I care for a pony & a horse,
and I'd say the pony ( of the 2 ) is a LOT more aggressive than the horse.

Ponies are physically shorter, but are a different species ( from scrublands, apparently ), and therefore are *always* eating whatever's available:
one has to limit their access to food, or they'll die ( their leg-bones pierce through their hooves, can't remember what that condition's called, tho ).

Horses are from grasslands, so they're self-limiting, re food, and don't get that problem.

I'm not saying ponies are *inherently* more aggressive than horses ( unlikely, since they're all the same colour :), but if I had to choose one of the 2 I care-for, to carry me through battle, it'd be the pony, not the horse.

Young horses are foals, not ponies.

All our "children's books" that mislead us into ignorance, for sake of some cutsey-fication, oughta be annihilated & replaced with some more reality-gripping culture...

Cheerses, all,

Captain Obvious

Hey. I work full time and have a second job. I've raised 4 kids and more. But heck, I think they are cute! My last computer was pink. I also shop viable features like hard drive, processor, etc. but if I can get all the right electronics and a cute color, I'm all for it.

I agree with this whole article! I can say as a female myself that I don't like yoga and don't have any female friends that DO. People continue to try and market to a slim flawless housewife with more money than she can handle. Guess how common those are? Guess lower. Keep going, lower, lower... almost there.
It's not targeted marketing, because their target is such a tiny number of existing people. It's more like they tried to jump on board the hollywood stereotype that has more and more women suffering from depression because they can't keep up with it.
I for one use my computer to play video games, pirate software, write memos/stories, and keep in touch with people. I probably know more about computers than most men, and it's pretty offensive when a company comes to me marketing a bubblegum pink or powder blue laptop just because I select the radio button for "Female" on a survey or website sign-up somewhere.
I'm not a man-hating dyke nor am I a devout feminist or any other such thing, but I think if they're going to try and sell computers to women they need to give the women that buy laptops a bit more credit.
What's next? Somewhere to store your plastic face accessories?
/rant

Seriously, why aren't you in the kitchen?

Marketing at a specific demographic, in this case women who watch their diet closely, and meditate, and like pink and frilly things, is not sexist. It would be sexist to say all women are like that, but are they saying that? I seriously doubt it. You could market a laptop to black people who love KFC and watermelons, but guess what, unless you claim all black people love that stuff, it is NOT racism. All these -isms are being thrown around by over-righteous idiots who don't realize that just because something offends you, it does not mean it offends everyone, or is some out dated model of thought. Grow up and learn to accept that businesses, and people in general, can target a specific demographic without it being some form of discrimination we should abhor as a society.

I think you employ a logical fallacy when you say "In actual fact, the Della page is just one example of how the male dominated tech industry talks down to women." When you speaking of a company led by a woman, producing a product they're marketing towards women. Perhaps it's the self-devalued social standing of the American female that is so offensive here, and not the ad campaign that is only based in sales numbers and not sexist ideology.

(i.e. Dell doesn't care if they're selling a pink computer to women, they only care that they're selling *something* to someone. The women who buy into this on the other hand, and make it a profitable marketing ploy, are to blame for this sexism.)

Also, shaving your legs doesn't preclude you from being an anti-male feminist; it just means that you have a deluded sense of beauty that you apply to yourself.

Sylvie, that was an interesting snippet of information about you shaving your legs. Anything else? And please, please, can I watch?? 8-p

Women are different from men, they only appear foolish to us guys when they try to pretend that they are the same as men.

yeah.. sexist is if the machine was designed to make you into a model women. there assumptions that these are things women like to do majority of the time, is idiocy, not sexism. just cause there over targeting there market, doesn't mean there will be quotes on the Arabic site that tells the women to download and store videos on howto be a better submissive housewife.

lets all take a step back from the pc, dell is retarded, like any company. its funny you should point out religion. lets assume they are making one for pot heads, politicians and porn junkies next...

but in all, dells attempt to be effeminate backfired it seems. i mean, its like trying to make a monstertruck that appeals to women. i would say chicks, to refure to all females in general to age, but the author may read it and make a review on "those damned sexist comments"

Serves Dell right for trying to stuff

err_ ...

Sydney Smith, ... in his '
Lectures Delivered at the Royal
Institution,' 1824-26. His words are
:—' If you choose to represent the
various parts of life by holes upon a
table of different shapes, some
circular, some triangular, some
square,
some oblong, and the persons acting
these parts by bits of wood of similar
shapes, we shall generally find that
the triangular person has got into the
square hole, the oblong into the
triangular, and a square person has
squeezed himself into a round hole.'

their rectangular boxes into a round hole.

I dare say you catch my mid-drift.

"In actual fact, the Della page is just one example of how the male dominated tech industry talks down to women. "

Very interesting. A marketing program set up by women, based on market feedback they've had from women about how they use (or want to use) their computers, and test marketed to women with very favorable results.

Seems to me, Sylvie, that it's you who is playing with facts in order to advance your personal agenda or view of the world.

Dear dell, stop trying to turn computer girls into computer girly girls. Us guys would prefer that you turn them into gamers who aren't good enough to beat us.

-Thanks,
Guys

Sylvie:

I'm still saddened you were in Albany and didn't call me.

Where Dell went wrong is equating warm, nuturing, effeminate personalities with females in general. Now if they had marketed to those personality traits and displayed gay males as well as females, then no problem.

Dell should get over their gender stereotyping and realize they should be focusing on personality types. An untapped market as it were for marketing types.

Dell should market designs for:
Aggressive, hunter/seeker, testosterone laden types like most blue-collar men and dykes?

Cold, cerebral types like academics, other eggheads, both male and female, and frigid females.

A special design for Dr. Greg House and us other psychotics.

Think of the possibilities! Computers designed around each person's unique, quirky personality!

I agree with most people here, it's not sexist it's targeted marketing, in the same why bear commercials are usually of footballers, that's not saying all males like football it's targeting it at that group.
In the same why this site is not saying all women are into diets, cooking and yoga it is just aimed at the women who are.
Don't get so uptight about it, most gadgets aimed at men have half naked attractive women on the front that is not saying all men are stupid enough to buy something just because it has a hot chick on it's just aimed at those people.

Large area/low resolution LCDs... large print buttons, a single mouse button with silkscreened lids featuring Charelton Heston, John Wayne and President Roosevelt!

OK, because Dell makes a pretty pink laptop (I seen a pink Sony in Best Buy just the other day) that means they are sexist. We do have different tastes and if Dell wants to cater/target specific groups, more power to them. I personally don't care much for branded PCs but you have to buy one if you are getting a laptop. Options is a good thing, free markets and all.

Sexism isn't the problem, it's not having enough. Everythings gone down hill since they got the vote IMHO.

ait-bay roll-tay

Sylvie,

I liked your use of "little pony". Good work, now incorporate it into your next article.
As for Stevie, you are at the wrong website. There are other websites that will provide you what you are demanding. Go there.
I don't know if the campaign is sexist or not, but it is condescending. Not unlike the link that Olaf provided. The adds do make me just shake my head in wonder.

It's amazing how some companies treat you broads.

You 'll have to show us a picture of your legs so we can make sure they are shaved.
After watching your video of punching the stuffing out of that bag nobody will ever accuse you of owning a "Della". lol

The word I used was "imagine".

Racism and sexism are not totally different - they certainly have more in common than fish and bicycles.

I've got a vision of Orwell's O'Brien saying "calm down dear it's only marketing".

...but this is something that intensely irritates me in every form I encounter it.

Every time I see a razor ad involving ROCKETS! or SPORTS! and SQUARE BESTUBBLED JAWLINES! I become mildly infuriated. This winds me up the same way. The first thing I saw was the picture of the oh-so-pretty laptops with their plastic-faced users and I started to immmediately get annoyed.

I know, I should let it all wash over me and not get annoyed, but somehow I can't. And as the incidences of this style of marketing become more and more frequent, all I can do is watch my blood pressure rise.

Thanks for this article. Sometimes I just need to know that there are others that absolutely hate this stuff as much as I do.

But it isn't targeted at a racial group. Racism and sexism are totally different issues. In any case no-one is forcing you to read the website. If you don't like what it says then just go to the normal dell site. Everyone makes stereotypes. I'm sure you do too. Calm down dear it's only a marketing gimmick!

...While you steadily become fatter and fatter, and more palid and embarrsing, because you spend your entire life sitting in the dark with your laptop, rather than actually doing any yoga or excersise.

In a world where many people buy computers in order to become retribution-spec paladins, or frost mages, it's refreshing to see Dell using the concept of buying a computer in order to watch videos of real life.

Imagine the same article but with targeted marketing at a racial group using stereotypes of that group. That would definitely fall into the racist group.

Women know your limits!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjxY9rZwNGU

but it is gender stereotyping

both genders gender stereotype, but no two people gender stereotype in quite the same way!

personally I dont believe a word of it and firmly believe that at the heart of every fluffy bunnygirl there is a frustrated carnivore seeking prey

:p

I demand naked women!

@Ash: Supply and demand. If there is a demand for naked women, there will be a supply.

You didn't say 'sexism' seeing almost naked girls with devices at exhibitions and advertisements.

Honestly, the stupid crap people get worked up over never ceases to amaze.

They use sports to sell deodorant to guys. I don't like sports, but I use deodorant. Who cares? A lot of guys like sports, just like a lot of women like Yoga.

Take a breath, realize it's just a stupid marketing gimmick, and get on with your life.

...I so love your writing.

Sure, not all women are like this.. but some are, and I've met them. So if this campaign works, it's not sexist, it's targeted marketing.

You are correct, this initiative pre-dates the new CMO, but it was developed and championed by a cross-functional team of women. Their U.S. consumer marketing and IT leaders are women.

How does that factor into your critique/analysis?

Women can use computers? Come on!

Are the Della site servers yoghurt powered?

Dudette, you're getting a Dell!