Danica again
I’ve posted about Danica and sexism before. I’m fast becoming fascinated by her. Not enough to watch racing, of course, but still she’s quite an interesting figure in a male-dominated sphere. The most recent controversy is that she went off on another female driver, Milka Duno, for blocking her on the track. What’s most interesting to me about this story is the 344 comments posted. Most of them are amazingly sexist. Some of them go as far as to compare Milka Duno (who is sexier because she fits male standards of beauty better) to Danica (who is too tomboyish, i.e., flat-chested, etc.). The first comment captures the sentiments of most of the following comments:
Face it Patrick, you aren’t that good and stop your whining after every race. You might be better in bed than on the track, but I doubt it. Stay home and bake cookies.
It’s depressing to me.
Here are some interesting links about Danica:
1. Feministing.com — talks about Danica’s win in Japan and the rule that handicaps her.
2. Danica Patrick Feminism — a weird article that talks about the “petite beauty’s” stature as intimidating and compares her to Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
3. The Danica Dynamic – talks about the mixed message she sends about feminism.
Sexism in NASCAR? Surely not.
~S