Danica (sigh)

[zonkers]

[UndertheOcean]

1. She's hot !

[Skittles]

2. honestly

I wish she would do what she does without the fuck-me pics

[Pierre.Suave]

4. hey now...

thats just crazy talk...

:P

[Skittles]

6. for women wanting to be taken seriously, it is not n/t

[Pierre.Suave]

7. Well, despite the pics...

she won a race the other day, so I am sure the other drivers are taking her seriously. In fact, if she wasn't being taken seriously, I doubt she would even be driving that car. She is damn good (I wish she was driving GT cars) and any opponent of hers better be taking her seriously.

[Skittles]

8. like I said

I just wish she'd do it without the fuck me pics

[Pierre.Suave]

9. Who is not taking you serious Skittles...

temeah and I will kick their ASSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 :mad: :mad: :mad:







:P I guess I will not understand, it probably has something to do with me being a guy.

[Skittles]

11. people would not dare not to take me seriously

it's women in general :)

I just hate the idea that no matter what women accomplish, they're reduced (or reduce themselves) to sex symbols.

[Ellen Forradalom]

13. Yeah, I'm with you, it gets old fast

Still, good on her for hauling home the prize.

[Karenina]

63. I'm with you two on this.

The first photo says ALL that needs to be said.

[Pierre.Suave]

15. Well, damn if you girls werent so damn sexy...

:P

You really have me thinking and I really can not get my head around this. it might be because I dont do that. When I look at Danica, I have two separate thoughts, first I think Damn she is hot, and second I think, DAMN she is a good driver, better than me for sure. But, I don't look at her as a sex symbol and only a sex symbol. I can appreciate (at the same time) that she is both a damn fine woman and a damn fine race car driver.

I can't explain it any better than that.

[Bake]

79. Yeah, but sex sells, ya know?

That's just the way it is ... (hmmm, sounds like a song lyric).

:hi:

Bake

[quip]

17. Look at it this way, Skittles. She can race as one of the guys, but she is still a woman.

To me, this actually increases she statue among men, even if it seems to decrease it to a women. The pics say that this woman has it ALL; skill, brains, and beauty. Only a Neanderthal would reduce her to simply a sex object.

I think the the pics are completely complimentary. She rawks, in many ways!

[Skittles]

23. well, I was a sergeant and "still a woman"

did I need a half-nekked "fuck me" pic to prove that?

[quip]

30. No, but I don't think that your example is analogous. Racing is sport and entertainment,

which is pretty much antithetical to the military.

I'm curious, though. Were you a sargent over men or women? If you were over men, I'll bet you have volumes of stories and experiences to share. That would be interesting to hear about.

[Skittles]

41. of course I was, ER, "over men"

and yeah I've got stories - like being a 21 year old sergeant and airmem right out of Basic nervously calling me SIR! :rofl:

P.S. - it's got nothing whatsoever to do with ENTERTAINMENT

[quip]

46. That's awesome!

You must have kicked a lot of ass in your time! :rofl:

[Skittles]

47. aw that was cake to me

I grew up with five brothers and no sisters in a military family - it all felt pretty normal to me :D

[UndertheOcean]

39. What are you drinking ?

[Skittles]

40. now - nothing

then - it's a Michelob can isn't it? Now what was I SMOKING? :D

[UndertheOcean]

42. I am not familiar with that drink , is it a soft drink ? or an energy drink like redbull

You were high in the pic , COOL !

[Skittles]

44. Michelob is beer; been around a hundred years

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelob

yeah I was no doubt high in that pic but it was off base :D I don't even remember "energy drinks" in the seventies :)

[Bake]

80. Yes, but were you Sgt. Hottie?

After all, this IS Teh Lounge.

:hi:

Bake

[Blue-Jay]

94. You got any?

:D

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

112. You're braver than I am...

But now that Blue-Jay mentions it...

[The Straight Story]

124. Well, that Michelob is saying 'do me now!'

:rofl:

[Rabrrrrrr]

27. She doesn't come across as a woman.

What she comes across as is "I might have beaten you in the car race, but don't feel emasculated, because at the end of the day, what matters isn't my skills doing a previously-man-dominated sport, but my skills as a thing with giant breasts that can still make you dinner and spread my legs to allow to fill my womb with your manly, awesome seed".

[quip]

34. To you.

[Skittles]

45. no, that's how demeaning if feels to a lot of us

we're not against femininity - we just don't understand why fuck-me shots seem to be required of any beautiful, successful woman in the public eye

[quip]

50. Who is "we?" Speak for yourself. They may say "fuck me" to you, but they don't to

me. And that, frankly, is a reflection on you more than it is on the pictures.

And how, pray tell, would you convey "beautiful" pictorially without also conveying "fuck me?"

Edit: Okay, Skittles, I thought that I was replying to Rabrrr, not you, so please ignore :blush:

[Skittles]

52. WTF????

THE "WE" refers to those of us who have QUALMS about said required FUCK ME SHOTS. GET SOME READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS. And your last question tells me everything "WE" need to know about YOU.

[quip]

54. Whoops! I got confused there with you and Rabrrrr

I need to go back and separate you two...

[quip]

55. I want to ask you, Skittles

Specifically, which pictures are we talking about? The swimsuit one? The one grabbing her driver's suit? Or all of them?

The reason I ask is because I don't understand what it is that is saying "fuck me" to you. Could it also possibly be her look as well?

[zanne]

65. It's the Ann Coulter marketing tactic...

If the talented(?) woman is young enough and attractive enough, get her to shorten her skirts and show some cleavage. (Because men are sooooo easy).

[ikojo]

97. It seems like athletic women have to prove they are

heterosexual by doing "fuck-me" poses.

[Ellen Forradalom]

12. Some sportswriters are already cutting down her victory

But she has a giant trophy and they don't, so they can just fuck off.

[Pierre.Suave]

16. I agree

anyone that does that is most likely jealous.

edit: this pic tells those guys exactly what she has to say about that...



that is my favorite pic of the bunch.

[Capn Sunshine]

96. Really? what bullshit

What did they do? Shorten the track for her?

BTW new feminists AFAIK, regularly go all girly girl. It's more about $$ I guess.

I think the image thing means less to them because it wasn't a constant struggle.

[question everything]

29. I know. I don't know why many women on CNN feel they have to show

cleavage in order to... what, exactly?

Or women actors who play lawyers, head of hospital, CSI investigators, doctors..

[Connonym]

31. Because A) unattractive women rarely succeed and B) keeping us in fear of

not being pretty enough or feminine enough or thin enough will keep us from achieving our maximum potential because it will lower our sense of confidence in the strengths that we DO have. I find it hard to believe it's not a deliberate effort to suppress women.

[Skittles]

51. oh, I always wear sleeve-less, low-cut shirts to the office

don't you? :o

[zanne]

66. CSI! Oh God!

The first time I saw cleavage on a woman inspecting a dead body I just had to laugh. I think it's a sure sign the ratings are down.

[NewJeffCT]

71. I think it's the style of the last several years

to show cleavage, that is. I see a lot of cleavage in the office, and I work for a Fortune 100 company.

I didn't see much cleavage anywhere five, six or seven years ago. The only place I'd see it was in movies or on TV...

I had thought it was possibly a rebellion against the repressive and puritanical Bush regime, sort of like how regular free TV in the 80s would sometimes have unedited movies with nudity in response to the repressive & puritanical Reagan years.

[DS1]

58. Agreed. They're not needed.

They didn't have to go further than

[Shakespeare]

83. I have a girl crush on her hips. n/t

[DS1]

88. They are really nice

it's a lovely curve down her side.

[AngryOldDem]

61. That was exactly what I was thinking as I scrolled down through them.

She's pretty, no doubt about that, though.

[baldguy]

62. Those "fuck me" pics probably add $500k+ to her annual income.

How serious is that?

[lukasahero]

75. Of course they do - that's the whole point -

women are valued not for their ability but for their fuckability.

[WannaBeGrumpy]

73. I agree...

that was my first thought...she's cool enough already...those pictures make her look like a joke.

[Bake]

81. Awww, you're just wantin' to be grumpy ...

:rofl:

Bake

[Pierre.Suave]

3. She is a cutie!!!1

I like her.

[Mojambo]

5. Gets my heart racin' n/t

[TK421]

10. Um,um,ummmmm......

another beer

[Oeditpus Rex]

14. I wish they wouldn't market her like that

Why can't she just be a race driver? :shrug:

[quip]

18. Why does she ONLY have to be a race driver? She is MORE than that!

To me, that is a good thing!

[Oeditpus Rex]

19. What is she?

[quip]

20. She's a WOMAN! She's not just one of the boys. Preserving her feminine side is

important. It is, after all, what makes her special and unique in her sport.

[Oeditpus Rex]

21. Must she pose in a come-hither fashion

to "preserve her feminine side"?

Is she not feminine unless someone's selling her femininity?

[quip]

24. Graphically, that's how you say "feminine" The bikini might be a bit over the top

but the others show off her beauty AND attitude.

Careful interpreting the "come-hither" look-- it could be the "underestimate me because I'm a beautiful woman and I'll kick your ass on the track" look. :D

And BTW: no one is "selling" her femininity but her. And she has that right, and there's nothing wrong with that.

[Oeditpus Rex]

25. You don't think the IRL has a hand in this?

You can justify it any way you want, but the fact is, this sort of advertising is rarely done with men, and that spells "inequality."

[quip]

28. You don't think that Jeff Gordon hasn't cashed in on his good looks? Women LOVE that

guy, and it isn't because of his driving prowess....

She is promoting women, breaking barriers, and thus closing the gap between the sexes, and all the while keeping them distinct. I don't see anything wrong with that.

[Oeditpus Rex]

35. This isn't about 'good looks'

It's about sexualization.

I wouldn't know Jeff Gordon if I fell on him; all I know is he's a NASCAR driver. If he's posed in his underwear or with an "I want you to want me" look with his firesuit zipped halfway down, I'll concede that you have a point.

But it goes deeper than that. Would Patrick pose for photos like this if she weren't attractive? Would Jeff Gordon, for that matter? And what of all the women in traditionally male roles who haven't gone the cheesecake route? Are they not "promoting women, breaking barriers, and thus closing the gap between the sexes, and all the while keeping them distinct"?

[quip]

37. Good looks aren't about sexualization? Explain.

Jeff Gordon is marketed to women, not as a underwear wearing hunk, but as a clean-cut, funny, man-I-wanna-marry guy. The end result is the same.

As to your last question: no, because a women acting like a man to do a man's job is not making a distinction between the sexes. She is blurring it. Preserving femininity is what makes the difference.

[Oeditpus Rex]

43. Dude, you just shot yourself right back to the '50s

with that last statement.

I don't think I wanna be around to see what happens next.

[quip]

48. Not sure what you mean, but in our discussion, good looks are being used

to appeal to the opposite sex. Sex sells. That idea goes back a little further than the 50's...

[zanne]

68. Jeff Gordon is not being exploited for his looks. Exactly.

Most talented men are not made to look slutty, but many talented women are. Why haven't we ever seen Jeff Gordon in an underwear ad? The answer to that question is what we've been talking about.

[grace0418]

108. I think there's a bit of a difference between preserving femininity and posing for centerfold shots.

Some of those shots look like they'd be on my Uncle Jim's garage wall next to the Playboy bunny lying on the hood of a Corvette. Yes, she's beautiful, yes she's sexy. But you make it sound like she either has to "act like a man" or act like a centerfold. I think there's a middle ground.

[quip]

113. I think those pics ARE "middle ground" pics. She could be naked, for heaven's sake!

The pics are tasteful, not raunchy; they are playful, degrading. I think that they are perfect.

[grace0418]

114. I'm guessing you meant "not degrading" although I agree more with your typo.

I don't think they're raunchy by any means, but neither do I think they are particularly classy.

[quip]

116. Whoops! Right you are: "not degrading"

But think a minute. What would be "classy?" I mean, how do you sell the fact that this accomplishment is made by a woman? Because I don't think that being just one of the boys sells anything.

Viva la difference!

[One_Life_To_Give]

70. Seen the Kasey Kane Ad

When the women impeprsonate a cop, pull him over and oggle his butt?

[MilesColtrane]

78. Google image-"David Beckham underwear ad"

[Mojambo]

49. Tom Brady, Alex Rodriguez and many others have been in GQ

And have been praised for both their ability and their stunning good looks.

[Skittles]

22. "fuck me" pics are NOT necessary to "PRESERVE HER FEMININE SIDE" n/t

[quip]

32. Okay, first of all, the "fuck me" epithet is just that. Only pevs go there. And they'll

go there regardless, only because she is a woman.

[Skittles]

53. UM

THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE

[quip]

56. Well, now it's time to define what that actually means.

[zanne]

64. Really. Why does a talented woman have to look slutty?

I think her driving skills are more than enough. Why is she letting them handle her this way? I thought she was supposed to be a role model for young girls.

[Rabrrrrrr]

26. She's preserving her redneck, racist, ignorant, southern white trash feminist side.

[quip]

33. That's bullshit. And even if she were, isn't that her right? Why must women always

be forced into the role of the victim? Give her some credit.

[Rabrrrrrr]

36. Of course it's her right. She can do whatever she wants.

But don't call it feminism, or "celebrating the female".

I don't care what people do so much as I care about their use of language in describing what they do.

If she wants to come across as the nymphish white unthreatening redneck whore who might drive well but *giggle* jeez guys I'd never think of myself as anything but a semen recipient for your good manly southern Christian leg-spreading pleasure, instead of a self-defined professional race car driver, that's fine. I think it's sad, but who cares what I think?

[quip]

38. Your characterization is just bizarre. You should really take up this argument with

some feminists themselves, and if you chose to, good luck. You will need it.

[Rabrrrrrr]

74. No, it's not bizarre. And if you look around, it's the feminists who are disagreeing with you.

[quip]

82. Not the feminists whom I know on DU. What I am objecting to here, mainly, is that

everyone is assuming that she is not in control of her image. I see nothing wrong with her cashing in on her good looks and accomplishments.

She is a beautiful woman. There are millions of beautiful women. What, then, makes her special? She's the only woman to have won an Indy car race. That gives her marketability.

Explain to me how this is in any way different than, as another poster pointed out, shirtless pics of superstar baseball players like A-Rod and Derek Jeter? They are good looking baseball players. There are a lot of good looking baseball players, but they are World Champion MVP-type baseball players. And so they, too, are cashing in on their good looks and accomplishments in this exact same way.

Nobody calls their efforts "slutty;" nobody derides their "fuck me" poses. They are admired as "hunks." This is the double standard to which I am objecting; namely the attitude which, in fact, does MORE to hurt the equality of the sexes than her posing in a bikini.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

59. You pretty well, summed it up Rabrrrrr.

I agree with DS1, the one picture is enough. It shows her feminine self without the "come hither" of the other photos.

To not see the difference in the pictures is to be blind to a man's own maleness.

Until a man can separate the two ideas, he is still a "boy' in my book.

Yeah, there are a lot of "boys" in the world, not all of them live in the south. either.

[zanne]

67. "Feminine" is not exactly what comes to mind.

I think you might be mistaking "feminine" with "slutty".

[TZ]

103. So if a woman wants to be sexy that automatically

becomes slutty? But if Tom Brady poses like that (and I have seen pictures of him posing similarly) its okay? There really does seem to be a double standard here. I'm all for women's equality and that includes the right to be sexy if they choose. I've seen articles about Danica and she has definitely chosen to market herself this way. So be it. To call the poses "slutty" or "fuck me" is more degrading to her than the simple act of taking them if you ask me.
Its not Hustler we are talking here. When did feminists become so prudish that a woman must be totally unsexual to be accepted? To mean the most righteous in this thread are the most indicative of how far women have yet to go to be truly equal...men's sexuality is fine but female sexuality..Its being a slut! How dare she!

[jakefrep]

77. I think if Danica totally had her way....

she would be looked at as just another race driver. She's never seemed too interested in the "trailblazer" role some have projected onto her.

[VenusRising]

57. I agree with the rest here that say

I wish she would do her thing without all the "fuck me" pictures. Those types of pictures do nothing to help convey that she is a successful race car driver. I think they take away from her success as a driver especially because they are for marketing and advertising for racing but not. I can honestly say I have never seen a picture of a male driver bent over or sprawled out on the hood of a car in sexy lingerie to attract more viewers to a sport.

Just my .02

[Tuesday Afternoon]

60. I see that the "good ole boy" network decided to "let" the "little girl"

win one. Now, they can get down to the real "business" of racing ;)

[Pierre.Suave]

86. Is that what you think happened

they let her win?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

69. Stop treating objects like women, man!!!

Oh, wait, this isn't GD?

Okay, you're cool.

[Iggo]

72. Me tink me love she....(n/t)

[Schema Thing]

76. Helio, re: third pic.

You got your ass kicked by that?

[cloudbase]

84. I'd like my hair back, please.

Thank you.

Eddie Munster

[IronLionZion]

85. Oh yeah, I'm a male and I certainly appreciate her driving AND her beauty.

I love the pics and am not ashamed to admit it. I especially like the one of her in the jeans and tank-top. She looks like a confident and assertive woman.

And no, I am not afraid to take the minority position on a controversial issue around here. Danica is sexy. :evilgrin:

I got my flame suit on so bring it! :popcorn:

[abq e streeter]

87. Quote from an ex-girfriend ( who is still a good friend):

Just because I'm a feminist , that doesn't mean I don't like to be a "poodle" sometimes. Hopefully, I don't have to explain the relevance of that statement to the discussion I've seen above. Ms. Patrick, it seems to me, has the right to express many facets of herself as a woman without being accused of some of the things I've seen her and other successful, intelligent women be accused of for simply reserving their right to be "a poodle sometimes".......... And just a reminder, the term "being a poodle" is from my highly intelligent , dedicated progressive and feminist friend, not from me...

[Lex]

89. "being a poodle"?

I've never heard anyone refer to femininity as being like a poodle.

A poodle?

[abq e streeter]

91. her words, not mine--- denoting being fluffed up and pampered , I suppose...

[IronLionZion]

90. Men and Women DUers are so open-minded and progressive in these types of threads

that they judge a woman and assume that she's incapable of thinking for herself and making her own choices. She must have been forced into it by society, or worse...by men!

The inconvenient truth is that no one in this world knows what is going on in Danica's mind other than Danica herself.

[Lyric]

92. To everyone who posted in support of what Skittles said...

... :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

[YDogg]

93. fast women rule

[datasuspect]

95. jesus fucking christ, what a load of puritanical tripe in this thread

these photos aren't even suggestive.

[blockhead]

98. yup,

I thought I was in the fundie forum.

[abq e streeter]

101. Amazing isn't it?

Next time Danica better pose in a Bhurka...( and better damn well not have a fuck me look in her eyes even then)

[Pierre.Suave]

100. You said what I wanted to say all thread long

I was trying to be nicer about it, but you hit it on the head.

I think there are a lot of people either trying to be more PC than the others, or just being outright dishonest about their feelings on DU.

[datasuspect]

102. i can't figure it out

but i agree with you: all this horseshit about "fuck me poses" says more about the posters than it does about danica.

has feminism now devolved to calling "immodest" women sluts?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

109. I agree with you that these are a very mild example of the genre.

and Slut is not a gender specific word in my vocabulary. Men can be the biggest sluts of all and usually are ;)

[Deja Q]

99. She can run over me anytime!

[TZ]

104. "She looks slutty" is the new "iron my shirt"!

I can't believe the judgemental assholery here. I know Danica has chosen VOLUNTARILY to market herself this way. I've seen interviews with her. I'm shocked by all the people who are calling her a slut and posing in a "fuck me" fashion here. To me this overly judgementalism about how a woman should behave is the liberal version of those who say a woman's place is in the kitchen.
Do I agree with the way she markets herself? No ..but she has every right to market herself this way if she wishes. I have a big problem with people who think women who project sexuality and feminism like this are somehow "sluts". You never hear men who pose in sexy ways as "gigalos" or "sluts".
Women have the right to be anything they want be it race car drivers, or swimsuit models or in this case a little of both. What the hell did feminists fight for except this..to be what we wish without being told what we "should" be doing.

[IronLionZion]

106. Liberal DUers know what's best for everybody. Didn't you know?

Thank you Sue for saying what many have been thinking but were too scared to post! :yourock:

[quip]

119. Or too inarticulate to articulate

:hi: :P

[Pierre.Suave]

110. Amen Sister!

!!!!!!!!!

I hope you are still doing well at Mayo!

:hi:

[lightningandsnow]

105. Oh my god.

Yay.

I crush on Danica Patrick.

[IronLionZion]

107. Right on sister!

:yourock:

A man would get flamed badly for saying that, but someone would look and feel very stupid throwing the term "chauvinist pig" at you!

WOOT!!!

[Blue_Tires]

111. Sarah Fisher still looks better

and Ashley Force looks better than both

[underpants]

115. Ashley Force-what a great name

[Blue_Tires]

117. Vanina Ickx also deserves a mention

http://www.philippegraton.com/vanina.htm

and Milka Duno
http://www.icelebz.com/celebs/milka_duno/

[quip]

121. Just look at her with that "fuck me" smile! What a slut!

:hide:

[lukasahero]

122. Are you being deliberately obtuse about this?

You honestly can't tell the difference between this woman's picture and the picture of Danica with the pout and the "oh so teasingly" unzippered jacket - touseled hair and all?

:eyes:

[quip]

123. Well, the :hide: emoticon expressed my roguish intent, but

I don't think that is the point, here. The point is that women should be able to express themselves in any manner THEY see fit, whether that manner happens to adhere to stereotypes, labels, etc, or not. That is true liberation.

And it renders our speculations and pontifications about the matter moot. :hi:

[Blue_Tires]

118. kick for Kansas City this Sunday!

(which is actually in Bonner Springs, iirc)

[kernelfarmer]

120. keepin it kicked