On Thurs a male scientist at the conference told me my outfit wasn’t conference attire. This is what I was wearing pic.twitter.com/ZrQn9OmumM
— Sarah Hörst (@PlanetDr) November 16, 2014
This is the story of two rocket scientists and two dress codes for what is appropriate in scientific settings.
On LinkedIn last week, Dr. Wen Dombrowski started a discussion in the XX in Health group about this tweet from Sarah Horst.
A planetary scientist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, Hörst got some unsolicited fashion advice a Titan conference on the Nov. 13, and people don’t think it’s fair (especially because she looks totally fine).
@PlanetDr heaven forbid a scientist would actually wear colors! *gasp* …Whatever, you look great!
— Annie Astra (@SETIgal1124) November 16, 2014
@PlanetDr that scarf is PINK and emits GIRL COOTIES. You’re only allowed to go to conferences if you can show you’re cootie-sterile.
— Jessie Shelton (@jsheltino) November 16, 2014
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In case you think this is just a one-time happening – Horst was just unlucky enough to run into a grumpy old man that day – the comments in the Linked In discussion will set you straight.
All of this seems pretty silly and entirely inappropriate for a man to say such a thing to woman at a conference like that. Especially when we take a look at Matt Taylor. Taylor, European Space Agency’s lead scientists on the Rosetta comet lander mission, wore a shirt covered with women in lingerie holding guns during the comet landing livestream.
No no women are toooootally welcome in our community, just ask the dude in this shirt. https://t.co/r88QRzsqAm pic.twitter.com/XmhHKrNaq5 — Rose Eveleth (@roseveleth) November 12, 2014
Taylor apologized, but not before people got mad that Rose Eveleth called foul on the shirt in the first place. A Business Insider post on the debate summed up the double standard nicely:
Interestingly, Taylor recently participated in a live online chat with the Wall Street Journal in which he was asked how he gained acceptance in such a respected field while sporting sleeve-length tattoos.
He responded, “The people I work with don’t judge me by my looks but only by the work I have done and can do. Simple.”
If only women could hope to someday be judged that way too.
