Goodbye grid girls, hello grid kids - featuring grumpy old men

[Ian-S]

Bottom post of the previous page:

No surprise, just a shame that as usual, the vocal minority won out and Liberty bowed to their will.

You know the internet is full of scantily clad women at the end of a quick google search right?

So it's ok for the young girls to get their kit off in front of a camera and then plaster it all over the internet as long as it's in a studio, but it's not ok to have one standing at the front of an F1 car holding a position marker?

As said elsewhere, if this was truly about objectifying people, when will Boxing make the boxers wear shirts when in the ring, and when will we see an end to scantily clad women in music videos? Oh and of course, no more nudity on TV please, can't have actors slowing flesh anymore.

I understand your point however they aren't apples for apples comparisons. Like I said elsewhere, the downside of this decision is that people have lost a source of income. The upside is that we don't need to witness those cringeworthy displays of women applauding men which didn't add anything to the sport.

Oh I totally agree on the last bit, that was err, cringeworthy every time I saw it.

It is an apples to apples comparison, or rather it's selective morals if you (not you kals but generally) think grid girls should be banned because it portrays women as being exploited for their looks, but it's fine for singers to perform in their underwear in a music video or an actress to perform a fake sex scene or walk naked through a scene, that's what those of us that live in the real world call double standards because all three examples are portraying a person in a sexual way to the viewer.

I wasn't comparing grid girls to porn stars though, just merely pointing out the double standards on display from certain quarters, and I'm not even going to bring up the equally questionable morals of formula one continuing to go to places like China and Russia whilst at the same time as taking the moral high ground with grid girls.

Edit: Erwin beat me to it lol.

[kals]

Well, on that last point @Ian-S let's remember that Jordan was once a grid girl, so some were porn stars lol

But I agree. There's a significant contradiction both in the aspects of this decision and discussion. I don't want to speak on behalf of a group of people, some of whom I'm sure welcomed the employment, exposure, etc... but on the other hand I am speaking on behalf of a group of people based on my on views. At the same time I agree that certain countries shouldn't be holding races based on their human rights records. I think I've said that for some time.

Still, I think this is a positive step.

[Antonov]

The girls applauding did make me feel ashamed.
Nothing wrong with a girl holding up a drivers' name though.

[John]

Hmmm, I don't know. In the entertainment industry, sex is, and has been since way before WW2, a vital part and selling point. Heck, we don't remember Audrey Hepburn or Gary Cooper for being awesome actors, but rather dashing icons. And James Dean was a mediocre actor at best, but his sex appeal and rebel looks is what made him a part of cinematic lore. Well, that, and the fact that he died young, in a Porsche.

Sports, however, does not need this. F1 especially, should have enough merit to get by without grid girls. I think the same would go for the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and other major leagues.

But then again I think that a league who tolerates the name Washington Redskins aren't too fuzzed about this.

[SBan83]

More power to MotoGP - they had way better girls anyway.

[MonteCristo]

Oh well, it'll only harm F1 in the end. The wider public appeal of the sport (outside of rev heads) is the glitz and glamour. This takes away part of that.

[MonteCristo]

The point of F1 is the cars, the drivers and the circuit they race on.

*cuts away mid-race to Celebrity X*

*post-race podium interview with Celebrity Y asking about what it's like to drive fast after saying its their first race*

[Everso Biggyballies]

*Flicks through Target catalogue delivered to my door to see models posing in bra and knickers......others in bikinis*
Showing more flesh than any grid girl I have ever seen.
It does not worry me one way or the other but where do you draw the line. I understand those that feel it is demeaning, but no-one forces the girls to do it. and they all look happy to be doing the job. Models like to model. And make a good living doing it.
What about scantily dressed actresses in movies / on TV? Do we ban them as well?
How many supermodels started off as cheerleaders and grid girls? They got noticed and now they are superstars earning many thousands per gig.

[Ian-S]

Stop it, you'll only be shouted at.

[Everso Biggyballies]

How many supermodels started off as cheerleaders and grid girls? They got noticed and now they are superstars earning many thousands per gig.

So how do we think models will now get a career start?
Root their way up the ladder on the casting couch I guess. Far less demeaning.
Frying pan, fire and all that springs to mind.

Perhaps the best thing to have done is what many GPs already did.... dress the grid girls in the national costume and show some local culture. The Olympic opening ceremony is a good and tasteful example.
I just think to ban grid girls per se to be a knee jerk response.
We can get enough of a flesh fix from TV ads for wonderbras, or Target catalogues in our letterbox..

[Ian-S]

You bring up a good point about the Olympics, I wonder if the pretty girls holding the medals on tea trays during the medal awarding ceremonies will be there in a few weeks, or whether the winners will be told "hey your medal is over there on the floor, go pick it up yourself".

[Everso Biggyballies]

Hehehe what about the female lycra bikini clad Olympic swimmers. Far too much flesh on show! Perhaps the next Olympics will see this

Getting ready, limbering up for the start of the 100 metres Female freestyle.

[Ian-S]

Haha thanks, I just spat tea all over the tablet.

[kals]

Let's look at this a slightly different way. In the Off Topic section of this forum we have a thread dedicated to ladies we find attractive. Someone also like to include pictures of men *ahem* Tobias *cough* (each to their own). Since it was opened around 8 years ago we've all participated in one way or another. A few years back the thread was locked as no-one was participating anymore. In fact the thread rarely receives any updates. Why? Because we've changed. We've moved on, evolved. We've found other important things (not more important or less important) to focus upon. Does that mean we don't appreciate attractive ladies? No, it doesn't.

The point here is that we as well as society changes and evolves year on year. What was relevant to us 5+ years ago, for example, isn't relevant now.

At the end of the day this was a business decision. The NJ Devils NHL team removed the Devils Dancers a few years ago. I've been a season ticket holder for 5 seasons, and myself, son and wife (yes, it's true) were disappointed when the Dancers didn't come back. We initially thought it took away from the 'show' of an event. However the organisation added other things and as years have gone by we all agreed it was the right decision.

Some people will agree with what Liberty have done, some will not. Some will look at this as PC gone mad, some won't. There isn't a parallel between grid girls and porn stars, grid girls and victoria's secrets models, grid girls and athletes in their performance gear, grid girls and women being forced to wear burkas. This has already happened in other sports and people barely bat an eyelid. This is just another storm in a teacup that will blow over soon enough.

[Antonov]

Hehehe what about the female lycra bikini clad Olympic swimmers. Far too much flesh on show! Perhaps the next Olympics will see this

Getting ready, limbering up for the start of the 100 metres Female freestyle.

the second from the right is a hottie

in short, my stance towards this sage:
-> getting rid of the girls in line applauding the drivers who are heading to the podium: yes, thank god. That was cringeworthy.
-> getting rid of the girls holding the sign of the driver: meh, I don't see what is wrong with it. Besides, for the girls doing it, it is a step in their modelling careers.

[John]

Pretty sure these girls have plenty of modelling jobs outside of strutting around on a starting grid.