While walking the floor at the SHOT Show last week, I began reminiscing about the first show I attended several years ago. I’ll never forget being awestruck by the number of products and people, and I’ll never forget the reception my coworker and I received from some of the men at the show. We hadn’t been on the show floor for more than five minutes when someone pointed at us and said, “Look, new show hoes.” I remember looking down at my blue turtleneck sweater and grey dress pants and thinking, “The ‘hoes’ must be really uptight where he comes from.” But, it didn’t take me long to realize that “show hoes” was another term for “booth babes,” which refers to the scantily clad women that some companies hire to attract men to their booths. A few men just lumped all of us young women attending the show into the “booth babe” category.
The “booth babes” are a SHOT Show staple. Around every other corner stands a curvy young lady (sometimes groups of ladies) in an itty bitty skirt and tight top with a strategically placed logo -- her bleach blond hair and fake tan gleam under the fluorescent lights attracting men like bugs to a light bulb.
One year, I actually saw a lovely young lady walking around in what appeared to be her panties, bra and a set of huge wings. I’m not sure what she was supposed to be…perhaps a sexy duck, but either way I wondered if she felt embarrassed at all or if was just another day on the job for her. To me, walking around dressed like that would be a lot like one of those horrific nightmares I had in school, when I realized I was naked and reading a book report to my classmates.
And then there are the high-heeled shoes these ladies wear. I admit, I admire any woman who can stand for eight hours in 3-inch heels without wearing a contorted grimace of pain on her face. After about an hour of suffering in those things, I’d most likely be wielding one of them as a weapon, daring anyone to approach. My extremely unsexy Naturalizer black flats won’t turn heads, but at least they prevent me from biting them off.
I must say, this year there were fewer “booth babes” than in years past. I wonder why? Perhaps the male attendees are saying, “No more! We refuse to let a pair of huge knockers dictate our hunting gear purchases.” OK, probably not. I guess I’m just hopeful that the “booth babe” era is coming to an end. Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against these ladies, and I’m not naïve. I work in a male-dominated industry, and I understand that sex sells. I simply think that “booth babes” are counterproductive to the hunting industry’s effort at bringing women and children into its fold. In addition, whenever I see a “booth babe,” I automatically assume the products she’s representing are unable to stand on their own merit. I realize this is probably not true, but from what I’ve observed, the most reputable companies don’t hire the “booth babes.” What are your thoughts on “booth babes?” Do you think they are good for business or bad for the industry’s image? Are you more likely to buy a shotgun or bow if a good-looking woman in sexy attire is trying to sell it to you?
