模特喧賓奪主 科技展開始禁止Show girl着裝暴露

If you’ve ever attended a technology conference, then you’ve likely seen your share of booth babes. Also known by the more respectable term “promotional models,” they’re the scantily-clad women companies hire in an attempt to lure conference-goers into checking out their Bluetooth headsets, Internet-enabled toothbrushes and yes, even security software.

如果你參觀過某個科技展會，你很可能已經欣賞過衆多“展臺寶貝”的倩影。她們還有一個更體面的頭銜——“促銷模特”。各大公司聘用這些穿着清涼的美女，主要是吸引參會者前往它們的展臺，試試藍牙耳機，聯網牙刷，甚至安全軟件。

From the Consumer Electronics Show to Mobile World Congress, booth babes have become an expected part of the scenery, much like hours-long taxi lines and horrible Wi-Fi coverage (go figure). But some attendees have complained that stripper-like attire—yes, I’m talking pasties—is offensive in a professional environment and that they’d rather engage with actual salespeople who are more knowledgeable about the products they’re trying to sell. (Booth babes are usually temporary hires and therefore not your best bet if you want a deep dive on the latest cryptographic solutions.)

從CES消費電子展到全球移動大會，“展臺寶貝”已經成爲各類科技展會不可或缺的一部分，就像大排長龍的出租車候車隊伍和糟糕的無線網絡一樣。但有些參會者抱怨稱，在一個如此專業的場合，她們那無異於脫衣舞女的着裝——沒錯 ，我說的就是胸貼——顯得特別突兀。他們寧可和真正的銷售人員打交道，因爲這些人對自己要賣的產品瞭解得更清楚。（“展臺寶貝”往往都是臨時聘用人員，如果你想深入瞭解最新加密技術的解決方案，她們絕不會是你諮詢的最佳對象）。

At least one annual tech expo has decided to listen to the complaints. Last week, the organizers of the RSA Conference, an information security event that will take place in San Francisco next month, added a new clause to its exhibitor rules and regulations. Effectively, it’s a booth babe ban.

現在至少有一個年度科技展已決定聽取這些怨言。上週，信息安全大會（RSA Conference）的組織者在其參展商規則里加了一條新規，實際上就是禁止“展臺寶貝”入場。該組織將於下個月在舊金山舉辦一場信息安全展會。

According to the new rules: “All expo staff are expected to dress in business and/or business casual attire… Attire of an overly revealing or suggestive nature is not permitted.” The RSA organizers even list specific examples of such clothing, including tops displaying excessive cleavage, miniskirts, offensive costumes and Lycra bodysuits (apparently that’s a thing).

新規規定：“所有參展人員應一律身着正裝或商務便裝……決不允許穿着過於暴露或具有性暗示意味的服裝。”展會組織者甚至列舉了這類穿着，如過分展現乳溝的上裝，超短裙，暴露的服裝及萊卡緊身衣（這種衣服確實撩人）。

“I think it’s a long time coming,” Sandra Toms, VP and curator of the RSA Conference, said on a phone call with Fortune. “If you’re an attendee you have a limited time and you want to ask specific technical questions and get your answers. That’s what we’ve heard in our [attendee] surveys.”

該展會副總兼策展者桑德拉o湯姆斯在接受《財富》雜誌電話採訪時表示：“我認爲這個規定來得太遲了。如果你是一位參觀者，時間有限，你就只會想問一些具體的技術問題，並尋求解答。這是我們從調研中獲得的反饋意見。”

According to Toms, who has been working on the conference for nearly two decades, conference-goers have also said they are offended by specific clothing worn—or more accurately, not worn—by booth babes. And such criticisms have been lobbed at tech conferences for years.

湯姆斯已爲這個展會工作了近二十年。她說，參觀者也表示，那些穿着特殊，或確切點說，穿得很少的“展臺寶貝”讓他們很不舒服。實際上，多年來，在各類科技展會上，這類批評時有耳聞。

The fact that some large, respected companies still use women in body paint to try and draw attention to their wares seems outdated at best—kind of like handing out breath mint containers inscribed with a company logo. (Like mints, booth babes don’t necessarily help vendors generate more leads.) And while it’s not to blame for the overall dearth of women at many of these conferences, it certainly doesn’t promote an atmosphere that’s welcoming to both genders: Let’s face it, these companies are explicitly marketing specifically to men, and in the crudest way possible.

事實上，一些頗受尊敬的大公司還在用人體彩繪來引人關注，這種做法似乎已經過時了——這有點像給參觀者贈送印有公司標識的薄荷糖（而且和薄荷糖一樣，“展臺寶貝”也並不一定能幫參展商引來更多人氣）。誠然，這類展會多數都缺乏女性參與，但這種做法並不能營造讓男女都喜聞樂見的氛圍：大家得直面現實，這些公司擺明了就是針對男性開展營銷的，而且就要用這種最赤裸裸的方式。

In case you were wondering, about 30,000 people attend the annual RSA Conference, but women make up just about 15% of attendees. As far as tech conferences go, that ratio isn’t unusual. RSA has chosen to take a stance with its new booth babe ban, and so far, says Toms, the feedback has been positive.

每年有大約三萬人蔘加信息安全大會，但其中只有15%是女性。對科技展會來說，這個比例很正常。這個大會已經旗幟鮮明地要讓“展臺寶貝”禁入了。而據湯姆斯稱，迄今爲止獲得的反饋都很積極。

“We’ve had a lot of support for it,” says Toms. “I think people get it, and they want to be respectful.”

她說：“很多人都支持我們這個做法。我想大家理解這個新規的意圖，他們確實想更尊重女性。”

Of course, banning booth babes does have one potential downside—the sad reality is, it could mean even less women at tech conferences. But here’s a novel thought: Technology companies, you can still have women showing off and explaining your products. Just don’t ask them to wear Lycra.

當然了，禁止“展臺寶貝”參展可能也會帶來不利影響——參與的女性更少了。但不妨換個新思路：各家科技公司，你們還是可以請女性來展示講解產品，只是別再讓她們穿緊身萊卡了。