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Silicon Valley Is Sneaking Models into This Year’s Holiday Parties

bloomberg.com

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Re: Silicon Valley Is Sneaking Models into This Year’s Holiday Parties

#141

Post by jmagoon »

notyourday wrote: post #133
bdcravens wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you want more women at the event This has nothing to do with equality. They aren't hiring these models as equals, but for the misogynistic dynamic (while removing the organic nature of opposite-sex interaction)

> while removing the organic nature of opposite-sex interaction One needs to be absolutely insane to organically interact with a co-worker of opposite sex at a company social events considering the popularity of all kinds of sexual harassment claims.

I really hope that you're joking. You don't know how to interact with the opposite sex without it being sexual harassment? Or are you saying that all the women making those claims are frauds who treat non harassment as harassment?

Re: Silicon Valley Is Sneaking Models into This Year’s Holiday Parties

#142

Post by bdcravens »

throwaway0255 wrote: post #47
bdcravens wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you want more women at the event This has nothing to do with equality. They aren't hiring these models as equals, but for the misogynistic dynamic (while removing the organic nature of opposite-sex interaction)

> They aren't hiring these models as equals, but for the misogynistic dynamic Interesting, my mind goes straight to this being incredibly demeaning toward the legitimate male attendees of the party. Didn't even occur to me that somebody would have the opposite interpretation. That'd be my only thought at the party. "They had to pay this good-looking person to pretend to talk to me." I don't see how this is misogynist…

The focus is on the attractiveness of the women, and the presence of women for men's sake. Misogyny is degrading to everyone involved.

Re: Silicon Valley Is Sneaking Models into This Year’s Holiday Parties

#143

Post by olalonde »

MadSudaca wrote: post #119
graphitezepp wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This would actually freak me out, I would probably need to leave immediately once I understood what was happening.

why?

Like joining a soccer game and finding out half the other team was hired to let you score goals -- not a very stimulating experience if you ask me.

Re: Silicon Valley Is Sneaking Models into This Year’s Holiday Parties

#144

Post by RealGeek »

ardit33 wrote: post #57
davidu wrote: post #7

Pathetic. The whole point is to celebrate with the employees and their families and recognize the hard work everyone has put in over the year. A stranger not connected to an employee would take away from that value. If you want more women at the event, hire more women at the company and create a culture that encourages that.

"If you want more women at the event, hire more women at the company and create a culture that encourages that." -- Yes, some magic wand will solve it? If they are tech companies and engineers are the primary value drivers, and only 16% of CS grads are female, what kind of rock will they find balanced workforce? Companies hire because they need people to feel a role, (eg. engineers, marketing, sales, hr... etc). If t…

> I live in NYC, and they have the opposite is here, most PR or fashion firms are more female dominated...

In NYC the tech companies are also diverse. They solve problems of other industries with tech and hire for many different roles besides engineers. Tech companies in NYC generally have significantly more women compared to Silicon Valley.

Re: Silicon Valley Is Sneaking Models into This Year’s Holiday Parties

#146

Post by mywittyname »

workthrowaway27 wrote: post #41
nimbius wrote: post #18

When attendance is so important to leadership theyre willing to do anything to insist their holiday parties are somehow different than any other corporations awkward, two drink ticket catered navel gazing event. 'non mandatory employee engagement' is generally how HR describes these sterile lifeless get-togethers. This inevitably gets translated into "i strongly encourage my team to attend" by management, which in tu…

I always heard no one ever gets promoted at the holiday party, but plenty of people get fired. So I show up early, have two drinks, say hi, and leave before doing anything regrettable.

I even skip the drinks.

Re: Silicon Valley Is Sneaking Models into This Year’s Holiday Parties

#147

Post by ImSkeptical »

jerf wrote: post #53
User23 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why should these women be denied the opportunity to do this job, supposing they want to do it?

That's not the problem anyone is having with this.

It seems like you're suggesting women should be free to do this, but men should be shamed for asking women to do it - which seems like a weird position to hold.

I can imagine some harm comes from this - e.g. an employee is mistaken for a model, or perhaps an employee is never mistaken for a model, but the magnitude of the harm doesn't seem so severe, and seems comparable to the benefit - the party is more fun.

I know why people have an intuitive dislike for this, it calls to mind paying for sex, sounds pathetic, and feels possibly misogynistic, but logically, I can't defend any of those positions myself.

Re: Silicon Valley Is Sneaking Models into This Year’s Holiday Parties

#148

Post by bdcravens »

workthrowaway27 wrote: post #50
bdcravens wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of things have been standard practices in various industries for decades. That doesn't mean they should be, and today's world gives everyone a new voice to challenge these kind of things.

What's the issue with this exactly? The models are getting paid. Presumably no one is compelled to work as a hired model at one of these events.

It's social papier-mâché, and the fakeness is demeaning.

However, that aside, the lack of disclosure is unethical.

Re: Silicon Valley Is Sneaking Models into This Year’s Holiday Parties

#149

Post by notyourday »

jmagoon wrote: post #141
notyourday wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> while removing the organic nature of opposite-sex interaction One needs to be absolutely insane to organically interact with a co-worker of opposite sex at a company social events considering the popularity of all kinds of sexual harassment claims.

I really hope that you're joking. You don't know how to interact with the opposite sex without it being sexual harassment? Or are you saying that all the women making those claims are frauds who treat non harassment as harassment?

I like the money that I make. My solution is to avoid any and all interaction that is not mandatory.

Re: Silicon Valley Is Sneaking Models into This Year’s Holiday Parties

#150

Post by zeveb »

jdavis703 wrote: post #10

This is not new for sure, but it deserves discussion in light of the #metoo movement. In SV we're supposed to be innovators, why aren't we leading the way towards a more equal society? If our holiday parties are boring because we've hired a masculine monoculture, then maybe the solution is to hire more diverse people the entire year. It's objectifying to women and minorities if the only time we're hired is to make so…

> If our holiday parties are boring because we've hired a masculine monoculture, then maybe the solution is to hire more diverse people the entire year.

Perhaps companies are hiring based on performance at work, rather than performance at parties?

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