

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 07:19

It was not a dumb question at all. The women I know do think it's totally beneath them, and they're all intelligent self-aware women.

It was a moronic question. It was posted using wording that would lead EVERYONE to exactly one answer.

And I know several women of various intelligence and several of them would have done it at certain age. The ones that wouldn't usually wouldn't have not because they'd think the job was beneath them but because they'd think they were not attractive enough for the job.



#517 LewDaMan

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 07:38

You'd be surprised at the academic qualifications some of these women (including the one's "doing the dirty" online) have.


I wouldn't because I don't think academic qualifications/achievements are always a sign of "intelligence."
 

It doesn't have to be their only job - it can be a hobby.


No doubt. I'd always assumed a lot of the grid girls do it as a one-off gig for a bit of cash and/or just to do something different. Some of them might even see some prestige in it?
 

No. They'd prefer to stay home, and go out wearing a burqa and always with a presence of a chauperone. They just found their champion here!

Yes, your question WAS that dumb.

Not only would exceptionally intelligent women want that job, they have it regularly and the job extends to many more avenues to what you just described there.


No, you ARE dumb. Hence your incredibly stupid response.

And please prove, or retract, your claim that "exceptionally intelligent women are regular grid girls."
 

It was not a dumb question at all. The women I know do think it's totally beneath them, and they're all intelligent self-aware women.


Thank you. Ditto most of the women I know, the vast majority of them educated to university level, whatever that is worth or not. And most of them are attractive too.
 

It was a moronic question. It was posted using wording that would lead EVERYONE to exactly one answer.

And I know several women of various intelligence and several of them would have done it at certain age. The ones that wouldn't usually wouldn't have not because they'd think the job was beneath them but because they'd think they were not attractive enough for the job.


Well, aren't you the charmer?

But no, my question was not leading. If you took it to be that way, that is YOUR CHOICE. Even then, what is the role of a grid girl? To stand there and look pretty. "Scenery" if you like, whom men in the crowd and watching on television ogle and whom some will be sought out after the race by the drivers.

If you had a daughter (which is clear from your reply, you don't) would you want that for her? What you think is "dumb," is me being consistent and fair. What I wouldn't want for my daughter, I cannot support for other women. Perhaps that level of thinking is beyond you?

#518 PayasYouRace

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 07:46

I wouldn't because I don't think academic qualifications/achievements are always a sign of "intelligence."
 

 

We could probably spend a while going round in circles debating what makes someone intelligent, but taking advantage of something you have (in this case, your looks) to earn a bit of money and possibly enable or further a career is definitely a sign of intelligence, as it shows forward planning. Oh and it might be fun too.

 

I don't have a daughter, but my sister used to say she'd want to be a grid girl. I thought that was pretty cool of her, and she's generally a clever person, with a good education (masters degree).

 

I'm thrilled for you that you know so many smart, attractive women. /sarcasm.



#519 tifosiMac

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 08:06

If you had a daughter (which is clear from your reply, you don't) would you want that for her? What you think is "dumb," is me being consistent and fair. What I wouldn't want for my daughter, I cannot support for other women. Perhaps that level of thinking is beyond you?

If my daughter wanted to be a grid girl I would have no issue with it at all, why should I? Its not like glamour modelling or taking part in pornographic publications. My wife did some modelling in her late teens and there was nothing seedy about it. She is intelligent and now a marketing manager for a large company. People don't seem to understand that models don't just model in one particular field. They can't just pick a famous designer brand and say 'I'm going to work for them'... They take work like being a grid girl, catalogue stuff, magazine shoots, handing out flyers at the clothes show etc etc. Of course some of the modelling companies specialise in motorsports and supply girls to companies like Maxxis, and these girls may come from a glamour background, but I doubt very much that is the case for Formula One, in fact I know they are not. These girls have a choice and its not like they are kidnapped and supplied by the Russian Mafia and forced to hold a driver board. They have chosen modelling and rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous of the F1 paddock is probably one of the better gigs they get! :) 



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#520 tifosiMac

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 08:12

 So for those young women who haven't got much going on upstairs, being a grid girl (or the like) is understandable.

Well that is a massive sweeping generalisation if ever I have seen one! I'm speechless really, as you do seem to be coming across as rather chauvinistic and elitist with a comment like that. I thought the bimbo stereotype for models had been put to bed by now with so many examples to the contrary. So if you are pretty, get offered a modelling contract, and perhaps then go off to university and end up in a good job, the assumption on the surface is you are thick eh? Wow 



#521 LewDaMan

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 08:15

That's all very fair and honourable, tifosiMac, but it's a bit of an innocent picture you paint.
 
Which driver was it that quipped when asked if he knew a grid-girl's name, "not yet?" I think that says a lot.
 
Sure, it's natural that the girls 'n' guys chase one another and it's what most folk go to bars and nightclubs for. But then this is employment we're talking - temporary or not. I would never want my daughter to ever take a job which solely involves looking pretty and being scenery. She's worth a lot more than being mere background for men to ogle her, based purely on how she looks.
And I don't see how that can be a bad way to bring up a daughter? Accordingly, it would be hypocritical of me to support being a grid girl for other people's daughters.
 

Well that is a massive sweeping generalisation if ever I have seen one! I'm speechless really, as you do seem to be coming across as rather chauvinistic and elitist with a comment like that. I thought the bimbo stereotype for models had been put to bed by now with so many examples to the contrary. So if you are pretty, get offered a modelling contract, and perhaps then go off to university and end up in a good job, the assumption on the surface is you are thick eh? Wow


I'm genuinely surprised that you're surprised! In most groupings of people, it is statistically near-certain that a significant number will be...well...thick! Equally, many will be intelligent and some average. And I'm not sure how someone who would rather see grid girls removed from F1 can be described as chauvinistic!?

I'm not aware of any models being especially intelligent? But then I don't pay models any attention whatsoever, so no doubt some have a background of academic achievement, or whatnot. But ultimately, my comment was aimed at attractive women who aren't very bright. I completely understand why such women would seek employment based on their looks. But attractive women who are intelligent? Nope, I don't buy it. And I severely doubt that most genuinely intelligent women would do so, other than being in dire financial straits.

Edited by LewDaMan, 08 August 2014 - 08:22.


#522 tifosiMac

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 08:28

That's all very fair and honourable, tifosiMac, but it's a bit of an innocent picture you paint.

 

Which driver was it that quipped when asked if he knew a grid-girl's name, "not yet?" I think that says a lot.

 

Sure, it's natural that the girls 'n' guys chase one another and it's what most folk go to bars and nightclubs for. But then this is employment we're talking - temporary or not. I would never want my daughter to ever take a job which solely involves looking pretty and being scenery. She's worth a lot more than being mere background for men to ogle her, based purely on how she looks.

And I don't see how that can be a bad way to bring up a daughter? Accordingly, it would be hypocritical of me to support being a grid girl for other people's daughters.

Don't shop in Abercrombie or Hollister then lol.

 

We have different views on this and although you get the impression I think the modelling industry is innocent ( :eek:), I do think your comments have been ironically sexist for something you perceive as being a sexist industry. If you deplore models for their use, but assume they are just thick bimbo's for doing that particular job, you are simply exaggerating a stereotype to suit a flawed opinion IMHO. :)



#523 SophieB

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Posted 08 August 2014 - 08:30

Yeah, I think that's quite enough.