Della: Dell's Modest Proposal For Women

Are you a woman? If you are, Dell thinks the best reasons you might use a computer involve looking up recipes, counting calories and watching videos about cooking. At least, that's what Della, the computer manufacturer's new site aimed at marketing toward women, thinks.

A word to Dell: The kitchen floor called; the feet walking on it are barefoot no longer.

Ostensibly designed to promote the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook, the site immediately created a firestorm in the blogosphere. One of the sections on the site, called "Tech Tips," laid out in plain terms that netbooks would be great for women who spend most of their time in the kitchen. The section outlined easy ways for women to find the aforementioned recipes, calorie counters and cooking videos.

Golly gee!

Apparently, Martha Stewart was a little too busy to shill for the site. Then again, it's possible she might've hauled off on someone if they'd insulted her intelligence in that way. Let's not forget, Martha has done time, during which she undoubtedly repainted her cell walls a gentle shade of cyan and made hors d'oeuvres out of prison cell mattresses.

Right, Dell?

Since the uproar, Dell has updated the Tech Tips portion of the Web site. Now, womankind can find tips on using the Inspiron Mini 10 to get organized, get smarter, get moving, get more (storage) and get up and travel.

The current scuttlebutt -- sorry, is that word too strong for the ladies, Dell? -- the rumor going around is that the site was developed by 30 women inside Dell itself, according to some recollections by a Dell spokesperson.

Which provokes a very strong question: Really? A group of 30 well-educated, strong women working for a major corporation gathered together and came up with a marketing plan that targeted the oldest stereotypes in the book?

That's about as believable as Della actually getting the green light from the computer manufacturer. Oh, wait.

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