A California-based cybersecurity company has found itself at the center of a heated controversy over what many have deemed “sexist” hostess lampshade outfits displayed at a recent event. The uproar began when a photo from the event, featuring two women wearing company-branded lampshades on their heads, was shared online. The image quickly went viral, but not for the reasons the company might have hoped.
Social media erupts in protest
The incident occurred at the CyberRisk Collaborative Happy Hour event, sponsored by Palo Alto Networks, during the Black Hat conference. As soon as the photo surfaced on social media, users were quick to voice their discontent.
Among the outraged was Olivia Rose, founder and Chief Information Security Officer of RoseCISO Group. She took to LinkedIn with a scathing critique: Shame. Shame. Shame on you, both Palo Alto Networks and CyberRisk Collaborative. So we women are nothing more than props to you? We are only at BlackHat to be lampshade holders??
Are those intended to represent bright ideas inside our heads or… just light bulbs?
Shame on you. Just shame.
Do better. It’s really not that hard.
A nod to the past?
According to a report by the BBC, the concept of women dressed in such outfits appears to be inspired by the “booth babes” from the early Consumer Electronics Show in the 1960s. Back then, it was common to hire women as hostesses at male-dominated events. However, by the 1990s, the practice faced significant backlash, and by the 2010s, it had mostly been phased out.
Indian-origin CEO issues apology
The backlash prompted a swift response from Palo Alto Networks’ Indian-origin CEO, Nikesh Arora. “Let me be clear: what occurred was unacceptable. We could have, and should have, done better. We will do better,” he stated in a LinkedIn post.
Arora further elaborated, “Investigated how the error occurred and addressed the issue within our event team and the entire marketing organization to ensure that we consistently follow our marketing guidelines.”
Mixed reactions to the apology
While many praised Arora for his prompt and decisive response, others questioned how the idea was approved in the first place. One user commented, “I feel like someone with a brain should’ve stopped this when it was actually live. What does that say for everyone working there? We wait for our prompt leader to send an email?! This reminds me of Beauty and the Beast, where everyone was under a curse and the villagers didn’t care as well.”
Another added, “This thing is, to get this to the conference floor, multiple people would have signed off on this which means your company really failed the smell test. This is not just a marketing problem. And this is more than a diversity problem, it’s a misogyny problem.”
About Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks is an American multinational company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Specializing in cybersecurity, the company helps organizations prevent cyber breaches, ensuring the safety and integrity of their digital infrastructures.