I'm talking about "Booth Babes," of course.
Don't know what a Booth Babe is? Well, companies around the country like to have expositions and conventions to convince retailers and consumers to purchase their products. These events are like flea markets–vast rooms with row after row of product booths. And like a flea market, companies need a way to lure people over to their booths.
Booth babes seem to work really well.
A booth babe is an attractive girl, who stands in, or outside the booth, luring men in with their feminine wiles. In the video game and comic book industries, booth babes tend to be scantily dressed- showing more cleavage than Elvira, and wearing skirts too short to leave anything to the imagination. Sex sells.
This is a formula that works. Look up "booth babe" on the internet, and you'll see countless photos of hot chicks about to explode out of their tops, while red-faced young men clamor around. Guys like pretty girls. Guys really like near-naked, pretty girls. Everyone knows that.
Recently however, I happened across two really stupid instances of indignation at men ogling the booth babes.
The first was on the G4 (Gamer's) Channel. They had a special on their Booth Babes and their adventures at the San Diego Comic Convention (Comic books, not comedians). And I was surprised to hear the miniskirt-wearing models (some of whom were playmates) griping about guys standing around staring at them all day long, trying to take pictures up their skirts as they rode down escalators, and otherwise objectifying them.
The other, even more ignorant instance I happened across was a report of a Booth Babe protesting a video game's campaign, "Sin to Win." For this campaign, the game maker was soliciting convention-goers to get pictures of themselves with booth babes. The more wild, the better, and the winner would get a huge prize. One professed Booth Babe was aghast at this, and the article goes on to lament the objectifying of women.
What?!
Now, I don't want to sound like a rapist, who offers the "she was asking for it" defense, but when women show cleavage, is it for ventilation purposes? Or is it to show off their wares? I can see my wife getting mad at me for staring at some chick in butt-cheek-exposing short-shorts, and a top eight sizes to small, but should the girl wearing these enticing clothes have the right to complain I'm looking?
I'm not saying women should all walk around in burkas, but let's have a little common sense here, people! You put your boobs out there for the world to see, don't open your yap when they start looking.
In the case of booth babes, maybe someone ought to explain to these "Forrest Bumps" when they take the job, the whole point is to lure men in by showing some skin. The companies WANT prospective male clients to look.
Bottom line, if you don't want men looking down your shirt, button it up. If you don't want men staring at your rump, wear a longer skirt, or one that is loose and baggy, not spray-painted on.