No more grid girls at races, says Formula One
Ready, set, no-go! The racing giant has banned grid girls, commonly known as walk-on girls, from their racing events, and many seem divided by the decision.
It was recently announced that the racing authority had decided to ban grid girls at races, which has cost many women their jobs.
In case you didn't know, F1 has been using grid girls for years to promote the races. They are famous for wearing clothes with sponsors logos on them, for holding name boards for drivers, and accompanying the top three drivers to the podium. Many girls have gone on to have successful modeling careers after being a grid girl.
Formula One took to their Twitter account to announce the move, adding that the 'custom does not resonate with our brand values'.
F1 to stop using grid girls
— Formula 1 (@F1) January 31, 2018
"Custom does not resonate with our brand values" https://t.co/zKqSwM8EUU
The internet seems to be divided and a huge debate has been sparked between those who support the decision and those who believe that it is 'sexist'.
According to BBC, F1 has announced that they will replace the grid girls and use 'grid kids', in an effort to gain interest from younger fans.
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Even though the brand does feel that it goes against their values, what about the girls who are passionate about what they do? At the end of the day, it is still a job for them and they get paid for it.
Although we do not have Formula One races in South Africa, we do have an equivalent of a grid girl in rugby. The Sharks Flasher Girls have become known for getting the team and spectators excited before and during the match.
Now imagine if a ban was imposed on the flasher girls? How would these ladies feel if they lost a job that they feel so strongly about?
My view is that these women all have a choice, and if there was some form of exploitation, it would have been out in the open by now.
Hypothetically, if some authority imposed a ban on female radio presenters, naturally, there would be an uproar from our presenters who live for entertaining audiences and being behind the mic. So how can we expect the grid girls not to be upset over the ban?
What do you think? Is the ban a ridiculous move from F1, as it's technically robbing these girls of a job, or do you think it's a good move?