No more ........ 
http://www.breitbart.com/sports/2018/02/01/formula-1-grid-girls-slam-feminists-put-work/
Don't watch or pay attention to F1, so no effect on me. Meanwhile Formula D still has grid girls at every event. I always feel bad when they are at Wall Stadium. Watching the poor girls try and walk down the 33 degree banking in high heels, I'm waiting for one to break their ankle. Or neck.
I don't really care.
This isn't feminism, it's automation. Why pay a person to stand there and hold a sign, when a metal pole base will do just as good of a job?
In reply to red_stapler :
Hard to get the pole to move off the grid on its own when the umbrella or sign isn't needed anymore?
Breitbart link in the first post decrying the evils of feminism?
In before the lock...
FIYAPOWA said:In reply to red_stapler :
Hard to get the pole to move off the grid on its own when the umbrella or sign isn't needed anymore?
Not really, we can probably pay one person to do that instead of 20.
I'm neither here nor there on the subject, I enjoy pretty girls as much as the next hetero male (or homo female), but it does seem like something left over from the 70s. I'm surprised the SCCA still has a Ladies class for autocross.
Edit: and LOL for a Breitbart source.
In reply to red_stapler :
One greasy garage guy, or 20 pretty girls... Choose wisely. :P
- Grid girls
- More female drivers and fans
Choose one.
I'm all for grid people. Someone needs to hold the shade over those guys. I don't think there's any reason they need to be chosen because they look good in spandex. I'm all for grid kids, like bat boys, but with umbrellas.
In reply to GameboyRMH :
I don't think the grid girls are the sole cause of a lack of female fans or drivers...
In a male-dominated sport, I'd say the root cause is earlier in life when society tells little girls to stick to girly things. The article (or maybe another one I read on the topic) has an opposing opinion from current and former grid girls saying that it was a positive experience for them.
GameboyRMH said:- Grid girls
- More female drivers and fans
Choose one.
How do grid girls PREVENT female drivers? Do cheerleaders in Collegiate and Professional sports prevent female fans?
On that note, I'm going to check myself out of this thread because I agree with the grid girls.
If Margie, Bhammer, ECmojo MazDSeth want it gone ......my pleasure will do 
z31maniac said:GameboyRMH said:- Grid girls
- More female drivers and fans
Choose one.
How do grid girls PREVENT female drivers? Do cheerleaders in Collegiate and Professional sports prevent female fans?
On that note, I'm going to check myself out of this thread because I agree with the grid girls.
Not prevent, just discourage a little. If there were just "grid people" there wouldn't be a problem.
I know a moto2 grid girl, loves her job. Has fun and makes old men smile and occasionally blush. I don't see the harm in anything here, perhaps excepting the article source.
F1, went 'green', quiet and super public/family friendly as attention waned and they needed to woo back bigger, more conservative(liberal politically, damn our definitions are skewed here) sponsors. So its a logical progression of them shaping their brand of marketing.
As is almlst always the case, its a simple money thing, with a good spin on both sides of the 'issue'. Sheesh.
In reply to z31maniac :
I’m with you. My wife went from bank manager to housewife/mother when we decided to have kids. That type of thing drives the feminists crazy. Meanwhile, both of our daughters are growing up to be strong and independent because of her influence. Not the least bit ironic that feminist are “pro-women” but don’t quite trust women to make their own career decisions.
Nugi said:I know a moto2 grid girl, loves her job. Has fun and makes old men smile and occasionally blush. I don't see the harm in anything here, perhaps excepting the article source.
F1, went 'green', quiet and super public/family friendly as attention waned and they needed to woo back bigger, more conservative(liberal politically, damn our definitions are skewed here) sponsors. So its a logical progression of them shaping their brand of marketing.
As is almlst always the case, its a simple money thing, with a good spin on both sides of the 'issue'. Sheesh.
And I think it's find to hire people to do that job. Be hosts, ambassadors of the sport. It's when boobs are required for the job that it gets weird.
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
In my career field (IT), I've noticed that "boobs" appears to be a requirement to be a "talent scout" or "recruiting professional".
"too many people being offended on behalf of people who are not offended at all!"
I laugh when I see things like this. Many things, I didn’t say ALL, but many things are the way they are because of innate human nature.
The vast majority of racing and automotive competition in general is followed by and participated in by men. The vast majority of men appreciate and find enjoyment from attractive women.
Having grid-girls, football cheerleaders, beauty contestants and everything else that people with too much free time are offended by is purely natural. And when those same woman that are “on display” love their jobs, the women (and men) that claim it’s somehow offensive should stfu. Especially when their beliefs put these people out of work.
By the way, has anyone browsed a magazine rack lately, ever look at the covers of women’s magazines? Attractive women EVERYWHERE. And don’t get me started on the trashy woman’s novels’ book covers.
I guess I’m offended that there’s pictures of muscular men on them. How demeaning.
I can't give a scientific or practical reason to have grid girls but attractive women add a certain something to every activity, like herbs and spices add to the taste of any food. Completely unnecessary but somehow better with than without. The women aren't forced into it, they are there by choice and being paid to do something that, as far as I can tell, isn't degrading to them. It all seems rather glamorous and if my daughter were into auto racing and was hired as a grid girl, I would be happy for her while at the same time encouraging her to take the money and use if for an education.
I wonder if the teams would still be allowed to have their own umbrella girl? I imagine that if 1 team had a couple of smoking hot women holding umbrellas over their drivers on the grid and none of the other teams did, that team would get a tangible boost in TV coverage.
Well that sucks. One of the most lasting memories of my first (and ths far only) F1 experience was watching a line of grid girls walk past prior to the start of the race. 16 year old me was stunned, every one of them was just jaw droppingly gorgeous.
I suspect it's not the grid girls in F1, but the wall of gorgeous women that line the walls as the the top three drivers walk to the green room and then out to the podium. It's like a buffet for the victors. Having a pretty girl hold a sign isn't that offensive because they're actually doing something - that sign is there to mark the grid spot, and someone has to move it out of the way, seriously - but that victory ceremony has always seemed a little...off because the girls have no purpose other than to create a fire hazard with boobs.
I got the same vibe from the Seattle Seahawk cheerleaders the last time I went to a game there. They seemed more like mostly-naked prizes for the players than any sort of cheering squad. I've never picked up that vibe from other teams. Maybe it was the tiny white hot pants instead of the token skirts, I dunno.
Anyhow, speaking of grid girls - I've always liked the ones at the Mitty. They're cheerleaders from a local middle school, I think. Too young to be sex symbols for anyone with normal wiring, but you can tell they're proud to be there and they consider themselves an important part of the show. It comes across, they're excited and not jaded. Like Mazdeuce said, grid kids. They fit in well with the event.
Some will argue that it's objectifying women, while others will probably argue that it can be empowering to these women. As Long as grid girls are consenting adults who know what they're getting themselves into, I don't have an issue with it. I can't put myself in a woman's shoes, but it seems like a core principal of feminism is having the freedom to choose what they do with their bodies. If women want to put themselves out there like that, that's up to them. That being said, I also see no real need for them, and have no issue with their elimination either.
Mazduece's idea of 'grid kids' seems like a cool way to keep some young kids interested in motorsports and/or engineering. With F1s global footprint, having local kids at each event earn the right to be a grid kid via good marks in STEM programs or something could be a win/win.
Here's another way to look at it, how do you defend the existence of this job that's only open to women? Isn't that discriminatory? You don't need to be a woman to hold umbrellas and number cards and look nice and clap on the podium. If you accept that sex appeal has anything to do with a grid girl's job, then if this role is to continue in something resembling its current form, there should be some balance of grid guys to attract female fans and competitors, no?
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