This is a paid job for these women.
2
Ever heard of Tom Dumoulin? He seems to be in second position... He also can win this tour.
3
Using women as ‘eye-candy’ requires women who are willing to be used as ‘eye-candy’.
8
I am a longtime cycling fan, and have long felt that cycling needs to ditch the "Podium Girls." It is so embarrassing, so behind the times.
16
I couldn't believe it when I first read the introduction to this story. This trivializes all that is important about the #metoo movement. There are serious issues about harassment by men (and some women) in power. They need to be covered in a thoughtful way.
But invoking #metoo in this situation is ridiculous - political correctness gone mad. The NYT needs to stop being nanny and spend more time covering sports in a thoughtful way.
9
They look great and hopefully they get paid fairly for the day and are not underpaid like cheerleaders in NFL
14
What do the women themselves think? That is relevant, isn't it?
15
The Tour is great spectator sport. Each stage is several hours of supreme athletic effort, all wrapped up in a brilliant travelogue about the areas through which the riders cycle. The award ceremony at the end of each stage is a brief and appropriate conclusion to the day, and the podium women are lovely and dignified.
20
Professional is a macho sport, dominated by macho men with an abundance of adrenaline and testosterone, so why should anyone be surprised it features nubile young women during the presentations? Maybe the PC brigade would prefer to see unattractive codgers doing the honors on the podium.
8
Pathetic TDF Coverage by NTY and US media in general. And THIS is what is what the media thinks the TDF is all about, or at least what 'Mericans want to know about it.
10
@John Come on, John. If you are a cycling fan, you know where the good coverage is (e.g., Cyclingtips, Velonews, Cyclingnews, etc.). It's silly to expect good coverage of the Tour or professional cycling in general in a mainstream newspaper like the NYTimes, given that the vast vast majority of their readers don't know or care about cycling.
4
Hmm. Elegantly dressed women in attire that reflects the particular category of the various winning categories and who are never asked to compromise thier principles. In the era of Trump's "paid associates" and cheerleaders expected to perform nude this really is a non-story.
14
@DavidThe vast majority of the hostesses' duties are not performed on stage. They are each assigned to an industry rep. They are a driver and car-deliverer to his hotel each day. They do hostess stuff at events each evening.
Their principles are between them and the reps, that is not a matter of public view or discussion.
What the author squeamishly refers to as "chaste kisses" are a ubiquitous form of greeting in France. I am unconvinced by the author's arguments against this practice.
34
The army of busybodies -- this time Austen, Pooley and the NYT -- is at it again, gaining profit and notoriety by meddling in other people's lives and scolding them for their the choices they freely make!
The actual Tour de France (or Wimbledon, etc.) is no more than a prop in the Times' ongoing war on ordinary people and their pleasures and pastimes.
Am I the only person who thinks it is high time these tiresome busybodies and meddlers and common scolds butted out of other people's lives?
25
I haven't been to a big tech trade show in Las Vegas since I retired. Do they still have booth babes?
2
@Frank Knarf, and that would make it right?
1
It's not kissing. It's the French version of the handshake, a touch of cheeks (or at least almost touching) with an air kiss, quite chaste. I dare say it is quite common for a man and woman to greet each other that way.
13
@Greg you are right. I've left France 10 years ago now, but I remember it being absolutely horrible when at the workplace, you have to greet every single female colleague this way, every morning (and when you are a woman, you have to great every single colleague, male or female, this way). The time it takes is just ridiculous.
2
I stopped following the Tour when Armstrong admitted his seven titles were a fraud. There were several of his predecessors who got caught doping. I don't believe any winner of that race is clean. In fact, it's impossible. The teams have very good doctors.
2
The NY Times sells ads that feature beautiful and sexy models. What's the difference?
35
The #MeToo New York Times is trying really, really hard to equate 'female objectification' with something akin to slavery. That's how they're treating all these issues.
This narrative ignores the entire human history of gender dimorphism. As long as there are men and women, female physical attractiveness and heaven forbid female self-objectification will exist.
Nobody's enslaving professional models and cheerleaders; if they don't want to get paid to look good in front of "the male gaze," they don't have to do these jobs. They're sex workers by choice, and they get status and money just to stand around looking good. And maybe they can become near-billionaires, like some Victoria's Secret models have. Give it up, NYT!
14
BTW, there are still glamorous girls posing in car ads and the like. And handsome men too. That is totally wrong. When do I get my turn?
8
@pat Are the handsome men in car ads toy boys of the car's owner? Will they be traded in when their looks fade?
Do the glamorous women in car ads own the car, or are they just associated with the affluent, powerful man who can afford it and them?
Car sales never pretends to be anything other than commerce. The Tour de France presents itself as sport so it is judged on somewhat different criteria.
6
A future item for my home newspaper the Daily Telegraph “Why the NFL loves it’s Cheerleaders”, I don’t think so
2
Whaaaaa WHAAAAAA WHAAAAA. Don't like it, don't watch. The women may be paid to be props, but they are not slaves nor are the forced.
20
The concerns are valid, but then to be fair you have to apply the logic uniformly (which you will see is an unintentional pun). Why do women beach volleyball players wear bikinis while the men wear shorts and singlets? Why do women track runners wear bikinis and again, the men are in shorts and singlets? Why are news readers on TV so often attractive younger women? Why do we have football cheerleaders, both at the professional and college levels? In its way, the Tour has a better case for "podium girls" than my other examples, because they are a tradition going back a long time (I couldn't find a date, but it is at least the 1960s and probably earlier).
16
@Pete,
re young, attractive news readers: that's all a TV will hire.
2
I am female and have watched the Tour for over a decade. I love watching the competition and am always in awe of these athletes, but I am always disappointed in the lack of women's events or the lack of media coverage they receive. Most of the time, the only women I see on screen are used as props like the podium women, or girlfriends/wives portrayed as committed and supportive to their partners. Not that there's anything wrong with being supportive, but there are also many professional female athletes who are underrepresented and underpaid that we are not seeing. It's depressing to read the comments on this article from what seem mostly to be men, criticizing the point of the story and occasionally bemoaning the inability to grab a butt whenever they want...ahh the good old days. I'm sure the podium women are happy to have these jobs and may not see an issue with it, however, it is demeaning to many of us. Watching a woman teeter in high heels to please the men around them, and then putting a little man on a podium so he still towers above her is just ridiculous. Women have the right to be more than window dressing and ego boosters for men.
35
@Stef B You are right, of course. I think it is disappointing that women are only considered for the role of podium girls. Thankfully TDF is better on this than motor sports... Things are changing slowly here in Europe. For the first time during the FIFA World Cup there were women commenting games on major TV channels or participating as expert panelists after the games. There are also more and more women, current or former athletes, commenting the Olympics.
Next year France will host the Women FIFA World Cup, and I bet you that there will be more focus on this event than there ever was. Women Rugby is also getting more and more watchers.
We are getting there, slowly but surely! I am sure than in 5 years there won't be any podium girls, which I think will be a victory. It is a meaningless, diminutive job. The jersey, trophys and co. should be presented by the day's finish line host-city mayor or so, like it is for Formula E for example.
8
Thank you! I'm shocked at the overwhelming mansplaination in the comments. It's as if some MRA site encouraged its readers to come here and comment on masse.
6
Bravo to the comments section for calling out this non-story. I do love the NYT, but sometimes...geez.
13
Technically, male presenters would be called "podium boys".
The whole purpose of objectification is humiliation, dominance, and infantilization.
3
the author should learn about cycling, and write about cycling.
better yet, replace him with an adult who understands the sport and can report on it. particularly in france, where culture and material abounds.
11
This article is much ado about nothing. The women are fully dressed; much more clothed than the average NFL cheerleader. Except for one idiot rider who could not keep his hands to himself a few years ago, there are no allegations of improper or abusive conduct. The main allegations against the women is that they are tall, attractive models, meaning that he Tour, like virtually every business in the world can be accused of using sex to sell its product. It must be a slow news day or the editors have lost their minds.
37
Much ado over nothing. Truly.
8
Sorry. Podium girls don't sell biking or the tour or anything else. They are totally irrelevant. With all the real issues women face, this article is just a waste of ink.
1
And the kissing onstage at the end of the presentation mirrors the kiss-on-the-check as both a greeting and a farewell that is a regular part of life in France. Not exactly scandalous. *Evening gowns? The presentations are in the afternoon. And in a fashion-aware country like France, they would never be called gowns. **Has the writer ever been to the Tour? Or even to France?
13
I will never understand the reasons women "volunteer" to be NFL cheerleaders when duties apparently involve attending sponsor parties as "decorations". I also find it incredible that adult women choose to wear the tasteless on-the-field costumes the NFL selects, but the NFL reflects the age and attitudes of its owners which someday will cost them the generous tax breaks and public money they receive from cities.
After years of watching the "podium girls" I remain impressed by their poise and skill in handing the flowers, trophies and stuffed animals to the winning cyclists on the Tour. After years of a man performing the "behind the scenes" organization of the podium "meet and greet with the locals" and swag, it appears those duties have also been assigned to one or more women.
If the author is going to crusade against women's bodies being used to sell products, there are many better examples of objectification, exploitation and invitation to harassment than the Grand Tours of cycling. This article sounds way too much like a grumpy "get off my lawn" diatribe than a serious look at how women are treated in the sport of cycling. While I applaud the experiments in presentations by the various tours, the trophy presentations are just not the same when the presenters are dressed in casual jeans. The winning cyclists deserve to have the stage focus on them which is accomplished by having the same professional models present trophies and swag at the end of each stage.
10
@Lynda As a feminist, you are probably a champion of choice - that a woman is the only one who should decide what happens to her body.
So why are you damning the choices of other women? Just because you feel that way about cheerleaders and cannot understand why they would want to do this (a viewpoint I share) it does not mean that YOU and those who agree with you are permitted to make choices for them!
Let a woman who wants to be a cheerleader or a podium girl, or a swimsuit model make her own choice about what happens to her body. It is not like they do it at gunpoint or that they are unaware of the pitfalls, the onerous duties and the fact that men, in particular, will stare and drool like mindless dolts.
Either you support the right of a woman (or man or non-cis) to choose what happens to her body, or you don't. It is the height of hypocrisy to support only those choices with which you approve.
4
@Bajc11 Nobody is criticising the podium girls or the F1 grid girls or the industry booth babes or the Hooters waitresses or the street corner prostitutes for their choices.
Criticism is directed to the fabulously wealthy organisations which organise huge events involving thousands of professionals and millions of spectators, but choose to present women to the public only as eye candy.
The public are aware that behind the scenes those women will be used as enticements to the powerful men in the industry.
The women's only choice is to participate or not, they have zero ability to negotiate the terms of their engagement.
The industry does have a choice so it is them who are asked to make more healthy choices such as getting young racers from each town to present trophies, or famous old racers.
The TdF's treatment of women riders has always been a disgrace. If the logistics of a women's endurance race really are impossible then they could arrange women's sprints or stunt riding or unicycle jousting, anything where women get the chance to be recognised for actually doing something other than just being beautiful. This is not complicated.
Would the NYT please stop trying to enforce its particular norms on other countries? It is as obsessed as the American religious right to enforce its moral codes on other societies.
If American norms are so threatened by the existence of "podium girls" that a front-page article in the NYT is warranted, perhaps those norms are not robust? Perhaps the NYT should revise its norms rather than expecting others to revise theirs?
19
Too many on the American left are like the American right, and vice versa: morally obnoxious, and always trying to enforce their norms and values on other people. What ever happened to Live and Let Live? Now there's a useful credo in a diverse world, seemingly sadly forgotten in the US.
14
@abo You do realize you've triggered at least one person with this comment. This culture clash between the Anglo/Puritan countries and Europe, especially the southern part, is centuries old. Little will change about the traditions of podium girls, casual, outrageous flirtation and touching, acceptance of infidelity, topless sunbathing and fat hairy men in banana hammocks (really, can this one end immediately?) until the people get sick of it, not "woke".
I am sure that this is anathema to the perpetually offended who spend their time seeking examples of potential -isms to send them into paroxysms of outrage, but they are unable to distinguish the difference between being a willing participant in a traditional behavior or circumstance and someone who is being exploited unwillingly.
Every interaction between people is a potential target for public shaming and can potentially destroy someone's life because self-appointed arbitrators of social justice are bent on imposing their version of tolerance on the entire planet - providing a perfect example of INTOLERANCE.
Newsflash: an adult person is perfectly capable of deciding for himself or herself if he or she is being exploited or abused in situations like the Tour de France podium rituals, or an outrageous flirtatious remark from a stranger.
These smug moral equivocators diminish true exploitation not to mention sucking a lot of the fun out of life.
Seems the girls don’t complain too much
4
NYT writes a whole article which is then voided by itself when it quotes Tiano: “On women’s races we have men on the podium, on men’s races we have women on the podium". Besides, what happened about the feminist belief that women should decide for themselves what they do with their body. What right does anyone have to limit the potential of women, whatever career they choose ?
18
@gsra Here's a long read for you to answer your question. It's the norms and expectations, and it's a very long journey. Women take what work they can get, but that doesn't make it OK>
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/23/how-the-bbc-women-are-work...
It's a good story, but here is an extract from the end:
"She plans to take six months of unpaid leave to write and speak, both about China and about equal pay. She is donating ... to the Fawcett Society, a charity established in 1866 by suffragettes, with the stipulation that it be used to provide legal assistance to low-paid women and to fund strategic litigation.
"Gracie’s gift is part of a growing bid to fix the system, rather than just hope that a few determined women might be able to beat it, here and there, some of the time. One of the major revelations of the reckonings of the past year is that isolation is not only a consequence of inequality but also a root cause. Increasingly, the most effective fights, like Carrie Gracie’s, owe their success to coming together and sharing—information, risk, the emotional burden of public scrutiny and internal backlash. “The reason the BBC thought they could get away with it is that they hadn’t factored in the multiplier effect of solidarity,” Gracie told me. “If you tell me I’m rubbish, I might believe you, but if you tell me she’s rubbish I know it’s not true.”
5
@Susan Anderson great story, and off topic.
I watched this Tour religiously for years. No Black riders and rumours of cheating did not dull my enthusiasm for watching the fittest athletes in the world. However the nailing of Armstrong and the revelation of the depth of dishonesty at all levels of the sport has turned me completely off. This abuse of young women seeking work fits right in with the history of many nations and the corporations which were created on the backs of free, forced and underpaid work. I can say the same about the NFL and can feel that FIFA, Olympics and Wimbledon are scheduled for reclassification by my TV remote.
8
@Francisn "Abuse of young women?" If they are being abused, they are fully complicit in their own abuse. So who are you really criticizing? The Tour? Or the "Podium Girls" for failing to conduct themselves as YOU think women should behave? Seems to me you want to restrict women's choices - which I think is abusive.
6
Disappointing that the article failed to address the mystery of the height of the podium girls. Are they all volleyball players?
3
@Tim Hartzer Many male pro cyclists are shorter than the average male. And the podium girls, if they are models, might be taller than the average female.
10
The Tour is using sex to sell what is arguably a not very glamours or exciting sport. Is that any different from any other product or sport using sex to sell their product? Is it an encouragement to young men to behave inappropriately toward women? It is hard to see the problem with this issue unless women are being taken advantage of by athletes or ASO. This is not what this article is about. Am I to infer that sexuality never be used as a marketing tool by any organization?
6
Well... if the guys are posing in their bike tights, then I suppose it's only fair to have women there for the straight men to gawk at. Geez.
Seriously, as long as we have Dallas Cheerleaders, we can't squawk about podium girls.
22
Very interesting comments from men here. Not at all surprising. What does surprise me is that these men read the Times. If they read more than just the sports section perhaps they might think differently.
14
@Casey I have been astonished at the uniform ignorance of almost all men's answers. I'm not expecting many guys to be raging feminists but just to have basic awareness of the issues which have been complained about by women for so long.
The Feminine Mystique was published in 1963, our education system is failing badly if such simpole concepts as participation and representation are still not understood widely.
5
I am working in the New York streets, I am surrounded by giant pictures of women more objectified than these podium girls and by Summer, the sidewalks are full of women which wear clothes in the front of them the podium girls look like modest nuns. Could you explain me the difference ?
30
You really don’t understand the difference between women on the street going about their daily business in clothing that works for them and an organization that systematically and institutionally continues to demonstrate that the only way it values women is when they look sexy and kiss male winners? Huh
10
“What I don’t understand is why sex or sexuality has anything to do with it.”
The Tour is a brand, and whether it be bicycle racing, or movies, or music, or vodka - when it comes to selling things to men, sex works.
If you want to take on supply and demand, my best wishes to you.
10
Did anyone bother to ask the podium girls for their opinion?
44
Pedant time: The Green Jersey is for the points leader. While it is often won by pure sprinters, it is not an award for sprinting. Sagan, while an excellent sprinter, is more renowned for being the best and most consistent cyclist in the world. It takes a lot more than big thighs to win the green jersey. You have to be smart and pick your battles. In some ways, it’s a more interesting competition than the general classification as part of the battle is actually finishing the Tour itself. If you are built for punchy climbs and speed on the flats, you have a hell of a time on the Tourmalet or Mont Ventoux, though I suspect that if Sagan wanted to win a mountain stage, he’d do it.
Podium girls: get rid of them. It’s sexist and dumb.
16
@LobsterLobster Pedant redux: the green jersey is for the rider who picks up the most points IN THE SPRINT SEGMENTS. Just as the King of the Mountains jersey goes to the rider who picks up the most points on the mountain segments. So yes, the green jersey is essentially a sprinter's award.
4
I apologize for even thinking about looking at the women standing next to the rider. I hate myself for it and will work hard to get my mind right in the future.
37
OMG! Celebrations with professional models dressed modestly supervised by a profession institution with strict no fraternization rules. This is so horrible. And a chaste kiss on the cheek too. Hardly a #metoo moment from what I can tell.
Now I’m wondering what else the NYT will discover, publish, and make me feel bad about. Perhaps young kids driving go carts under parental supervision. Oh they did that two days ago. There must be more. I can’t wait.
Come on NYT, you can do better...
31
@Paul -Can you say "NYT = nanny state supervisor?
8
@Paul It's France. You don't think it possible that these women are groped behind the stage or at VIP parties? So naive.
2
Above the knee dresses! George Hincapie sent a note! Kisses on the podium! Peter Sagan pinched a butt! Ah, the mortal fear that someone somewhere might be having a good time. Presenting this hogwash as some feminist point to ponder boggles the mind.
63
Jack—what do you and others sharing your view not understand about how weird it is to grow up a girl (in 2018 no less) and still see major institutions and organizations promoting the idea that women have value only if their young, sexy, and silently acting as set pieces in men’s worlds? Glad it’s a laugh and fun for you. Maybe you can realize how bizarre it all is for the majority of women if you envisioned men as podium boys, cheerleaders, scantily clad waiters, pit girls, etc—can’t do it w/out thinking it would seem utterly goody and ridiculous, no? But bc these are the roles played by women for decades in this country, we should accept as they way things are?
10
After finishing first on any stage of this grueling race, why wouldn't I want to have my trophy presented by an attractive woman in a modest yellow dress? Dial down the political corrrectness, please.
65
Quite notable that NYT coverage of the most prestigious cycling race is all but non existent, year after year: now these piece of rubbish. All the news that doesn't matter.
Yesterday's article on Americans riding in Le Tour clearly demonstrated your lack of knowledge of cycling. Taylor Phinney's father's name is Davis, not David. Stick to the only thing you cover to extreme on daily basis, Trump and his tweets, musing and favorite TV channels. Luckily there are several great papers that fully cover the tour. Know your limits NYT.
28
@Alan A couple of thoughts to share - Odds are that some of the men might want to have an attractive man in a modest yellow suit present them with a trophy after they've finished a grueling race. I like the suggestion from others that local youth cyclists might take over the podium responsibilities. It would encourage their participation in the sport rather than setting up the podium presenters for viewers / sponsors / athletes to lust after and pinch.
7
@Alan How about having your trophy presented by someone who actually knows how to ride a bike up a mountain faster than everybody else, and is an experienced race, young or old?
Ex-Tour riders are not in short supply at these events, and the public would like to see them again. If they are slipped a few dollars for their trouble that would be pretty handy for some of them too.
3
I’ve heard Kohl’s uses women to model their swimwear and sends its pictures to men by mail. Outrageous. Wait. So does Macy’s and a hundred other companies. These podium women are not dressed in swimwear. So what is the point of the story?
35
So yr point is that we already objectify women, so we should just do it more? Or?
6
Sexist anachronism like beauty pageants and abhorrent in the #MeToo environment.
10
The on-stage kiss and fussing over the riders is purely to build the riders up for the public. The stage performance is belied by the rule banning the hostesses from contact with riders offstage.
The hostesses are reserved for the truly important men, the sponsor reps.
Hostesses could be removed from the stage completely and replaced by young racers from each town, which would help restore the image of the event a little toward sport rather than commerce.
That would upset the ecosystem though, because the value of the hostess assigned to each sponsor rep is partly that everybody he knows at work has seen her on TV. And a big part of the value of the job to the hostess is that exposure. So the hostesses would need to be paid more, and the sponsors might need to be compensated somehow for the loss of glamorous association. Nothing is as simple as it seems.
12
Thank you for this article. I've had the same question about the "podium girls" and how this could still be a thing; particularly in the me too era. Unlike some of the other readers, I actually think the treatment (and the objectification) of women is an important matter.
45
@AES
What about the objectification of the athletes? The parallels between modern sports and gladiator combat are unmistakable. Do we not find that just as troubling, or understand how both arise from the same instincts?
10
The athletes are watched because they are accomplishing something. The women are watched bc they have been deemed watchable. It’s quite a difference.
7
I have been watching the Tour this year but have been more concerned about the spitting and punching that has been directed towards Team Sky by certain spectators.
32
When you are exploiting rules to continue doping, expect ire. The spitting and hitting is wrong, but Sky is as crooked as a dogs leg.
2
I am puzzled by the characterization of knee-length (or slightly above knee-length) dresses as evening gowns, and I am led to wonder if the writer (or his/her sources) is even watching the awards component of the Tour.
45
@Ellen I'm still dealing with the shame of having looked at the women's ankles in these photos.
54
@Ellen
Agreed. I think evening dresses by definition are floor length. None of those at the Tour.
1
Thank you for this apparently important and interesting story. Next I hope to hear about the fans drinking non-chilled red wine along the route. That has to be at least as important.
75
@Shamrock Your message implies people somewhere drink chilled red wine. The problem with some of the fans is not the temperature of the wine they drink but the volume.
5
Right. Bc who cares that girls are growing up seeing that this is what the male-dominated sporting world thinks of a woman’s value. If it’s not a big deal, I would hope you’d be indifferent to them being removed or replaced by sexy male podium boys?
4
@Shamrock. Millions of us are tired of being hired as decoration in a job where kissing a stranger is part of the job description.
2