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Geek Girl On The Street Reports: Show Me Your Booth Babes… With Brains by Kat Engh

Ah yes, the age-old debate: booth babes, ban 'em or bring 'em on?

It's not a new discussion topic; booth babes have existed longer than the mini skirt. Everyone knows that sex sells, but when you're standing on the floor of a convention brimming with genius IQs and let's face it, a shitload of expertise on all things comic-related, is it possible that there are more effective marketing approaches that tap into the intellectual space of your mind more fully than just a sexy gimmick?

Nearly four years ago, I worked on a marketing team promoting the 25th anniversary DVD release of Blade Runner by walking the floor of San Diego Comic Con with a dozen or so Rachael and Zhora look-alikes. While our team did have a number of fairly handsome Harrison Ford look-alikes walking the floor over the weekend, the numbers of photos and emails they collected didn't nearly match the women's. Something about handsome, shirtless six-packs wandering the aisles in floor-length, open trench coats didn't really appeal to con-goers the way that bikinis and boots did.

Imagine that.

Waving T & A alone is taking your potential audience for granted, men and women included. It should come as no surprise that we were met with a number of die hard Blade Runner fans throughout the convention — the folks who could chart the similarities and differences between the film and Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? from memory and practically re-enact the entire movie right then and there. What I found discouraging for these superfans, however, was the moment they realized that while nice, neither of the women I worked with knew a damn thing about Blade Runner, let alone their own characters prior to or during the con. Zhora's look-alike spent half of the weekend thinking she was Daryl Hannah. I, the average-looking girl in the loose Blade Runner t-shirt and jeans, was the one meeting these fans at their moments of excitement, answering questions and discussing whether Harrison Ford actually performed his own stunts. You'd be surprised how many fans were more interested in talking content over admiring aesthetics.

I am all for celebrating the female form; hell, I've been known to throw a killer pinup party. I am the last woman you'll find keeping her curves hidden under a tent. That said, the way I feel about women is the way I feel about my men; the smarter and the nerdier, the better, and I'm fairly certain I'm not alone in this feeling. If you drop a dumb blond in the middle of a comic book convention and slap a Marvel tee on her, she is not an expert of Marvel heroes who wants to geek out with you about the upcoming Captain America film. The fact is, she's a dumb blond in a tight t-shirt getting paid to be, well, a dumb blond in a tight t-shirt, and for every drooling wolf in nerd clothing who is totally horndogged into buying whatever the ladies schill, I'm willing to bet there is a potential superfan who is frustrated that he can't talk to someone more knowledgeable.

And furthermore, in a time when more and more fangirls are flocking to conventions to let their geek flags fly proudly alongside the boys, is it still worth it as a vendor to have booth babes? If you are a woman, walk into any booth where all of the "reps" on hand are women in thigh-highs and heels, and see how long you wait before someone acknowledges you. These women may not always know much about what they're promoting, but they know who their target audience is, and it rarely has breasts. Standing outside of WonderCon this year, I watched one woman after another get completely ignored by an admittedly gorgeous leather-bound zombified female rep handing out flyers for a new horror show. She apparently had no use for us. Maybe women just don't like horror. Ha.

This isn't completely par for the course where booth babes are concerned. I can absolutely overlook the cleavage if I can have a real conversation with the skin-baring women, and there have been plenty of occasions where I have nerded out with a booth babe with brains. The same day that I witnessed women get snubbed by one horror show rep, I had a great zombie chat with the Creepy KOFY Movie Time Girls at their booth. These are the women you want working your table, whether they're wearing six-inch platform stripper heels or comfortable Converse, because regardless of how they dress, their ability to do more than be a display item makes attendees all the more comfortable with being at your table, even other women.

I don't even begrudge them the right to wear low-cuts and stripper heels. This is a comic convention for crissake; when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and here, we take our right to Cosplay seriously. I just ask that vendors consider that the majority of people on the floor who go to these events are there because we actually enjoy comics. We know our stuff; your employees, booth babes included, should too.

Kat Engh is a book publishing publicist by day and the Managing Editor of Geek Girl on the Street.com by night.  She has a penchant for well-structured dresses, cutting edge technology and design, indie music and film, DIY craft time, and good, strong cups of coffee. Kat's Stuff: Pin and Hem | @katengh

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