What's with Microsoft Xbox's Fascination with Catholic School Girls?

© Jennifer Scheurle @Gaohmee / Twitter

Microsoft faces the glare of women everywhere after addressing its gender hiring issues in the worst way possible by booking scantily clad “Irish Catholic schoolgirls” for its St Patrick's Day party at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The company, which on its website states the aim of "recognizing and encouraging technical women," hired the dancers for an after-party attended by mostly male professionals from the gaming industry, which is also struggling with gender equity and misogyny problems.

Pictures and videos of the event, which had proceeded a "Women in Gaming Luncheon" organized by the tech giant, showed women wearing mini-skirts and crop tops dancing on podiums.

Guess we know where women in gaming belong. Thank you for clearing that up, Microsoft. You've probably heard it said that comics and video games are pornography for kids and it's not hard to understand why that is. Pedophilia is all about destroying the innocence of prepubescent children. Catholic school girls epitomize that virtue and innocence better than anyone. This conference should be very appealing to pedophiles.

The women were also told to "speak with attendees and encourage them to the dance floor," according to some who were present. This is apparently not a first for the company.

Some of those at the event took to social media to say they were "very disappointed," while others said they would be lodging complaints with Microsoft.

Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's Xbox division, addressed the "unfortunate events" in a statement on the company’s website, stating that it "did not reflect the core values and beliefs of Xbox" and that it was "absolutely not consistent or aligned" with the company’s values.

Then why did it happen, Phil, on your watch? And not, apparently, for the first time. It sounds very much like it is perfectly consistent with the core values and beliefs of Xbox.

Microsoft used underage actresses dressed as schoolgirls in their 2012 TV ad for the Surface.