Swimsuit models. The real ones.

“Barkers.” This is an old-school term for the girls (and yes, they are girls of a kind) that pimp cars at the Auto Shows. Depending upon your neck of the woods in the automotive world these “car show girls” (I struggle with this lexicon) can be found in all stages of dress and undress.

I was recently, for example, at an event in Florida where I had the chance to audition a number of lovely “Barkers” (look, I picked up a copy of Susan Faludi’s Backlash last night and I am writing in fear) for a client.

Because I WAS in Florida, and because IT WAS hot and humid and because I kid you not, the keynote model for the show was currently under contract with a Bob Guccione publication (that’s Bob himself, not his son), I felt I had to audition some real talent.

I know what you are thinking–what does this post have to do about cars? Or perhaps, “wait a minute, aren’t Auto Shows keynoted by guys named Wally instead of Wanda?”

Well, I admit it. I did not attend a car show.

While I won’t reveal the show I attended, I DID use old-fashioned automotive parlance to let my client know the type of talent I was looking for. I simply said I was, “looking for a “Barker” of the type found at car shows” instead of “um, I am thinking about hiring the hottest Brazilian swimwear models in South Florida.”

And from automotive realism an adolescent fantasy was fulfilled.