Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Sexy Baristas

At first glance I just thought this article about scantily clad coffee girls was pretty funny, but once I got into it it really troubled me. I hate to be yet another person in media crying sexism, but I certainly don't see any sexed up male baristas in the pictures. Also it raises some disturbing questions about consumers. Steve McDaniel, owner of Java Girls said in the article that "we stimulate the sexual imagination to drive our coffee sales". Does your sexual imagination really need to be stimulated while buying coffee? And while I know that good latte making abilities and hotness are not mutually exclusive, I can't help but think that these girls are probably not hired for how well they make coffee. The author of the article seems to have a bemused tone, and I guess I shouldn't take it so seriously, but I must admit that it bothers me that the people of Seattle are willing to wait in line for inferior coffee just so they can ogle their latte girl's garters.

2 comments:

James V. R. said...

Sadly, this does not surprise me at the least bit. It is exactly like Hooters. A place everyone is familiar with, where groups of men wait to be served sub-par wings by very attractive women wearing risque clothing. I'd rather go to Hamilton's where i can barely see people, and eat a lot of wings for a very little price. It just goes back to the age old phrase, "sex sells."

Lynch said...

Where is this coffee shop?! The only problem I see with this is that it just does not seem safe to be handling steamed milk in the buck. Ouch.

And thank the lord they do not have male baristas. That just does not seem sanitary.


PS the hamiltons wings are as about as attractive as the average warhorse working at a Hooters in Ohio.