Dell’s Sexist “Site For Girls”
Finally! Girls can use computers, too! Dell launched a website this month geared towards women, called “Della”. It originally featured tech “tips” recommending calorie counting, finding recipes and watching cooking videos as ways for women to get the most from a laptop.
TOP 5 WORST FEATURES
ON THE ORIGINAL DELLA SITE
5. Detailed instructions on how to use simple online tools, including Google and Flickr. For those of us who just discovered the internet.
4. Promoting laptops as hot new fashion accessories, because that’s the only reason we’d buy anything technological.
3. Frequent use of the words “totally”, “adorable” and “cute”, because that’s like totally the way we all talk n’ stuff.
2. Offering ways to track calorie, carb and protein intake, and plan “awesome workouts”. Because weight is way more important than education or professional skills.
1. Informing us that, “Once you get beyond ‘OMG-that’s-so-cute-I-want-one!’ (a totally understandable response)…”, you’ll find that it can do more than just check e-mail or shop online.
It was only a matter of hours before the backlash began. Women and men bombarded Dell with complaints and hate mail, followed soon by countless scathing online reviews. This forced the company to rapidly reevaluate their approach, and remove some of the most inflammatory features. Della’s site editor recently acknowledged the new changes, saying, “You spoke; we listened. Thank you for your ongoing feedback.”
However, some sexist clichés take longer to strike from the collective subconscious. In other words, even though Dell claims to have amended its patronizing, stereotype-laden marketing campaign, there is still some work to be done. Just a few short paragraphs below the editor’s response to critics, the site suggests women use laptop tools like “Gyminee [to] help you track workouts and reach your fitness goals. You can even map out new running routes via sites like Map My Run.” This was their way of “tastefully rephrasing” the applications which monitored weight and calories.
Della wants you to know their laptops are sweet n’ cute, just like that chihuahua you carry when you get a manicure! And they know thinness and low weight are top priority, emphasizing how the netbooks can be as thin as 1.1″, and a waif-like 2.5lb. If Dell was marketing to men, they would surely use a completely different vocabulary when describing compactness and portability.
And since women apparently know much more about fashion than technology, Della’s made their new “Adamo” ad look more like a fashion editorial piece than a computer commercial. Who cares about practical and professional applications, when you can have a hot new clothing accessory?
- Excerpts from Della’s new ADAMO commercial
That trend, so to speak, continues with Della’s current featured spokesperson, fashion expert Robyn Moreno. The site makes no attempt to explain by any stretch of the imagination how she could possibly be relevant to computer technology.
Andrea Learned, a marketing expert and author of “Don’t Think Pink — What Really Makes Women Buy”, says Dell’s attempt to reach the female demographic is “condescending to women… There’s a level of consumer sophistication they’re missing,” and “that’s when they start getting into trouble.”
Laptop Magazine’s Joanna Stern was among the many outraged by the site. “Guess what, Dell?” she writes, “Women ARE tech-savvy and shouldn’t be placed in a separate box when it comes to technology. We don’t need a Petticoat 5 “ or a site instructing us how to use a laptop. “It is my hope,” she says, “that we can say Ciao to Della, very soon.”
Source:
“Dear Della, Sexism Doesn’t Sell Laptops” // Laptop Mag Online (Joanna Stern) May 12, 2009
“What Do Women Want in a Laptop” // New York Times: Technology (Jenna Wortham) May 14, 2009
If you don’t like it show a bit more intelligence and move on. It’s not sexist, it’s not saying Women are inferior in any way to anyone or anything. It is simply picking up on trends backed up by STATISTICS in order to appeal to those who ARE less tech savvy and DO find interest in such characteristics that are marketed.
This site was never intended to offend anyone and why should it? You are obviously not the targeted Demographic. It never says that Women cannot be interested in Tech or are unintelligent or ‘not in the know’.
A large enough amount of Women, to warrant this site being produced, are exactly like, what you don’t want Women to be. They will, see the laptop as a Fashion accessory. They will, be interested at looking at dietary information. And yes they may, infact, be extremely grateful for the detailed instructions on how to use social services, like Flikr for the first time. (Obviously to upload pictures of their dogs in handbags <–[Sarcasm])
And like omg guys once you so totally get over yourselves you’ll see that not all Women are the same. Effectivly what you have done here is to almost contradict yourself in an attempt to group all women as Techy people. And let me tell you! My Chihuahua, Manicure Technician and I certainly know that everyone out there is different and do not need you telling us what we don’t want. I’ll decide that myself. Show some character and accept that some Women are interested in Fashion, Dieting and have never used the internet for more than reading an email.
If you’re looking at the Della site as it stands now, then yes, it is improved somewhat. The original site was so offensive that within hours they had to take it down, due to complaints and hate mail.
If you know all of this, and are still insisting that it in no way patronizes or insults women, then you are part of the problem.
Well perhaps the ‘Original’ was much harsher than I can imagine and obviously so to warrant such drastic measures, and I admit, without seeing the original my opinion can’t hold much ground. I just worry that people may take political correctness too far. It is already the case that ‘positive discrimination’ is acceptable. But that is of course a whole other issue.
As a thought experiment, is there any issue short of life-threatening that a feminist can complain about, that won’t cause somebody to pop up and describe it as “political correctness [taken] too far”?
Correcting Dell on this issue is not political correctness taken too far. Who wants to buy a product that basically says that you are too stupid to use it? You don’t have to be a comp sci major to type in Google. Dell completely missed the mark with the campaign, plain and simple.
Then perhaps the product is not targeted at you. Sony’s new CS series can be argued to assume all Teenagers see their Laptops as a fashion accessory and that we are so simple that a flashing light entertains us. But If I do not like this product that assumes the simpleness of my age group I’m not going to buy it but like to think I understand that many are drawn in by such things. It’s corporate. These marketing techniques MAKE money. It won’t stop.
In response to Matt. No. There are a HUGE amount of issues affecting Women that NEED to be addressed. Men getting payed more than Women is atrocious! It affects their lives and is grossly unfair. Women who do not understand computers, with certain interests, being the subject of marketing? Now protesting this could be seen as unfair to the computer illiterate. Now of course you can argue to balance it out why not market like this to men aswell?
They do: There are several Car based laptops. The Ferrari Laptop and the Lamborghini Laptop. The campaigns there assume that men are all into cars. ‘Why not use this laptop to plan your next driving trip. Heres how (in detail) to use Google Maps’ But of course many are into cars and driving, not all, but many.
It’s statistics and I perosnally don’t beleive the Della website was driven by anything other than the will to advertise to a new market in order to make money. I don’t believe there was any sexist intent.
Out of curiosity perhaps someone could ascertain the ratios of Men:Women on the Della site team and how many Women were on board with the project.
Wow Lizzy, (Morgan Elisabeth) “If you know all of this, and are still insisting that it in no way patronizes or insults women, then you are part of the problem”?
Didn’t you claim, “[We] have no desire to censor anyone. … Instead, our aim is to empower those of you negatively affected [...], so you can determine your own truth, and shape your own reality.” It seems 02P is trying to determine her own truth; why not let her?
The Light runs a Christian website. just thought everyone should know his agenda.