On
Nov. 29th 2000 the San Francisco Bay Guardian printed a cover story
purporting to be an expose of the exploitation of women in the computer
industry, as uncovered by two female exotic dancers who went to the Comdex trade
show in Las Vegas. Among other things they discovered a depressed market for
their trade during the show and some loutish behavior on the part of some male
attendees toward the “booth bunnies” – women recruited locally for their looks and
stationed at various exhibitor’s booths. The authors, Scholten and Blaze,
conclude that the scene at Comdex illustrates the “digital cleavage” in the
computer industry separating opportunities for men from opportunities for women.
The cover photo showed a
scantily-clad model displaying her cleavage in a classic pinup pose while
holding a laptop.
My
letter as submitted:
Editor
"Sex
worker goes to Comdex, finds sex used for commercial purposes, is
outraged."
No,
let's make that "Nerds discovered working in computer industry, exotic
dancer shocked at drop in Vegas market during trade show."
No,
too long. Needs some punch. How about "Bored booth bimbos tempt males
at Comdex - nothing happens."
As
a certified male computer nerd who's been attending Comdex for 18 years, I
welcome Scholten and Blaze's story as one of the first to explore the strange
sexual dynamics beneath the surface of the electronics and computer industry.
Unfortunately, the authors leap to the incorrect conclusion that life in the
industry is accurately represented by what goes on at its trade show.
I've
observed attendance at Comdex gain steadily in the proportion of women. Many of
these are exhibitors who are employees of the exhibiting company, dress
conservatively (the khaki-and-company polo shirt uniform) and know what they're
talking about. The simple equation of "female exhibitors equals booth
bunnies" (attributed to Natasha Zaslove in the article) does not help
these women.
A
lot of hard work gets done in the computer industry by men who deny themselves
a life. At Comdex they are confronted by attractive women working at booths of
familiar companies - maybe (they hope) this is the one who will understand all
I've done! If a few of these men act like assholes it's pitiful, but hardly the
rule. As the article points out, "You get an intelligent booth bunny, and
all of a sudden they represent your product very well..." guess why! It's
the intelligence part.
I'd
like to see more examination of the role of sexual sublimation and fantasy in
the motivations of the producers in the computer industry (those of the
manipulators - the suits - would be something else again). But these stories
would not make for cover articles in the Guardian, and might lead to computer
workers gaining an understanding of ways in which they have been manipulated
and have learned to buy into a bad bargain.
Oh,
and the cover photo was a great (and pin-uppable) example of exactly what the
authors decry. A man can dream, can't he?
And
as printed:
Hidden
sexual dynamics
As a certified male
computer nerd who's been attending
Comdex for 18 years, I
welcome Scholten and Blaze's story as
one of the first to
explore the strange sexual dynamics beneath
the surface of the
electronics and computer industry ["Digital
Cleavage,"
11/29/00]. Unfortunately, the authors leap to the
incorrect conclusion that
life in the industry is accurately
represented by what goes
on at its trade show.
A lot of hard work gets
done in the computer industry by men
who deny themselves a
life. At Comdex they are confronted by
attractive women working at booths of familiar companies –
maybe (they hope) this is
the one who will understand all I've
done! If a few of these
men act like assholes it's pitiful, but
hardly the rule. As the
article points out, "You get an intelligent
booth bunny, and all of a
sudden they represent your product
very well." Guess
why! It's the intelligence part.
Oh, and the cover photo
was a great (and pinup-able) example
of exactly what the
authors decry. A man can dream, can't he?
Lee Felsenstein
Palo Alto