Palo Alto Networks Slammed For Using Women As Props In 1960s-style 'Sexist' Marketing Tactics

Palo Alto Networks, a worldwide leader in cybersecurity, is facing a great deal of backlash following a recent trade fair event when two ladies were seen wearing lampshades on their heads. They were intended to highlight the “CyberRisk Collaborative Happy Hour" that Palo Alto Networks was sponsoring at the Black Hat conference. However, the promotional gimmick has drawn criticism, with some labelling it “tone deaf," “sexist" and “creepy."

In a LinkedIn post on Tuesday, CEO Nikesh Arora expressed regret, stating the exhibition was “neither consistent with our values nor in line with our actions and aspiration to support and celebrate women in cybersecurity."

People vented their outrage on social media as soon as the models’ photos surfaced online. One of them, Security Maturity Strategist Olivia Rose, penned “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??" Rose questioned.

The incident was deemed “sexist" by LinkedIn user Sean Juroviesky, who took the picture of the women.

“What the hell Palo Alto Networks is it 1960?", he remarked.

Claiming to have attended the event, one Reddit user said they left early because it was “gross" and “creepy," as per BBC.

CEO Arora in his LinkedIn post said, “This is unequivocally not the culture we support, or aspire to be."

He continued by saying he wanted to reassure you that the company will do all in its power to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Arora went on to say that he would strongly advise everyone to see this as an “isolated incident" rather than as a practice that Palo Alto Networks endorses.

Palo Alto Networks’ official LinkedIn page published an apology letter from the CEO. The firm claimed to have looked into how the error happened and rectified it within the event team as well as the overall marketing department to guarantee that marketing requirements are regularly followed.

The BBC reports that the inspiration for the costumes seems to come from the ‘booth babes’ of the 1960s when women were employed as hostesses for events that attracted males.

It began to face criticism by the 1990s, and by the 2010s, the practice of using women—many of whom were wearing skimpy clothing—had all but vanished.