I am back for Round 2. In this post i am going to be talking about how gender roles are integrated into today's automotive culture. How are femininity and masculinity involved in the automobile world? Is one sex dominant over the other in this world? How and why? And so on...
So it is obvious that the automobile world is dominated by men. I mean, its that whole "Straight guys love women and cars" stereotype. Every automobile event in the world is dominated by men. Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar Racing, Drifting, etc. and sure there is the random woman here and there like Danica Patrick that is involved but that is rare. On that note, i have to give props to Danica Patrick for being consistent in the world of automobiles (more specifically racing) and being successful at it. It definitely shows that women can do it too and maybe in the future it will encourage more women to take on that role. Seeing how i'm talking about the involvement of women in automotive culture let's talk about the other, more widespread, and popular role that women take in the automotive world, modeling. You can't walk by the magazine isle at your local supermarket without seeing this on the cover of at least a couple car magazines...
...and if you go to a car show or race event there are models everywhere! Taking pictures with any guy that comes along, passing out fliers, and modeling with whatever car the company that hired them is sponsoring. Could that be the reason why that "cars and women" stereotype exists? Maybe men have just gotten used to thinking about cars and women together. I'm not complaining thats for sure but take it from me that i have been to numerous car shows and race events, some of those women should have a little more respect for themselves. That's all im saying.
Ok so the automotive world is definitely considered masculine. I would say it's the adrenaline, danger, rough (but beautiful) engine rumbling, and excitement that this world provides. But at the same time, there is a very little feminine side to it. Sure this car will be considered masculine by anybody...
and at the same time, this one will be considered feminine...
but who got to decide that. Society did. That decision or standard isn't a fact, it is what has come to be accepted by society and so, in a way, it has become the truth.
I hope you guys enjoyed this post. Please feel free to leave comments below and check back for updates.
Miguel
Hi Miguel - this is a great post, I would say that the women at the show do need to respect themselves, but also, that the car industry media as a whole has created a need for women to serve the purpose as the sexy object that sells another sex object (the car). I've even heard people talk about how "a car is like a woman's body" - very strange stuff going on there!! I think you could do a lot with masculinity and the car industry if you are struggling for more sub-topics for you blog.
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