Going off the grid by Maurice Hamilton
“Grid girls”: it’s great that they’re gone, but did it have to be so poorly handled?
FORMULA One’s owners, Liberty Media, scored an own goal – not its first, and unlikely its last – when it declared that so-called “grid girls” would no longer be used before the start of a Grand Prix.
The problem for many was not so much the women themselves, but the manner in which F1 chose to deal with the so-called difficulty. What should have been a matter for in-house discussion instantly became a lamb led to a slaughter by F1’s virulent opponents.
Liberty Media explained that “grid girls” did not “resonate with brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms”. About five minutes after this rather grand statement had become public, Marina Hyde, The Guardian newspaper’s columnist, went to work with a typically withering response when she tweeted an imaginary additional line to the proud pronouncement: “We will however, still race in Bahrain, because those societal norms pay a shitload.”
Even allowing for Hyde’s vast stock of snide remarks and an equally wellaired dislike of F1, her scorn possessed an uncomfortable and undeniable resonance. It was the start of an avalanche of comment that gave the impression that F1’s owners were paying a price for misguidedly trying to do – or be seen to be doing – the “right thing” in the turbulent wake of other infinitely more serious global stories concerning the treatment of women. Never mind the gleefully expressed views of F1’s detractors; the raising of this issue also drove a wedge through the sport itself. Comment columns in social media went into overdrive. I would estimate it was roughly 60:40 against the withdrawal (as opposed to a ban) of “grid girls”.
Easier to appreciate was how wide-ranging and complex the debate had become, so much so that the original point was quickly buried beneath heavy discussion about sexism, suppression and the propagation of the image that “men participate; women decorate”.
It was a point taken up on Twitter by Damon Hill. Responding to a comment that “grid girls” gave the impression this was the only thing women did while men drove cars, the 1996 world champion said: “This is actually a key point. Worse than this would be if it suggests that victorious men can avail themselves of the girls on display, which is a subliminal message that has always been difficult to avoid. It’s a big discussion.”
Another race fan followed this line of thinking by saying he wanted his daughter to watch F1 and aspire to be a driver or engineer, team leader or some such, rather than “just standing around looking pretty”. Apart from actually indicating a misunderstanding of the additional roles these women play, it highlighted a major F1 shortcoming.
Agreed, we desperately needed to get rid of the scripted and cringeworthy scene where the women applauded embarrassed podium winners on their way to the cool-down room after each Grand Prix. But rather than focusing the world’s attention in a negative way, Liberty Media ought have promoted the significant work done by the female engineers, strategists, fuel analysts and many more of the key roles they play behind the scenes.
And while they were at it, Liberty could have explained how the women on the grid also acted as brand ambassadors for sponsors, meeting and greeting, working hard and doing much more than simply holding boards on the starting grid. Liberty could also have pointed out that the hackneyed view of skimpily dressed women in Lycra had largely been replaced by elegant uniforms and, in some cases, national costumes.
Clearly, there are several important strands to this argument. Perhaps the best and most telling solution would have been for Liberty Media to say nothing in public and quietly withdraw the “grid girls”. It would have been interesting to see how many, busy going about their business on the grid in Melbourne or watching the first Grand Prix of 2018 on television, would have actually noticed the absence of them.
On the heels of the controversy came news that Liberty Media intend to use “grid kids” as a means for young fans to get closer to the action. It is an excellent scheme. Liberty Media’s mistake, however, was not to mention this first rather than by following what appeared to be a politically correct agenda that had unfortunate consequences it ought to have seen coming.