Ban on grid girls won't keep Singapore Girl away from F1 race
Grid girls have been banned by Formula One's authorities, but the Singapore Girl will still appear at the Marina Bay Street Circuit this weekend.
SIA yesterday confirmed that its iconic sarong kebaya-clad staff will turn out at the Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, which runs from Friday to Sunday.
A spokesman said in a statement: "Our cabin crew are brand ambassadors for Singapore Airlines and will continue to play an integral role in the upcoming Formula One 2018 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix."
In February, Formula One owner Liberty Media had issued a ban on grid girls, believing that their deployment is not befitting of the sport's modern image.
F1's managing director of commercial operations Sean Bratches said then: "While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula One grands prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern-day societal norms.
"We don't believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula One and its fans, old and new, across the world."
In place of the grid girls, Liberty has introduced its Grid Kids scheme, with 20 children already involved in the junior ranks of motorsport lining up in front of the drivers prior to the start of the races.
However, not all races have toed Liberty's line. This season, the Monaco, Austrian and Russian grands prix also featured grid girls. It is not known if they suffered any punishments for defying the ban.
Associate Professor Sharon Ng of the Nanyang Technological University's division of marketing and international business believes SIA's use of the Singapore Girl helps to distinguish its staff from the sport's traditional grid girls, who are typically clad in skimpy outfits or short skirts when they hold the drivers' grid placards.
She said: "The Singapore Girl has traditionally been used to symbolise SIA's good service and hospitality. So, using the SIA Girl does fit SIA and signifies the hospitality of Singapore."
She also noted that the use of the kebaya-clad icon is a valuable marketing tool: "Using the Singapore Girl on the grid reinforces the brand's visibility to the international audience. It definitely fits the brand value of SIA."
But what remains a grey area is whether Singapore is in breach of Liberty's ideals of making the sport more wholesome.
Prof Ng explained: "The question of whether using the SIA Girl on the grid is sexist is a more difficult question. Some would argue that using the SIA Girl in a branding campaign in general is sexist...
"(But) if the SIA Girl is not used on the track, it remains a question what will they be using in her place? Other girls? If so, it is no less sexist. So, it will depend on what they plan to use in her place."
Regardless of the debate surrounding the Singapore Girl, this year's night race, now into its 11th edition, is set to be a thriller.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton arrives as the Drivers' World Championship leader on 256 points, but he is followed by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel on 226 points.
The duo, who each have four world titles, will continue their high-stakes battle around the 5.065km street circuit over 61 gruelling laps in the tropical heat.
Away from the track, a string of top acts will perform to make the Singapore GP a unique place on the F1 calendar that combines sport and entertainment in equal measure.
This year's headline act is Taiwanese pop superstar Jay Chou, who will perform at the Padang Stage on Friday evening.
Other acts lined up include American rock band The Killers, Dutch deejay Martin Garrix and British singers Liam Gallagher and Dua Lipa.