NASCAR fans outraged by 'scantily clad' promo girls
Monster Energy became the new sponsor for the NASCAR Cup Series this year, beginning its tenure as the auto racing event's partner on January 1.
The energy drink brand joins RJ Reynolds and Sprite/Nextel as the only three companies to serve as the entitlement sponsor in NASCAR premier series history. Monster also becomes the event's Official Energy Drink in the process.
As part of the agreement, Monster Energy girls are onsite to accompany the drivers on the Victory Lane during NASCAR's events.
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However, the girls immediately captured some negative attention when they debuted at Clash at Daytona, a NASCAR event that took place on February 19.
The issue? According to reactions, the internet wasn't happy with what the Monster models wore.
The girls had all-black outfits that consisted of corset-style tops, tight-fitting leggings, and knee-high boots. Many thought the girls' uniforms were inappropriate for what they dubbed as "a family show," and they didn't want children seeing such 'scantily clad' ladies.
Some wished the girls would go back to what they usually wore - firesuits and other pieces of racing gear. Contrarily, there were also users who pointed out that the clothes were actually tame compared to what models wore in years past, which included bikinis.
Mitch Covington, Monster's vice president of sports marketing, says the company will not be affected by the negative responses.
"Our models today were conservatively dressed compared to what they had on back then," he said.
"Look at the old races when the girls wore bathing suits.
"Monster has always been about racing and girls, and that won't change," Covington added.
2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray has spoken out, saying he can't believe why the women's outfits are causing such a huge ruckus.
"We live in a society where half of us think one way and half of us think another way – for the most part – about everything," McMurray explains.
"I'm not shocked at all that half the people didn't like something about that and that the other half did. And I think if you ask any question about anything, you get about a 50-50 answer right now in the world we live in."
As the parent of a baby girl, No. 2 Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski understands the concern, but thinks people should look at the bigger picture.
"When you have kids and you start to see the world through their eyes because you're raising them, you see how much differently we all look at the world," Keselowski said.
"Because my daughter doesn't see a scantily clad model – she just sees another person who's wearing black or whatever colours or a lot of leather. She doesn't see sex appeal. She's a kid.
"So sometimes people say, 'What about the children?' No, it's more reflective of you seeing this as overzealous than your kids because your kids have no idea.
"I always feel like how you feel about situations like that is reflective of your own baggage, and it's not fair to apply it to others," Keselowski closes.
This article appeared first on Carmudi Philippines Journal.
