http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...eads-to-apology-from-european-space-scientist
Looks like the Gamergate types are using the same abusive tactics on an issue regarding women. Disgusting.
EDIT: Courtesy of Yrael
The summary of this thread so far (courtesy of Dice//):
The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission made history this week by putting a lander on a comet. But at the same time, one of its leading scientists drew wide criticism for wearing a shirt featuring lingerie-clad women a decision for which he apologized Friday.
"The shirt I wore this week I made a big mistake, and I offended many people, and I am very sorry about this," British physicist Matt Taylor said during an update on the ESA project Friday. He appeared to become emotional as he spoke, taking a moment to wipe his eyes.
Taylor is the ESA's Rosetta project scientist whose excitable nature and extensive tattoos had the potential to liven up what was an otherwise serious scientific operation. But he set off a stream of negative reaction Wednesday when live coverage of the landing showed Taylor wearing what looked to be a bowling shirt completely covered by images of women in provocative poses.
The researcher changed into a different shirt during the event, but criticism quickly spread, particularly after science writers Ed Yong and Rose Eveleth tweeted about it.
Soon, comments about the shirt centered around the hashtag #shirtstorm. It also brought new attention to the hashtag #WomenInSTEM.
Astrophysicist and writer Katherine J. Mack tweeted, "You think a shirt like this makes women feel welcome? I don't."
The uproar over Taylor's shirt comes amid a wider conversation about women in science and technology a conversation that has sometimes sparked crude responses. That was the case this week, as Eveleth, a science and technology writer at The Atlantic, received and retweeted derogatory, violent and dismissive comments regarding her tweet.
Looks like the Gamergate types are using the same abusive tactics on an issue regarding women. Disgusting.
EDIT: Courtesy of Yrael
Some public perspectives of people in the fields of astrophysics and science communication (by no means exhaustive):
Alice Bell, science and technology writer:
Sad that the following apparently needs saying. But my mentions column suggests it does. I don't personally have much of a problem with the existence of Matt Taylor's shirt. And certainly not with its designer. Scientists should be able to wear what they want. Science could do with a greater diversity of cultural expression. Dr Taylor and I have PhDs from same institution. I have a lot of sympathy for how much crap he must have had about tattoos and clothes. It was amazing to go and work in other unis, to suddenly be able to wear a skirt and not have your legs stared at, like you were an alien. It wasn't just gender. I got comments about my CND badge. I remember colleagues hating pressure to wear a tie. It was mainly gender though.
What I do have a problem with is that no-one thought it'd be a problem to wear that shirt in that context. They didn't see it. We sometimes talk about women being invisible in science. Truth is more complex. Some aspects of men get to be invisible. So it's partly Dr Taylor's fault. But only partly. He's part of a much bigger scientific system, and it is not fair to focus on him. Journos going "legend!" without noticing what was on the shirt -- or that it had upset people -- is big part of the problem. A big part. My blogpost on the Guardian was about the larger context the controversy around the shirt reflected, and saying I wanted that to change. We need to train scientists and sci journalists to see gender (and race, and class, and more). Not get too hung up on shirts. We also need to structure science differently so comms professionals have more power in the community to catch stuff like this, and help. Cos it's really not fair that this should be left on Taylor's shoulders (whatever else he covers them in). ESA need to look at themselves. And that's all I have to say on the subject. Sorry, not replying to any more. Got better things to do.
https://twitter.com/alicebell
Katie Mack, theoretical astrophysicist:
I don't care what scientists wear. But a shirt featuring women in lingerie isn't appropriate for a broadcast if you care about women in STEM
https://twitter.com/AstroKatie/statu...09765989965824
Jennifer Hoffman, astronomer:
@weswt @missafayres Am I serious about being respected by colleagues in my professional environment? Uh, yes.
@weswt @missafayres I'm a professional astronomer, yes. And he wasn't in "his environment", he was on international TV.
https://twitter.com/astroprofhoff/st...62036510285824
Chanda Hsu Prescod-Weinstein, theoretical astrophysicist:
If you're already a woman in STEM feeling worthless and then some guy goes on international broadcasts wearing a sexist shirt, he is reinforcing that feeling. You're just a joke on cloth, you see.
https://twitter.com/IBJIYONGI/status/532769640762445824
Seth Zenz, CERN particle physicist:
Dear @esascience, as a professional physicist, I publicly insist that @mggtTaylor's shirt is not appropriate for science outreach. It's a big mistake for you to promote the shirt given the good work @esa and other scientific organizations do to promote #WomenInSTEM.
https://twitter.com/sethzenz/status/532508092752478208
Sean Carroll, theoretical cosmologist:
Rosetta landing shows humans are awesome; Rosetta scientist shows individual humans have a long way to go.
https://twitter.com/seanmcarroll/sta...72520357306369
Renee Hlozek, theoretical cosmologist:
When I opened up my social media this morning to get ready for the pre-announcements and hype (because these moments are what I live for as a scientist) I was shocked by something I saw in a colleague's post. She mentioned that the Rosetta Project Scientist Matt Taylor (@mggtTaylor) was on multiple media sources (an official BBC video, his own, and ESA's twitter feed etc.) wearing a crazy shirt. And sure enough, when I looked it up, this is what I saw:
Ok, wooaah.
There were also articles about the fact that Matt wants to challenge stereotypes of scientists and openly wear his tattoos - and this is something I whole-heartedly support. This is something I've blogged about before. It is extremely important to me that we concentrate on the science that someone has to offer rather on their appearance, because scientists come in all sizes and shapes and we should let them be just like everyone else.
So isn't this a double standard? I spend time writing about how I should be able to wear what I want as a scientist and here I am really upset by his shirt?
This is the really important reason why it is different, in case it wasn't immediately obvious to you right away. It objectifies women.
Matt's shirt portrayed several images of a naked woman, allegedly as a tribute to a sci-fi character.
He also allegedly said on air (and this is something I'll admit I didn't hear myself - it was relayed to me): "She's sexy, but I didn't say she was easy." [Edit: I've since been shown the link where Matt gives the "sexy" quote. He's talking about Rosetta, not the woman on his shirt! Thanks to Dave for reminding me to get the facts straight.]
Now - we have a huge problem getting women and girls into STEM fields. And spend lots of energy talking about how women aren't in science and should be (note: a Google search will yield many articles, that is just a recent one!).
And yet, here is a male scientist at a predominantly male science press conference from a male-dominated field - that is going to be broadcast to schools around the world - wearing a shirt objectifying women.
So, obviously the internet exploded. I, and many other people tweeted about it and were very angry, and later Matt changed his shirt (thank goodness before the most watched part of the landing).
But this begs the question, why did Matt choose to wear the shirt? Or rather, did he think about the message it would send? Did he care? Did anyone at the press conference even look at the shirt?
I hope that in the coming days we will hear more from Matt and/or ESA, but I feel like now I need to redouble my efforts to remind young women interested in science that yes, your mind is important. That yes, you are capable of being taken seriously in STEM fields. That yes, we do want you here (come and join me). And that no, your body isn't what defines you.
Until then, I'm going to look at pictures of the glorious mission and hope my anger subsides. It is a great day for science. It is not a super day for getting women into science.
http://statsandstrings.blogspot.com....ous-about.html
Women in Astronomy:
Some people may see Taylors dress as harmless or eccentric. For example, the UK newspaper, the Daily Mail, basically calls Taylor a rockstar, highlighting public comments on his tattoos and his wild dress sense. Erin Brodwin, journalist with The Business Insider science column, however, was not having any of that nonsense. Brodwin focused solely on the issue of sexism, noting that Taylor had recently answered questions on his acceptance as a scientist despite his tattoos. Taylor said then: The people I work with dont judge me by my looks but only by the work I have done and can do. Simple. Brodwin notes with irony: If only women could hope to someday be judged that way too.
Analytical Chemist Dr Raychelle Burks noted that a prominent scientist appearing before the worlds media might have chosen a different shirt to make a statement about STEM. If he wanted to appear with a woman on his shirt, why not try Ada Lovelace? Or any other prominent woman in astronomy and astrophysics whose fight for inclusion reshaped space history? Instead of celebrating STEM at this momentous event, women are reminded of our objectification and exclusion.
This matters on many levels: it matters because of the uphill battle we face in STEM fields trying to get everyone to understand that sexism in STEM is an issue that affects us all. It matters because girls are continually told that STEM is not for them. It matters because people want to find excuses for the under-representation of girls and women, rather than focusing on solutions.
Some people on social media are under-playing this incident, telling women scientists to stop spoiling the achievement with feminist discussions. One woman tweets at astronomy Professor Jennifer Hoffman, "We've officially all become prudes." Another man accuses feminism for bumming out a momentous feat. Professor Hoffman argues this is not about prudishness, it's about professional respect of women colleagues:
.@weswt @missafayres Am I serious about being respected by colleagues in my professional environment? Uh, yes. #shirtstorm
Jennifer L. Hoffman (@astroprofhoff) November 13, 2014
The reason why some people are under-playing the significance of Taylors choice of shirt goes to the heart of the way in which sexism works. Sexism is not simply maintained through active harassment and discrimination. It thrives because of deeply held values that go unexamined.
On our blog post, we pay special attention to how men can help reduce the burden on women in STEM, by actively challenging sexism in professional settings. This includes calling out the lack of awareness and bias of colleagues which objectify, denigrate and otherwise make women feel excluded from science. Sexism is more than insults and physical harassment. Sexism describes the culture, organisational patterns and other practices that perpetuate inequality. The things that we say and do, whether conscious or otherwise, are connected to broader patterns of gender inequality. This is known as everyday sexism - the types of social interaction that reinforce women's lesser status at work and in wider society. This #ShirtStorm incident allows us to see how everyday actions are connected to institutional sexism; that is, the organisational and policy barriers that women face throughout their education and careers. To learn more about how this incident helps us to better understand both everyday and institutional sexism in STEM, and how you and your organisation can help address the exclusion of women, keep reading on the Stem Women website.
http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com...xism-stem.html
Maryn McKenna, science journalist for Wired and National Geographic:
in case any of you are still oh just a shirt, heres a close-up. professional? welcoming? sciencey?
https://twitter.com/marynmck/status/532981583905849344
Phil Plait, astronomer and public speaker (runs the "Bad Astronomy" blog on Slate):
I tweet about the sexist shirt worn by a scientist & get thoughtful replies. @roseveleth does the same and gets monumentally harassed.
https://twitter.com/BadAstronomer/st...05970575331329
Thomas Levenson, Professor of science writing at MIT:
.@ofhdirector which is that the shirt isn't just a shirt; it's both the straw the broke a camel's back + synecdoche for much more.
https://twitter.com/TomLevenson/stat...59454470045696
Meg Rosenburg, science communicator:
"Pointing this out is not a distraction to the science. Its part of it." @alicebell on the problem with #ThatShirt: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2...tists-clothing
https://twitter.com/trueanomalies/st...61893967622144
Carolyn Porco, planetary scientist, Cassini imaging lead, CICLOPS director (responding to a tweet by Richard Dawkins in which he called the shirt's critics "bullies who could never do anything 1/100th as clever as landing on a comet"):
@SidnellD @RichardDawkins Bullies? Sorry, I HAVE done something 1/100th as clever as land on a comet& I think he deserved the criticism
https://twitter.com/carolynporco/sta...28652739899392
Emily Willingham, scientist and science writer:
Shirt was an intersection: His choices, #STEM, sexism, ppl who didn't stop him, women who noticed&men who threatened them
https://twitter.com/ejwillingham/sta...56011168346112
Jacquelyn Gill, assistant professor at University of Maine:
To me, #shirtstorm is not even just about one guy and one shirt. It's that we're still. Having. The. Same. Conversations. About. Sexism.
https://twitter.com/JacquelynGill/st...72965967757312
Janet Stemwedel, philosopher and blogger at Scientific American:
Pro-tip: Your interactions with others shape whether your workplace/profession is welcoming or hostile. Includes messages from your shirt. Some of my smart-alecky T-shirts don't end up in workplace rotation because they might make people uncomfortable & get in the way of work. Why a responsible employee would think it's OK to wear a graphic on a broadcast that objectifies large % of potential viewers help me out. If you are on camera because want people to talk about your cool project, don't distract from cool project w/problematic shirt. (Also, describing comet landing in sexualized language might not be best way to sell space exploration in grade school classrooms, bub!)
To specific question of whether @mggtTaylor's porny shirt on #ESA #Rosetta broadcast is actually going to discourage girls from science What boosts its chilly-climate impact: y'all science guys' fierce commitment to INSISTING it can't be a problem, despite women's experiences
https://storify.com/docfreeride/to-t...rstand-shirtst
The summary of this thread so far (courtesy of Dice//):
The point of this and the last 20+ pages of discussion is that it's just not simple.
On one respect, the "pro-shirt" angle, if you could say is:
= It's just a shirt
= He did something amazing and should not have to apologize for it
= This is taking away from the true achievement
= He should be himself, even if it means a sexy shirt
= I want that shirt
= Girls can wear a shirt with sexy men on it if they want and no one will care
= The shirt does not stop women from entering the field; there are other barriers
The other is more or less "anti-shirt" or with reservations:
= STEM has an underrepresentation of female scientists; it's a boys club and wearing this might not by why, but expose that this may be true if such an item isn't given even a raised eyebrow in his particular circle
= This was a nationally televised event; his attire was unprofessional and in poor taste for something seen by a wide audience, male and female
= ...On that note, the shirt was simply tacky, pointless, and it's hard to imagine who would spend money on it....
= People hand waiving this may be swayed to "discreet sexism" where we've been taught to find this sort of thing ok whereas such an idea/concept doesn't really cross over or translate into women's fashion choices and selections (women don't have or opt for "sexy man shirts" as often as men seem to have or have available)
= Women as sexually pleasing eye candy is an old, dated, and misrepresentation of honest, hard-working women.
I definitely feel a pick and choose works best. This is "just a shirt" but there is a lot to read in between the lines that have made this dialogue go on as long as it has.
I also still argue more disappointing than the actual shirt is peoples "blind okays" to the shirt as "just a shirt" that at all a topic worth discussing and basically telling SJW's to shut up....
