RSA Security Conference Bans “Booth Babes”

A technology conference is taking a stand against so-called "booth babes."

The RSA Security Conference said it will now ban booth babes at its event, which will begin April 20 in San Francisco. Booth babes are known in the tech industry as scantily-clad women trying to lure convention-going techies to check out what a company is showing off.

"I think if you look at the imagery of the women fulfilling these roles at these conventions, they are disturbing," said Ann Skeet of Santa Clara University.

RSA Security Conference officials said the goal of the ban is to make all convention attendees feel comfortable and respected during the show.

"I was approached by a gentleman who asked me, 'Are you a booth babe?'" said Lise Feng with CipherCloud, a company returning to the RSA Security Conference. "That's a little bit uncomfortable, right?"

The conference's decision to ban booth babes also is welcome news to tech-watchers who found the feature sexist.

"When you see images like this, it's not hard to understand why a young woman would say that's not an industry I'm interested in," Skeet said.

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