Seems like fairly often (during the summer months, that is) that I pull into Wal-Mart or some other place with a large parking lot and a local high school, church, youth organization, or what-have-you is having a car wash there on the premises to raise funds.
Usually it’s the boys who do most of the work and the girls who wear bikinis and hold signs saying “Car Wash!,” trying to encourage potential customers.
I’ve never considered myself a prude, but the idea of these underage vixens using their, uh, charms to encourage business is slightly vulgar and also slightly disturbing.
Or maybe it’s just me. Does anybody else feel this way?
[sub]And the first person to say that LOLITA CAR WASH would make a good band name gets bitch-slapped.[/sub]
I did a lot of car washes when I was a kid, and more often than not, i was elected to spend a lot of time holding the sign.
The car washes were great money makers. We’d make up to five hundred dollars a day having fun with our friends and keeping cool during the hot summer days.
The reasons why the send girls out is that boys at that age (I’m think twelvish here) are not all that pleasant. They are just a lot less likely to smile and be enthusiastic about the whole thing. Nobody is going to stop for a brooding adolescent who looks like he’s been forced to stand outside with a sign. .
Well, regardless of what, er, charms may be used to get the punters into the wash bay, I’ve never gotten anything but a mediocre car wash, so I’m pretty sanguine about the whole thing.
I think this is really an issue of perception on your part. Do you really believe these young girls are actively using seduction to attract male clientele? Are they doing anything suggestive at all or are they just smiling and holding the sign-- largely oblivious to the idea that they will probably be objectified by others at some point in their life. Driving age is 16, but I would assume that the majority of the people attending charitable-type car washes are 20’s+, have families, careers, and all that (at least at Walmart anyway). The pretense that these people are swayed by the sight of a 14-year-old in a bathing suit is more than slightly disturbing to me. I would prefer to think that they contribute to these carwashes because they appreciate the idea of children working for a good cause. Perhaps the sight of that girl holding the carwash sign brings them pleasant memories of a summer day long-gone when they held that sign. Whatever the case, I don’t think there is anything particulary vulgar about it.
I think rastahomie’s perception is fueled by the bikinis. If the same girls were out waving signs while wearing shapeless sweats, or 1920s vintage swimsuits, no one would think anything of it. The ever deepening “tartification” of young girls clothing, swimwear included, has the potential to give any activity they’re involved in a kind of creepy Jonbenet feel.
My advice to those who patronize these charitable near-violations of child labor laws, I offer this advice:
Get there early, before all their towels are wet.
Don’t expect a good wash. It’s nice to watch those teen queens in wet t-shirts leaning across your car, but the last time I went to one of those, the little dimbulbs didn’t even get the top of my car wet.
Hmm, well I don’t usually stop at these things but if I do, it’s because I feel like contributing to their charity. I’ve never had a good car wash but then again, I won’t take the time to wash my car myself so that shows how much I care about that.
I think the girls are just more cheerful and more likely to attract customers on that basis. I don’t find them sexy at all and I think I’m a normal guy in that respect.
You’re not alone, rasta. Those car washes totally skeeve me out. From a distance, I see legs and arms flailing about, holding some sort of sign… then as I get closer, I see they’re high schoolers or younger, and my blossoming hope diminishes. Ewwwwwww. Go away, icky jailbaiters!
The whole idea of getting a mob of kids to wash my car is what freaks me out. I will never, ever let an amatuer wash my car, let alone a bunch of distracted kids. One time as I was walking out of Target I saw one of those operations. One of the girls washing droped her towel on the ground, then just picked it up and started using it again. It took every bit of self control I had not to turn into my dad and run over screaming “What the hell are you doing?”.
But I guess the people who do it know what they are getting into, cause anybody who cares about their cars finish isn’t going to go anywhere near those places.
I wash my car at home, but around here we have stands in the summer that I like to call Sex and Corn. These stands are set up at busy intersections and along busy roads and offer fresh sweet corn to bring home for dinner. The persons manning these stands are usually young women wearing short-shorts and tank tops. My theory about this is most women will stop and buy corn no matter what the person hawking it is wearing, while men will stop and get corn if they see a girl in a skimpy outfit selling it.
After further review, I realize that post sounds really sexist. But until I see a corn stand with a sexy young hunk of man flesh selling corn, my theory stands.
I’ve noticed this too. I live in the bible belt, and where I live church youth groups are the worst offendors. When some school organization, like the band, does a car wash to raise money the kids are fully clothed- the churches put out 15 year olds in daisy dukes and wet t-shirts. I don’t think it’s all churches that do this, but some of them really creep me out.
or some other place with a large parking lot and a local high school, church, youth organization, or what-have-you is having a car wash there on the premises to raise funds.
