First Female Contestant in 14 Years? What the Heck?! - April 25th, 2007
“I was really excited when I found out I was going to be the first female to ever be in the contest.”
That’s what Katy Younglove, 18, of Monroe, Michigan told the Detroit News about her partiticpation in the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition. (Her team placed third.)
Frankly, she should have used the word “astonished.” Hello, reality check, 21st century? Ford and AAA have hosted the competition for fourteen years and Younglove was the first female contestant? What does that say about the messages we’re obviously sending to young girls about what they can and can’t do and “understand?”
My good friend J. grew up rebuilding cars with her Dad. She is routinely called upon to go with friends, myself included, for the car buying experience.
Once, in surveying an SUV a male friend was about to purchase, she stared down a salesman who tried to ignore her question, “Isn’t this engine a little small?”
The salesman looked at the “guy” who smiled weakly and, picking up on the war of the stereotypes being played out before him, asked, “Does is have a vanity mirror?”
The assistant vice president of automotive services for the AAA in Michigan and Chicago said, “You don’t find too many women in the auto repair and service field. But it’s nice too see Katy here. I think that this provides an opportunity to bring more diversity into the auto service industry.”
Nice? Guys, you’re still doing it! Young girls may not choose to be interested in cars but if they are they aren’t odd, different, or curiosities to which polite platitudes should be applied. Any more than those monikers apply to young men who have interests traditionally identified as “female.”
The truth of the matter is that many women who do have an interest in cars have been slammed down by men on so many occasions they drop the matter. The Internet is doing a lot to reverse that trend and parents can do even more. It’s okay if Billy picks up a Barbie and Susie goes for a socket wrench. In the end they probably both have the same goal in mind, figuring out how the parts work.
(Click here for the Detroit News Article)
Posted on April 25th, 2007 by Shorty
Filed under: news |
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