Marketing and activism
This was inspired by a post from cheez_ball who was writing a response to an advertisement for a new computer product. The advert had no technical data on the product, instead focusing on the range of available colors, its size, overall appearance, and a list of suggested uses that was plebian at best. Based on its appearance, language, and
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1. "Tech Tips" never should contain suggestions to buy a laptop in order to download recipes, keep track of fitness and count calories unless you want women to find you insulting and condescending. Don't know what I'm talking about? Oh...you didn't research before writing this. Let me enlighten you: http://blog.laptopmag.com/dear-della-sexism-doesnt-sell-laptops, http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/what-do-women-want-in-a-laptop/, and http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30709961/.
2. Most women, hell most teenagers, know what a skin is and where to find one if they don't like the appearance of their current tech device (including cell phones, pdas, etc that most people who can afford a laptop carry). So telling them they MUST BUY THIS LAPTOP BECAUSE IT'S OMG PINK is fucking insulting. It's like saying, "don't worry your pretty little head over it." A person into music is going to want a huge hard drive, while a person into gaming is going to want a super fast processor. That doesn't change with gender. And I seriously doubt Dell will try to sell a computer to a guy because OMG IT'S BLUE. In fact, if you look at Dell's main site, instead of Della, you'll see they discuss features and mention color option later.
3. Surely... SURELY...you MUST have considered your own white male privilege before responding. PLEASE TELL ME YOU CONSIDERED YOUR OWN PRIVILEGE BEFORE RESPONDING. Because evidence suggests otherwise. You're comparing buying a computer to wearing makeup? Seriously? Does this motherboard make me look fat? Gosh, math is hard! Comparing choosing a mate to choosing a computer? Straw man much?
4. It's kind of funny, the timing of this. Does this have anything to do with finding out who the n00b is? Or that she's been making threats of violence against me? Or that I'm not enchanted by her "delicate little flower" act?
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1. The fact that some, or even many, find something insulting doesn't mean its not working on the target demographic. That is in fact the point of my entire little diatribe, there are folks for whom the stupid add works. Im glad it doesn't work for you. Im glad you find it insulting. It speaks well of your character and intellect, but sadly, not everyone makes the mark. That is why these adds exist. There ARE stupid people, some of them are women, and many of them have disposable income to use on a product that many smart people wont buy.
2. Again, this is targeted advertising. It is targeted at people who don't know about skins and mods. There are still people who buy a new phone to get one thats a different color. There are plenty of people that will buy a laptop because it is cute. That also doesn't change with gender. The acquisition and display of technology has become a status symbol, same as cars, jewelry, or other luxury items. If the circle you travel in is primarily concerned with appearance and not function, the relative weight of that status symbol will be based on its appearance. And no, dell isn't terribly concerned with selling men computers based on looks, but Alien-wear is. Take a look at their gaming boxes, black and chrome with neon lights and soft curves. All of which serve no purpose but to advertise status to the other members of a traditionally male demographic. Dell cant compete with that (mostly, they have a "gaming pc also), so they took a shot at a different demographic.
That demographic is NOT WOMEN, it is targeted at shallow people who are concerned with there appearance, but want the status of laptop ownership. It saddens me that these people exist, but they do.
3. White Male Privilege- I deleted what came first to mind, and instead will go with, I did, and not all men who are white lived a life of privilege. Are there people that had it worse than me, yes, are there people who had it better, also yes.
Again, for some people buying technology serves a purpose similar to wearing makeup. It augments your attractiveness to members of your social group. In this case it is by adornment of your observable wealth and status, rather than modification of your physical appearance. Perhaps I should have made the analogy between choosing the laptop and choosing the jewelry (which is likely an older practice), but I had body ogmentation on my mind. There are people for whom a piece of tech is an accessory, like a stylish watch or a nice necklace, these are the people this add was targeted at.
Also, I didn't compare choosing a computer to choosing a mate. I hypothesized that the decisions making strategies used to select items meant to increase attractiveness to potential mates (or intimidate rivals) may be used by some to influence the choice of a luxury technological device. Particularly given the prominent place that technology has achieved in our modern social interactions, and how ownership of these devices can convey status. Further, if that is true, marketing firms are going to attempt to sell product by targeting this demographic. The only way to prevent this from continuing is to educate and influence the targeted demographic to make better decisions, not by railing against the adds themselves.
4. I can't talk about your n00b problem in a written media, but feel free to drop by and a lab mate and I who worked with her can talk to you about it. I can say that nobody who has left the department in the last 3 years is a delicate flower. That said, I really cant fathom how a debate over how to react/combat offensive advertisement relates to her.
Im not trying to say the add isn't insulting, it is. Any campaign that targets one sex differently than the other IS inherently sexist. My point, perhaps lost in my rambling, is that pointing out that it is insulting and sexist doesn't stop the next one from being made.
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