CES 2013 has come under some criticism this year, as companies continue to employ the tactic of using Booth Babes. If you are not sure what we mean, it is the practise of hiring young female models, often dressed in far less than their Father would like, to stand around on booths to promote equipment.
Those using Booth Babes see it as nothing more than a harmless bit of promotional fun, whilst those opposed see it as degrading to women. A serious point is that it does polarise our industry and continues to promote the fact that the music production industry is a male industry. However there are an increasinging number of very talented women producers, engineers, composers, and musicians in our industry, many of them doing excellent work.
You may think that a debate like this has no place on a Pro Tools and recording blog, but many of our readers and indeed many of the companies you spend money with will be at NAMM, so this does affect us all.
So are Booth Babes harmless promotional fun or do they send out an outdated sexist view of our industry? Does it say more about the companies hiring them or more about the people they are trying to sell gear to, that they feel the need to use them? Discuss.