Category Archives: not New York

CES: The misogyny I was expecting, and some I wasn’t.

So about this whole being a woman at CES thing.

the ferrari booth babe

Me failing my audition as a booth babe for Ferrari.

I had a great time in Vegas. It was productive, it was fun, I ate way too much wagyu beef at Nobu; I watched the scariest people in Nevada dance to the cover band playing Jane’s Addiction at the Mandalay Bay (Jason Avant has the photo evidence); I was referred to as a “twenty-something” (whoo-hoo!);  I spoke on a panel with some amazing women; I learned a ton about new technologies and products; and I won back all my money at some Wheel of Fortune Slot at the Venetian with social-media-forces-to-be-reckoned-with, Kristen Chase and Laura Mayes.

(PS if you ever want to win like millions of dollars in roulette, just put your chips wherever Laura puts her chips. You’re welcome.)

This being my first CES, I had heard a lot about booth babes and misogyny and random unsavory watch-outs for the wimmins in attendance.

booth babes at ces

Turns out the booth babes weren’t my biggest issue. Yes they were there; some who forgot to wear clothes completely that morning (oopsie!) some simply wearing belts for pants, like the ladies above. Although one did say she liked my tights so I give her a pass.

Mom101’s Wardrobe: Stripper-approved!

So yes, some companies thought the best way to get attention was to pay strippers to act like strippers outside of their normal gig at the strip clubs. I sympathize mostly for female tech writers for pubs like CNET and Mashable who have to cover those brands either way. As for me, I’m lucky that as my own publisher, I can simply choose to never cover those brands ever. So there’s that.

My bigger issue was how we were treated on a few rare but noteworthy occasions. Continue reading

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