# Nikon's D850 product champions: 32 dudes, 0 ladies



## ahsanford (Sep 14, 2017)

Ouch:
https://petapixel.com/2017/09/14/nikon-slammed-promoting-d850-asia-32-men-0-women/

- A


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## AlanF (Sep 14, 2017)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-41266234

*Nikon in spotlight over sexism row*


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## ahsanford (Sep 14, 2017)

Not to say that the quorum should have been 50-50. It should reflect the market segment, which I think we'd all expect is somewhat skewed towards XY.

But, for consideration:
https://www.learn.usa.canon.com/dlc/contributors/explorers.spr

That's 20% ladies by my count (8/40). In fairness that link is from the US EOL site, so potentially the gender makeup in Asia/Africa/Oceania's list of pro product champions is different.

- A


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## ethanz (Sep 14, 2017)

I thought Nikon could do no wrong? 

In that article it does say they invited some women but they could not come. Given the culture of those regions, would there be many women photographers? I've never traveled there so I can't speak about it. I know here in USA there are lots of women photographers. Given how many women there are here, you'd have to be intentional to pick only men out of 32 photographers here. 

If we are talking about having diversity, that event was going to represent Africa, yet they didn't have any blacks. 

I don't think too much should be made of this their blunder though...


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## Mikehit (Sep 14, 2017)

I don't know whether there is a real discussion to be had here, but I am getting tired of the way social media tries to wring complaints of sexism and racism from almost any situation. It has got to the the point where even the most justifiable complaint engenders in me a first reaction of little more than 'yeah, whatever...'


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## ahsanford (Sep 14, 2017)

ethanz said:


> I don't think too much should be made of this their blunder though...



Just making fun of a classic marketing blunder, that's all. I doubt anyone will lose their job over this -- it's much more PR embarrassing than it is a threat to business.

But the odd coincidence that only dudes could make it is pretty weak. That works for candids at a workship, not for a deliberately assembled/reviewed/approved list of professional pushing your product. That means that many levels of Nikon's organization laid an egg by either missing / not saying anything and then approving all of it.

Photographer at event: "Really? All dudes? Hmmm. Whatever."
Editor going through all the headshots: "Huh. All dudes. That's weird."
Marketing person assembling the adverts/collaterals/web materials: "How 'bout that? It's all dudes!"
Marketing management signing off on said collaterals: "Nice work -- where do I sign?"

This isn't about 'it should be 50-50', equal representation, etc. nearly so much as what is (presumably) the men* performing the chain of work above didn't think 32-0 was odd at all.

*10.6% women at Nikon corporate, apparently.

- A


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## Sporgon (Sep 14, 2017)

What's all the fuss about ? The Nikon D850 is clearly a _mans_ camera.


( :-X )


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## 9VIII (Sep 14, 2017)

This is all total nonsense.

It's extremely insensitive of everyone to just "assume" that none of the people in the Nikon promotion would self-identify as a women.

(The first line should be taken seriously, the second line is sarcasm meant to point out the inherent hypocrisy of modern social standards.)


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## ethanz (Sep 14, 2017)

9VIII said:


> It's extremely insensitive of everyone to just "assume" that none of the people in the Nikon promotion would self-identify as a women.



I liked when someone pointed that out in the comments to that article.


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## Talys (Sep 14, 2017)

Sporgon said:


> What's all the fuss about ? The Nikon D850 is clearly a _mans_ camera.
> 
> 
> ( :-X )



Maybe you're onto something. 45 of the female photographers approached said, "Thanks, I'll keep my Canon", and the other 5 said, "I like my Sony - Pass". 

I just goes to show that ladies are smarter than gents ;D


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## Maximilian (Sep 15, 2017)

Sometimes I wonder if too many people mix up

equality = same rights, same chances, same possibilities, same opportunities (but not necessarily same choices)

with

conformity = everything must be in relation to norms (and the individual choice can lead to exclusion)

I really hope that we can achieve (social) equality one day - but not conformity.


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## mjg79 (Sep 15, 2017)

This is going to get very depressing if we have feminism now invading photography. They do tend to pick one area and just relentlessly attack and most corporate structures now bow down to their nonsense. It will do no good to try to give an inch to placate them, they just relentlessly attack and moan and nag and it is just very unpleasant. I'm a gamer and have seen the world of gaming torn apart with all this over the past few years where once we were just left alone, indeed most women ridiculed us from the age of 15 onwards and mocked us and then a decade later the feminists want to just walk in to the top positions, now everything has to be seen through the prism of "sexism". It touches so many nerves, there is never any resolving the issues as feminists essentially want a utopian ideal that conflicts with human nature so the only way they are ever satisfied is with some authoritarian attempt to change human nature.

Men and women are different. No normal person has any problem with this. I just hope this blows over and they go looking for other targets. If Nikon starts apologising and begging for forgiveness then the feminists will smell blood and we will see more and more of this nonsense in the coming years.

So you spent years learning your craft and getting credentials for the photographers' area at your local sports stadium? Tough luck for you, you sexist, it should be 50% female. And how dare you produce photographs of healthy women? Stop fat shaming! etc etc That sort of nonsense will be seen more and more.


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