2007-06-28 20:19:54
Did we go too far?
The latest element of our Evil Mastermind advertising campaign is a Flash banner ad which is currently running over at DotNetJunkies. It should appear at the top of the page, but our ad is just one of several in a rotation, so you may have to hit reload a few times to see it. Or, spare the DotNetJunkies people the extra server load and go see the ad on our website.
I have a serious question about this ad, but you need to see it first. So go watch it now.
And if you haven't read our full-length comic book, you need to at least skim it. Come back here when you're done. I'll wait.
Done?
Good. Now I have a question to ask, but I'm having trouble figuring out to phrase it. Try this:
Did we go too far?
Wait, that question isn't specific enough. Try this:
How do you feel about the way the female characters are portrayed in our comics?
Prior to the full-length comic book, I believe we were completely above reproach. The only women in our comic were minions (the minions are the smart people). All the minions dress the same, in T-shirts and jeans, regardless of their gender.
But the full length comic book is a little bit edgier:
- On the first page there is a character named London Hampton. She's a spoiled celebrity heiress to a billionaire hotel fortune. She's fully dressed, but her clothes are not exactly modest.
- Later in the story we introduce a character named Ada Deadlock. Ada is an outside consultant brought in as a project manager to keep the minions in line. She is a female counterpart to the Evil Mastermind. Once again, she is fully dressed, but her closet is apparently devoid of anything with a high neckline.
These two characters have raised a few eyebrows. Not everyone approves.
Background
Our industry isn't exactly gender-balanced. I still remember the year that Julie Lerman scanned the Tech-Ed speaker list and noticed that the female speakers were outnumbered by the speakers named Brian. I don't want our company to be contributing to the problem.
I have two daughters. I bristle a bit when I think about the subtle ways that the world may be steering them away from certain kinds of opportunities.
So I get annoyed when I flip open a magazine and see a software company using provocative pictures of women in their ad. If you're advertising a grid control or a reporting tool, show me the product, not the model you hired.
Back to my question
Anyway, I'm hearing people complain about our comic in exactly the same way that I complain about booth babes at trade shows. Have I become a hypocrite? I hope not.
Personally, I don't think SourceGear has crossed the line.
- We're dealing with female characters as part of a story, not a product ad with a completely gratuitous photo.
- Our stuff is extremely tame in contrast with what is typical of the comic genre today.
- I'll admit that London Hampton is cut from an unfortunate stereotype, but we're poking fun at a specific real-world celebrity who is apparently cut from that same unfortunate stereotype.
- Ada Deadlock is drawn as an attractive woman, but she is also smart and powerful.
So I'm pleading "not guilty", but I still consider this issue to be important. I'd be interested in the opinions of my readers on this matter. Am I wrong? Did we go too far? Feel free to post a comment here or send me an email.