How to exit a car like a lady whatever your skirt length
As 64 per cent of women admit to accidentally ‘flashing’ as they get out of a car, Sheilas’ Wheels unveils the ‘Exi-quette Car Curtain’
Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears take note – a new in-car device designed to protect a lady’s modesty and put an end to revealing mishaps when getting out of motors has been created.
The ‘Exi-quette Car Curtain’(1) (a combination of exit and etiquette) was created following research conducted by Sheilas’ Wheels car insurance(2) which showed that more than 12 million women(3) (64 per cent) have been involved in at least one unfortunate ‘flashing’ incident when exiting a car, revealing far more than they bargained for.
The ‘Exi-quette Car Curtain’
Sheilas’ Wheels has worked alongside design experts Gusto to develop the ‘Exi-quette Car Curtain’, a new prototype created to shield a lady’s modesty and allow her to get out of any car with dignity and grace.
It is hoped that celebrities previously exposed by paparazzi when getting out of their cars will celebrate the arrival of the ‘Exi-quette Car Curtain’. The women polled voted for the worst celeb ‘flashers’, who they think need to cover up the most. Unsurprisingly, topping the league table is Britney Spears with 31 per cent of the vote followed jointly by Jodie Marsh and Paris Hilton who ranked second place with 17 per cent.
The top five worst celebrity ‘flashers’
- Britney Spears (31 per cent)
- Jodie Marsh (17 per cent)
- Paris Hilton (17 per cent)
- Jordon a.k.a. Katie Price (15 per cent)
- Lindsay Lohan (7 per cent)
To give these celebs a little added ‘protection’ we have sent them a step-by-step guide to making your own ‘Exi-quette Car Curtain’ - so ladies, take note.
With 44 per cent of female motorists saying that they would be interested in a gadget that would put an end to future ‘flashing’ encounters, there is clearly a demand for such an innovation. Sheilas’ Wheels has also teamed up with etiquette expert Jean Broke-Smith to provide ladies everywhere with a helping hand on how to get out of the car ‘like a lady’. And with more than a fifth (22 per cent) of ladies admitting that they don’t know how to step out of the driving seat with their dignity still intact, these tips are a much needed reference for female motorists all over the country.
Jean Broke-Smith’s top tips on how to get out of a car elegantly:
- Ensure knees are together at all times
- Avoid travelling in low level sports cars when wearing a skirt that ends above the knee
- If you have chosen to wear a short skirt, have a pashmina, wrap or scarf with you at all times and drape it over your legs as you exit the car
- Try to twist your body as you leave the car – this will help ensure that your legs remain together
- Ask a fellow passenger to give you a helping hand when getting out of the car, allowing you to glide out with ease
- If travelling in a 4x4, beware of higher seats catching the back of your skirt as you slide out
- Try to avoid drinking excess amounts of alcohol when being driven by car, you are likely to lose your inhibitions a little too much. Be warned!
Etiquette expert Jean Broke-Smith commented:
“The ‘Exi-quette Car Curtain’ will hopefully allow female motorists to retain a sense of dignity when exiting their vehicle. Hardly a day goes by without a different celebrity being snapped falling out of a car or a club - what value, if any, does Britain place on modesty today?
“If you want to be treated like a lady you need to behave like one, however getting out of a car elegantly is no easy feat and takes practice.”
Jacky Brown at Sheilas’ Wheels car insurance, commented:
“We appreciate that today’s fashion-conscious women want to look good at all times and be able to wear their micro-minis and little black dresses when they’re out and about and behind the wheel. This new prototype will help all ‘Sheilas’ avoid the embarrassment of a freak gust of wind or badly negotiated moves when getting out of a car.
“But even without a car curtain to hand, there are ways of leaving a car with grace and most importantly dignity. So ladies, there’s no excuse – take advice from the etiquette experts and practice, practice, practice to avoid showing a bit more leg than you bargained for.”
Female motorists can visit www.ilovesheilas.com to give their opinion on the ‘Exi-quette Car Curtain’.
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Photography and online content are available - please contact the Sheilas’ Wheels team on 020 7100 9999 or email sheilaswheels@mischiefpr.com.
Please visit www.youtube.com/sheilaswheelstv for video containing useful tips on getting out of a car like a lady and the ‘Exi-quette Car Curtain’ – featuring the Sheilas’ Wheels girls.
Please refer to the pictorial factsheet for step-by-step guide on using the ‘Exi-quette Car Curtain’.
To borrow the ‘Exi-quette Car Curtain’ for PR use, please contact the Sheilas’ Wheels team.
An ISDN line is available for radio interviews
About Sheilas’ Wheels comprehensive car insurance:
- Handbag cover – provides up to £300 of cover for handbags and its contents if stolen from the car.
- Free courtesy car offered as standard – provided the car is being repaired by one of Sheilas’ Wheels recommended repairers.
- No claim discount (NCD) up to a maximum of 75 per cent - policyholders with 5 years or more NCD immediately get a 70 per cent discount and can then earn an extra 1 per cent discount per year for the next 5 claim-free years with Sheilas’ Wheels.
- Motoring legal protection – for an optional £21.99 policyholders receive up to £50,000 of cover for legal assistance to help them recover uninsured losses
- Optional breakdown cover – 24-hour breakdown assistance service provided by Green Flag. Policyholders can also take out optional breakdown cover. There are several levels of cover from basic roadside assistance to a full service providing roadside assistance, home rescue and recovery.
Terms and conditions apply to Sheilas’ Wheels car insurance
For further information please contact the Sheilas’ Wheels press office at Mischief PR on 020 7100 9999 or email sheilaswheels@mischiefpr.com
Visit the media centre: www.sheilaswheels.com
Visit the official fansite for Sheilas’ Wheels: www.ilovesheilas.com
Notes to Editors:
(1) ‘Exi-quette’ = exit + etiquette (How to ‘exit’ a car following the correct ‘etiquette’.)
(2) Fly Research interviewed a random sample of 1,000 female drivers aged 18+ between 5th and 8th September 2008. Interviews were conducted across the UK via an online questionnaire. Fly Research is an online market research company. Its researchers are members of the MRS and Esomar, and abide by their guidelines. Further information at www.flyresearch.com
(3) 12,141,406.72 is 64 per cent of the number of female motorists with provisional and full licenses (18,970,948). Based on DVLA research, January 2006.
About Sheilas’ Wheels:
Sheilas’ Wheels was launched in October 2005 to offer women drivers cheaper car insurance and product enhancements including £300 handbag cover - for bags stolen from the car (comprehensive cover only), competitive breakdown recovery rates, a dedicated counselling line run by trained professionals to help customers cope with driving issues such as road rage (comprehensive cover only) and a network of female-friendly repairers. In February 2008, the brand moved beyond car insurance to also offer home insurance.
Sponsorship:
Sheilas' Wheels sponsors the ITV National Weather: “Whether skies are grey or blue, Sheilas’ Wheels could cover you.”
About Gusto:
Gusto Design Ltd is involved with the design and development of award winning products for international markets. Gusto’s extensive experience across a number of sectors means that they can take a project from initial design brief right the way through to final production and beyond. Their core skills are a blend of art, science, engineering and innovation and we work closely with clients to deliver an aspirational vision. Gusto are equally comfortable developing small batches of technology demonstrators for blue chip companies (e.g. Intel) as producing mainstream commercial products produced in annual quantities of many millions (e.g. Boots).
Clients include Intel, Boots, Thulé, Body Shop, Lego, Escada, Unilever and E.ON.
Gusto work with most companies at board or senior management level on strategic innovation projects. Every project is different and they thrive on the challenge to create the new, but think and act responsibly regarding sustainability, cultural and social issues.
About Jean Broke-Smith:
As one of the country's leading etiquette and grooming experts Jean has travelled the world making hit shows. Australian Princess for Channel 10, and ITV2 and American Princess for ITV 2 and WEN where Jean trained and groomed a group of ordinary girls to make them fit to marry a prince!
Jean was the expert presenter on the BBC1 series B&B The Best. Jean was on board to give expert advice to other B&B owners up and down the country. Jean also appeared as head teacher in the ITV1 hit series Ladette to Lady. Finishing school, Darlington Hall was set up for the series where ordinary girls were taught grooming, manners, posture and etiquette in order to turn them into ‘young ladies’.
