Some folks in the security industry see me as a member of the “Equal Respect” movement against so-called booth babes at conferences.
Not exactly.
I certainly respect the opinion of people attached to the cause, and good for them, fighting for what they believe in.
But for me, this has never been about equal respect among the genders. It’s never been about whether women who work as booth babes are being exploited sexually.
For me, it’s been about holding vendors’ feet to the fire and making them work harder to build an exhibit off the strength of the products. To me, using half naked people — men or women — to get foot traffic is too easy, lacks all creativity and says nothing about what the vendor is trying to sell me.
I’ve seen companies put together exhibits that did the job effectively without resorting to skin. Examples are here.
I also don’t blame women who are uncomfortable with such displays. If you’re a woman trying to be respected as a security practitioner in a male-dominated world, seeing booth babes everywhere is bound to be discouraging.
As a man, I’d probably feel the same way if roles were reversed.
But I also think that no matter who or what you are, respect must be earned.
I also think it’s unfair to say women who work as booth babes are being exploited.
They don’t have to be there. They choose to do the work. Many are professional models. To call them exploited is to insult their profession.
This isn’t about them. It’s about marketing people who go for the easy because they can’t figure out a way to sell their company’s technology.
That, my friends, is the final word on the subject.
