You may have noticed the new car-related TV show that’s been on Sky TV for a couple of weeks, Girl Racers. I haven’t seen it yet myself (and we don't have Sky), but I have noticed several advertising billboards promoting it. They’re hard to miss, and I guess they’re working to some extent because I can even remember where they are. I wonder if they’ve caused any car accidents yet?
Because the billboard skins are basically just breasts. There are some words too, playing on the distracting nature of adverts composed of a big pair of boobs. Mammaries are definitely the central theme.
The television advert is not quite as bad. There are some actual shots of the women involved driving cars. In rather skimpy clothing. My recollection of male race driving is that they wear puffy padded suits as a form of protection; I guess this is not needed for the lady drivers?
How come other programmes about cars, like Top Gear and whatever that Kiwi attempt is called, don’t need to be promoted by breasts? They’re almost wall-to-wall men onscreen, but I understand there’s many women who watch them, and the focus is firmly on the machinery and the personalities of those involved, not their bodies.
I guess the defining feature of a show about women driving race cars has to be breasts. It couldn’t be about anything else really could it?
7 comments:
Have you ever had someone say "We were talking about you, not to you?"
That's what's going on here - it's a programme featuring women but made by and for men. So, although you might be tempted to imagine that a programme called Girl Racers will be one for women interested in cars, as far as the producers of it are concerned it's an opportunity for the male audience to look at cars and tits in the same show - an utterly winning combination.
As you point out, Top Gear doesn't descend to that - because, as Clarkson once pointed out, it's essentially Last of the Summer Wine with cars. But, childish as a lot of women may find Top Gear, it's still impossibly, uncomfortably highbrow for a large proportion of the sad munters who consider themselves "car enthusiasts." Thus the gap in the market for Girl Racers to talk about you, not to you.
I have to say, I was quite surprised to be faced with a billboard featuring a pair of disembodied tits when I was going past the stadium. Not at all classy, even if it does reflect just how trashy the program itself is.
"I guess the defining feature of a show about women driving race cars has to be breasts. It couldn’t be about anything else really could it?"
That's correct. You're pretty switched on, for a chick.
I've always been really scathing of Top Gear, mainly because I dislike Jeremy Clarkson intensely. But they sucked me in with that special on Vietnam, where I've done a little bit of travelling myself, and it was AWESOME. I laughed and laughed. Especially at Clarkson, which was fun. Yes there were hardly any women in it, but it didn't denigrate anyone (except for the hosts taking the mickey out of each other) and it was interesting. Plus they got some bonus points from me for actually riding motorcycles in Vietnam, one of the most dangerous places to drive in the world. The childishness of giving each other those ridiculous presents really appealed to me too ;-)
I largely avoided Top Gear for the longest times, thinking it was a silly boys club. I was also pleasantly surprised when I finally sat through a show at how much I enjoyed the show and the personalities. The language is fairly "cover all" and they frequently have female guest drivers. Helen Mirren springs to mind.
As for Girl Racers? That's a big fat serving of "Ugh". Disembodied boobs are just as much fun as disembodied red, licking lips in my feminist vernacular.
I boycott Top Gear because I don't want to validate Jeremy Clarkson's homophobia and xenophobia. The fact that his insults are hidden behind the facade of humour doesn't make it any better.
My male flatties all go silent every time the girlracers advert comes on. You could hear a pin drop.
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