Every tradeshow we go to, we see the typical gimmicks used to drive traffic to the booths: cheesy sales guys juggling, cash giveaways, heck we even try to snag visitors with free t-shirts and assorted giveaways. It's all part of the game. This year at TechEd, I couldn't help but notice there were lots of scantily clad, very attractive women posted in front of booths using their "assets" to garner attention. I'm not talking about dressing nice or even a blouse that may be a little too low cut. I'm talking about very, very short and tight skirts, high heels, and the low-cut shirts. Standing out in front of booths, smiling and walking the floors and watching as the heads turn. I've seen it all before, but the amount that I saw this year just struck me as cheap, cheesy, and just plain wrong.
I was relieved to find out I wasn't alone in my sentiment. Standing in the booth in my khakis, button down shirt and badge, I talked with a few of my colleagues who agreed. One of them in particular thought it unbelievable we are still seeing women being paraded around like this in the same year when we were very close to having our first female presidential nominee. Another one of my male colleagues noted that he was quite surprised to discover that a professional conference such as TechEd shared the same "booth babe" gimmick that is often found at big comic book conventions, which are usually male dominated.
Now, of course there will be people who say I'm just jealous of those beautiful girls with the long legs. Don't I wish I looked like that in a mini-skirt? Hell yes I do! Of course I'm jealous of those girls - they're gorgeous! Do they have every right to wear what they want? Yes. Whether it's good genes, many hours at the gym, or passing up on the M&M jar at their office, they've certainly done something right and should be proud of their bodies. Being a woman in today's world means being able to be feminine, show emotions, and still be taken seriously. But how far is too far?
For all I know, these are shrewd business women. Maybe they are respected professionals in their field, highly educated. It's more about the perception and no matter how you justify them being there, it's the fact that their presence continues to feed that perception: that these women are brainless bimbos being paid by companies solely to give these techies some eye candy in a conference where 10% of the attendees are women. And as women, if we can help change that awful perception, shouldn't we do everything we can to change it??
Women today still deal with real issues facing equality: glass ceilings and the kids vs. a career trade off to name just a couple. We've come a long, long way. We still have misconceptions to correct, barriers to break through, and stereotypes to prove wrong. Yes, we're women in a typically male dominated industry and yes we can write, code, direct, and market anything just as well as a man can. Yes, we can do that and wear whatever the heck we want and look good at the same time. So let's use that power and momentum to continue to achieve and change these negative perceptions.
And to the companies who would certainly benefit from attracting the many talented and hard working women out there, don't send the absolute worst message by letting only the women in the tight skirts be in your booth! Let's hope that these companies have enough of a product and/or service to stand behind that they don't need this type of attraction to generate business.
So, for you guys and gals out there, what's your opinion of booth babes? Guys - does it appeal to you? Gals - does this offend your feminist ways or are you all for it?
Posted
Jun 16 2008, 09:11 AM
by
EmilyBien
Please note that my head is not quite as large as the picture shows. I mean that literally. Figuratively, it may be quite right.