# Why does Hotmail think I'm a girl?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-hotmail-think-im-a-girl/362140
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 26, 2006, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-hotmail-think-im-a-girl/362140 "2006-06-26T00:57:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2006, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-hotmail-think-im-a-girl/362140/1 "2006-06-26T00:57:40Z")

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Hotmail used to give me ads that were obvoiusly targeted for men. Now I am getting ads for female stuff. Handbags, skin cream, what gives? Is Billy’ bot looking at my mail and somehow decided I had a sex change?

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### Author: ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-hotmail-think-im-a-girl/362140/2 "2006-06-26T02:09:31Z")

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I don’t know exactly how the ads are targeted, but if anyone here knows how it works, I’d love to be enlightened.

Does Hotmail use the same basic idea as Google/Gmail and look for words in emails? At least with the Gmail ads, I can usually sort of see why they thought those particular ads might be of interest. I’m writing about being so sleepy, and they give me an ad for sleep aids or for matresses.

Are your average banner and pop-up ads and the like targeted as well, or are they totally random?

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### Author: ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2006, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-hotmail-think-im-a-girl/362140/3 "2006-06-26T07:55:58Z")

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As far as I know Hotmail ads aren’t targeted, so it’s just a change in who’s paying for ads there.

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### Author: ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2006, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-hotmail-think-im-a-girl/362140/4 "2006-06-26T07:59:34Z")

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It’s the man-boobs, dude. You’d better start exercising or you’ll end up looking like [this guy](http://www.humboldtsentinel.com/Resources/fightclub1.jpg) and you’ll have to start telling people you had testicular cancer.

Not a pretty thought, Happy Wanderer. If that is your real name. Bob.

sinjin