It didn’t take long for V8 Supercars to act on David Reynolds’ sexist slur to the weekend’s all-female Bathurst 1000 wildcard entry, his out-of-touch comments seeing him slapped with a $25,000 fine.
While the size of the fine resulted in much debate in the Mount Panorama media centre, there was no doubt that Reynolds deserved to be reprimanded.
“Reynolds’ comments were disgraceful and completely unacceptable in our sport and he has been fined $25,000,” V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton said.
“Women are an integral part of our sport, whether they are fans, drivers or team members. And V8 Supercars will continue to support and promote female participation at all levels of our sport.”
But while motorsport categories across the globe try to readdress the obvious gender inequality and encourage female participants, what about the inherent sexism on display at most events?
Grid girls and cheerleaders were evident around Mount Panorama over the weekend. They’ve become a staple of the V8 Supercars scene, hardly the sort of female participation that promotes gender equality.
If motorsport categories truly want to embrace gender equality, then they need to move away from this archaic form of promotion. Scantily glad women being paraded around to be gawked at seem to encourage sexist comments like those from Reynolds.
Only by moving away from this sexist image will the likes of V8 Supercars make gender gains. And it’s not a big ask – if the absence of grid girls keeps people away, then questions need to be asked regarding how committed motorsport fans really are.
Renee Grace and Simona de Silvestro performed admirably at the Bathurst 1000, with the progress of the likes of de Silverstro highlighting one of motorsport’s unique selling points: the ability for men and women to compete on equal footing.
It’s time to really encourage female participation by making motorsport events family- and female-friendly environments, as attending and following events and categories will encourage more women to race or work in motorsport.
Persisting with the grid girls and a gender divide will only maintain the status quo, in which female drivers are rare and their involvement needs to be allocated for rather than being the norm.
And for those who insist grid girls are a bit of harmless fun, then surely something so insignificant can be done away with. It won’t drastically change motorsport events, while going a long way in attracting new fans and encouraging gender equality.
As the recent closure of Zoo magazine and Playboy’s decision to move away from nudity prove, cheap titillation is a click away on the internet, forcing more traditional forms of media to move on. It’s time for motorsport to do the same.
NaBUru38
Guest
How about grid boys?
Trent Price
Roar Guru
NASCAR made a considered effort to do away with scantily-clad grid girls given their family-focussed brief. WEC for some reason didn't stick to their promise of completely getting rid of the idea in April of this year. Lucas di Grassi had few choice words on the subject: https://www.joomag.com/magazine/eracing-vol-2-issue-7/0975671001434768340?page=118 One thing worth considering is that the majority of BTCC grid girls run their profession as their own business, Perhaps this is a model (pardon the pun) worth considering here before we cut off a revenue stream for these women in the interests of a quick headline.
Simoc
Guest
In NRL football the players have a gauntlet of girls to run through at the start of each game. But while when I watched NBL basketball the goal girls provided all the match highlights, the ones in league didn't add to the occasion. But it's a paid job apparently. On the racing grid I'de be happy to hold the umbrella for Gracie and De Silvestro, handsome as I am :) providing of course the pay made it worthwhile.
Damo
Guest
If you want to talk equality, how about the 12+ other drivers that are higher placed in the Dunlop development series that should be driving instead Gracie? But no, she got a big gig drive because she is a female. Equality works both ways. (It's also Gracie, not Grace) Also - my cousin has aspirations to be a model. Yes that's right, some women want to do it. Getting a job as a grid girl at big events such as Bathurst is a big deal to many of these women. You get media coverage, chance to be on tv, photos in paper/magazines and websites - all to try to move your career forward. And the real reason Zoo shut down and Playboy is changing is because you can get all the nudity you want for free on the internet. Reynolds was wrong, he got punished - now move on.
Not convinced
Guest
Agree, When I originally heard the term "Pussy Wagon" my thoughts immediately turned to Kill Bill Vol. 1 and the car Uma Thurman left the hospital in after killing its owner, a man. Often people are accused of not thinking things through enough, I think in this case those who were offended have got a little too much time on their hands.
nordster
Guest
Its funny because i didnt even know what this latest offensive statement made was. A whole article of outrage and the author didnt care to mention it.. Soooo i just looked it up. 'Pussy wagon' sounds like a term of endearment, or at least far more endearing than what most young males call each other. You should have heard what they used to say about those of us who were fans of the mighty GT-R... The underlying problem is we have entered the rationality vacuum of the egalitarian. Anything goes at this point. Individuals are not equal let alone generalising across genders. Like comparing apples and oranges, both are fruit the equality question is moot. Or lemons and oranges may be closer to the mark. Their gender equity outrage industry is on a collision course with logic....will either end well (as in it stops) or ends really really badly ....im not sure how this squares up with other threats the west is facing, but it should be fun to watch and find out;)
Not convinced
Guest
Whenever this type fo discussion comes up I always think back to Monty Python's Life of Brian and the scene when Brian first meets the People's Front of Judea. "We'll fight for Rogers right to have babies even though he doesn't have a womb" or words to that effect. No one forces the girls to be there, the jobs are offered and taken up. If nordster wants "grid boys" fine, It's not like it impacts the actual racing. But if Reynolds was fined for insulting the girls, shouldn't fines be imposed when the boys insult the other boys as well? Or are we just going to jump in defence of the girls only which in itself is an implied discrimination in my view.
Blinky47
Guest
If we are to have gender equality, shouldn't Grace have been fined for her inappropiate and demeanining description of the male "bogun"
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
The way i see it on the grid girls is that no one forces them to wear tiny clothes and keep the job. If the girl was against it she would just not do the job. Seems like they like the attention, right?
Jack
Guest
What you've completely overlooked is the amazing participation that women in the sport get via the Miss V8 Supercars contest held at the Gold Coast 600. Because nothing shows how they're encouraging women into the sport by getting then to parade in their bikinis...
nordster
Guest
Hey dont forget us male2male-rs, we love a grid boy too! But you might have to androgynise the grid girls to attract my scissoring lady lovin friends! As for the premise of the article....men and women are not equal on the motorsport or any other front. Sure we may all have access to the same equipment...engine wise;) Men are just more into motorsport ....this is not a gender construct but a reflection of reality. Men and women are biologically different, interest in professional sport and competition is a reflection of this. Men be warriors women be nurturers ...history and (hopefully for all our sakes) the future will continue to reflect this.... Unfortunately the author grew up in the same 'gender is a construct' fantasy land like i did. Maybe we attended to the same leftist leaning academic institution. Which leads to him pumping out nonsense like the following, among others... "Persisting with the grid girls and a gender divide will only maintain the status quo, in which female drivers are rare and their involvement needs to be allocated for rather than being the norm." This also leads to folks embracing that other logical inversion that is 'transgender' politics ....forgetting the small matter of chromosomes. And would u guess i used to be my campus queer officer haha? I guess we can wait with bated breath for an article on why men impersonating women should be able to compete as women? Enjoy:p
CG2430
Guest
I'm neither here nor there on grid girls - I'm there to watch a car race - but I would caution against an obsession with 'family friendly'. The bulk of the sport's fans are males, and they deserve to be respected lest the event (and perhaps even the racing) be sanitised to within an inch of its life.
really
Guest
What about the Lesbians? Surely there are women who enjoy the sight of attractive scantily clad females on the grid. Add a few grid guys if you want the more the merrier. However to suggest that having other women in the industry somehow increases sexist pressure on female drivers is ridiculous.