Booth Babes @ Interbike

[shootingstar]

Make our views known. Maybe if Sue O. was interested, send this thread to some of these major bike manufacturers.

I wouldn't have a problem if these women were also regular cyclists. This form of advertising is just getting OLLLLLLD and cheap reach. And hiring those ladies probably is more expensive than a more intelligent but still fun way of market reach in a different way.

[OakLeaf]

Back in the day someone started a company to market umbrella girls for motorcycle races, who were racers themselves. They were babelicious and they dressed in ordinary scanty umbrella girl fashion - but they had impressively developed forearms, and plenty of them had scars from where they had rods in various bones.

The company is still around, marketing to a variety of sports, and the women are no longer (at least exclusively or visibly or per the press materials) participants in the sports. It was cool while it lasted, even if it didn't move past "sex sells."

[limewave]

I am really turned off by the pictures I've seen come out of Interbike. It's upsetting. There's a new local bicycle fabrication company that started posting bike p0rn every week. At first it was just of the bikes/frames. They were stunning photographs, nice craftsmanship. Then they started posting photos like this (see below) . . . So turned off. At first I thought how cool it would be to own a locally built, handmade bicycle. Now not so much. At least not from them.


. . . just now they posted "babe" free photos for this week. We'll see how they decide to continue to market their brand . . .

[zoom-zoom]

I am really turned off by the pictures I've seen come out of Interbike. It's upsetting. There's a new local bicycle fabrication company that started posting bike p0rn every week. At first it was just of the bikes/frames. They were stunning photographs, nice craftsmanship. Then they started posting photos like this (see below) . . . So turned off. At first I thought how cool it would be to own a locally built, handmade bicycle. Now not so much. At least not from them.


. . . just now they posted "babe" free photos for this week. We'll see how they decide to continue to market their brand . . .

Is it a certain "area code" brand? Interesting...

[limewave]

Is it a certain "area code" brand? Interesting...

You know it.

[zoom-zoom]

You know it.

Shame...I was pretty intrigued by their fat bikes, too.

[zoom-zoom]

Back in the day someone started a company to market umbrella girls for motorcycle races, who were racers themselves. They were babelicious and they dressed in ordinary scanty umbrella girl fashion - but they had impressively developed forearms, and plenty of them had scars from where they had rods in various bones.

The company is still around, marketing to a variety of sports, and the women are no longer (at least exclusively or visibly or per the press materials) participants in the sports. It was cool while it lasted, even if it didn't move past "sex sells."

Yeah, you know...I think that's what gets me--that none of these booth babes appear to be actual cyclists. I know some very sexy, attractive women (and men--why only have female babes?) who are seriously accomplished athletes. I think I'd be much less annoyed if real riders were hired and paid to catch people's eyes, but also talk up a product and know what they are talking about from personal experience.

[Sky King]

Drives me totally insane as well. Who is your buyer, is so degrading to both women and men. To take it further when companies do use women who actually are athletic they still do the sex spin - I really see this now in ski and snowboarding. My DD competed in Freestyle skiing for about 5 years and anytime they wanted to photograph her they wanted a "sex" shot instead of a skill shot.
the ads even say "looking for hot babes"
As I am "old" in the eyes of the marketers I haven't even bothered to protest with words, I protest with my pocket book.

[jessmarimba]

Yeah, I was able to get into the Denver Snow Show this year and it was the same deal. I'd imagine it's the snow sports equivalent of Interbike - but photographers were just chasing down these scantily clad girls showing off boots or hats or somesuch...or a girl in snow pants and bra, or panties and jacket...COME ON. Unfortunately most of the guys I know who bike (or ski) don't understand why I find it so offensive.

[zoom-zoom]

Unfortunately most of the guys I know who bike (or ski) don't understand why I find it so offensive.

Fortunately most of the guys I hang out with are just as perplexed as I am about the skin showing up at these conventions. I noticed in the negative comments around the net re: the WTB dunk tank chick that even most of the guys were turned-off by that sort of marketing.

[ridebikeme]

I guess I'm showing my age when I say this, but unfortunately this is true of every industry. Nice looking people are always in ads whether they actually look the part or not. Take for instance Terry bicycles, owned my a woman however many ads simply show women that don't look the part...obviously no different than others.

I have been in the industry for 21 years now, protested a lot at the beginning, refused to buy inventory for the shop because of these "sexist" attitudes... apparently it simply didn't do any good. It's in the media, and doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon.
However, I do hope that more people will 'vote' with their checkbook and perhaps if there is enough impact, then perhaps things will start to change.

Voice your opinions to your LBS, sales reps and anyone that is part of this industry... but don't forget it's everywhere and in the true sense of the world... bikes are only a small part.

[Amira]

Yeah, you know...I think that's what gets me--that none of these booth babes appear to be actual cyclists. I know some very sexy, attractive women (and men--why only have female babes?) who are seriously accomplished athletes. I think I'd be much less annoyed if real riders were hired and paid to catch people's eyes, but also talk up a product and know what they are talking about from personal experience.

Exactly. One of the reasons I love the Athleta and Title 9 Sports catalogs is the fact that their models all seem to walk the walk, so to speak. They are all gorgeous hot bods, but man, they look like they do in real life what they are shown doing in the catalog.

[zoom-zoom]

Exactly. One of the reasons I love the Athleta and Title 9 Sports catalogs is the fact that their models all seem to walk the walk, so to speak. They are all gorgeous hot bods, but man, they look like they do in real life what they are shown doing in the catalog.

+1! Especially the yoga chicks--how do they hold those poses while making the clothes look good and not covered in sweat?!

[Amira]

+1! Especially the yoga chicks--how do they hold those poses while making the clothes look good and not covered in sweat?!

No kidding! Because my yoga experiences were sweat filled and I never mastered some of those crazy hard poses. And when I say I never mastered them, I mean I never even attempted many of them because they were so hard.