"Yeah! Women are just as good as men," whereas to me it says, "Businesses owned by women can't compete, so we need this seal so you will help us."

In a word.....agree.

I don't care what gender owns the company that makes my brownie mix. I care if the brownie mix is good.

You mean all this time Betty Crockery and Aunt Jemima haven't been made by women? I'm shocked; shocked I say.
================================================

I'm with Nick. I don't care what you have between your legs; does it taste good?

Oh, I don't know, it kind of reminds me of coffee or tea packages that say "rainforest friendly," or "fair trade certified" or whatever. It's just advertsing copy, and the "woman-owned" label doesn't moved me any more than a label saying "organic."

What would bother me is if a woman-owned brownie mix company was guaranteed a certain market share by force of law. The federal government does this from time to time when contracting for services, setting aside solicitations for small businesses, minority-owned, veteran-owned, woman-owned businesses, and so forth.

Jim P., may I assume your phrasing was deliberate?

"I'm with Nick. I don't care what you have between your legs; does it taste good?"

HA! Oh I really hope his phrasing was deliberate....

"Certified Woman-Owned."

Is generally a crock of horse manure.

I live in a state capital, and many of the local contractor companies are "woman owned" to get points added to their score sheet when bidding on city, county or state jobs. Many of these so called "women owned" companies are nothing more than the husband transferring the company's title to his wife's name.

The company is otherwise the same as it was before the transfer.

I don't care what you have between your legs; does it taste good?

Would you like to rephrase that?

Big deal that it's woman-owned. I want to see a 100% female workforce. I don't want any penis cooties in my brownies.

I once ran into some vendors when out for lunch.

We sat together, and they waved at somebody across the dining room, who I didn't recognize, and I thought I knew everybody there.

"Who's that?" "Oh, he's the owner".

"Wait, what?" In my years of dealing with them, escalating issues (including some that had lawyers involved with the gear they were reselling), this guy had never come into play,

Older black guy, nice suit, sitting by himself.

"Yeah, he owns [the vendor company] and [two or three other companies that I recognized has having a lot of State-government business]."

"Really?"

Seems they paid him $40k or so yearly (for each company!), he signed the paperwork to "own" the company, and all he had to be was black to be "minority-owned" and get the State business.

(No, you didn't have to be "minority-owned" to get the business, but dear $DIETY the paperwork if you tried to sole-source something that wasn't.) (Women count for "Minority", too, apparently.)

Well, you know, since it's a brownie mix, and since we all know women's place is in the kitchen, it seems kinda redundant, right?

Seriously, I kinda wonder how long until somebody decides to get litigious and say it's sexist (because it's kitchen-related).

How is this different from using a picture of a pretty girl in an ad? They're selling a lifestyle, a self-image... whether you feel like using the product will make you sexy or make you businessy, it all comes down to they want you to buy it.

Sigh. Low-carb brownies please.

"Certified Woman-Owned."
Brownie Company.

OK, wake me when a company that goes AGAINST stereotype has major stuff... like let's say:
Snap-On Tools, Certified Woman-Owned Corporation

That might be amusing. Otherwise it's just a marketing ploy to pander to an audience that somehow thinks this is a good thing.

Let me know when there's an airplane that's certified designed and built by an all-woman team. I'll be sure to book a flight.

I don't care what you have between your legs; does it taste good?

That's hilarious. -- Amy Alkon at March 25, 2013 9:19 AM

Glad I could give you a smile. I was rushing when I posted that. What I meant to say:

I don't care what you have between your legs; does your product taste good? Is it nominally safe?

I hope everyone had a good chuckle.

You did for me Jim P. However, one vision made me smile and the other just made me throw up a little in my mouth.

> That's hilarious.

THERE IS NO WAY JIM P KNEW HOW FUNNY THAT WAS WHEN HE SAID IT.

A statistical counter-certainty... A metaphysical impossibility. Didn't happen.