Do the Indy 500 princesses really represent the women of Indiana?

Rarely is using women’s bodies to peddle tickets celebrated as much as it is each May, when Hoosiers gear up for race weekend.

Each year 33 Indy 500 “Princesses” are selected from a pool of hundreds of applicants to participate in Indy 500 festival events and “participate in statewide outreach
initiatives.” 

Applicants must be enrolled in an Indiana college or university, must be between the ages of 18 and 23, must be single and childless, cannot have been married before the race takes place, and of course, must be female.

In other words, she must be able to afford the ever-increasing cost of college, must be young, and must appear virginal and sexually available for the duration of race
festivities.

By the way, every woman must submit a photograph along with her application. “This photograph will not be used in the judging process,” the 500 Festival’s website assures, “and will only be used for internal purposes.” 

Sure, 500 Festival. Sure it won’t be.

It just so happens that this year every Princess is white, and there have only been two non-white women crowned as Queen in the history of the title.

These women are described as “ambassadors for the 500 Festival,” and chief among their duties — besides attending coronation ceremonies and parades clad in sashes and tiaras — is participating in “statewide outreach initiatives.”

“Each 500 Festival Princess will be responsible for securing appearances close to or in her hometown and will work closely with the 500 Festival’s Princess Program Coordinator and Communications Manager to develop messaging, talking points and presentations,” in addition to attending upward of 20 events over a period of three months, according to the 500 Festival’s website.

In exchange for her work, she receives some clothes, jewelry and a 1-in-33 chance of a $2500 scholarship.

Under the guise of a scholarship competition, the 500 Festival is systematically selecting women who adhere to hegemonic conceptions of beauty — young, white, mostly middle class, appearance of being sexually available — to sell their events.
And like all pageants, the program throws in some female competition for a crown and vague, arbitrary behavior restrictions for good measure.

Princesses are restricted from making “inappropriate” posts on social media sites, and from any “behavior deemed by the 500 Festival as detrimental to and in depreciation of the interest of the 500 Festival, its representatives, sponsors, or licenses.” Alcohol use is also restricted, despite the fact that some of these women are of legal drinking age.
This program perpetuates a flawed, restrictive and exclusive view of femininity. Then it commodifies the women selected, reminding Hoosiers that the Indy 500 princess is a morally chaste young white woman who primarily male race fans can imagine having sex with.

Sure, the women are also tasked with participating in various charitable activities, such as visiting retirement homes, hospitals and schools, with the prime objective of getting people excited for the upcoming race.

But for the most part, these women are used as accessories to the fanfare, objects to adorn parades and festivals, pretty girls to excite people to come watch cars go around a track really fast 500 times.

The 33 women are an intelligent and talented group, but the selectivity of the Princess process is irrelevant to their actual duties.

By treating the chance to be objectified as a high honor, the 500 Festival is promoting the idea that the ideal Hoosier woman is a young, priviliged white one who can smile and look pretty.

Certainly Hoosier women, and every single princess selected, are capable of much more than that.

­— casefarr@indiana.edu