Because there has to be controversy about everything.

Shadow Dragon · Nov 15, 2014

The scientist who caused a furore by wearing a sexist shirt as he gave a progress report on the Rosetta mission on Wednesday has made an emotional apology for his “big mistake”. Matt Taylor was more plainly dressed on Friday as he broke down in tears at a briefing, apparently struggling to speak before confessing: “I made a big mistake and I offended many people, and I am very sorry about this.”

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/14/rosetta-comet-dr-matt-taylor-apology-sexist-shirt

On the one hand, unless you're going for the whole eccentric scientist look, you should probably wear something better when making a progress report. On the other hand... this is one of the biggest steps a space program has taken, doing something that would have been considered nearly impossible before, and people are just complaining about a guy's shirt.

shadowwalker · Nov 15, 2014

One would have to decide it was a sexist shirt to begin with, which I didn't. Looks like a take-off on some comic to me. Agreed - focussing on entirely the wrong thing.

Rhoda Nightingale · Nov 15, 2014

Yeah, I'm gonna say this guy is guilty of nothing more than horrifying bad taste. (That's a quote from something, isn't it? I feel like it is...) The shirt is horrible, but not for sexist reasons. More for, "Wow, you put that on and no one stopped you from going outside?" reasons.

cornflake · Nov 15, 2014

I don't think the shirt is sexist, per se, as it's, you know, a shirt.

However, I do get the basic 'the guy is speaking to the world, from a place and field with few women, that's trying to involve more, and he does it clad in a shirt festooned with half-nude cartoon women with giant boobs and inhuman bodies,' problem people had.

It has a 'c'mon women, don't you want to go work with him? No? Why? / Girls, this person is a role model of intellectual achievement, speaking to the world; aren't you inspired? Sigh.' vibe.

T Robinson · Nov 15, 2014

The phrase, "clueless in general" for anything outside his work comes to mind.

Cyia · Nov 15, 2014

I don't see sexist. I see a backroom researcher expected to make a presentation without warning.

Don · Nov 15, 2014

The lady friend of his who made him the shirt is pretty upset about the whole thing too. Obviously she didn't see anything wrong with the fabric of cartoon ladies.

Philae Lander: One Small Step for Science, One Giant Sexist Shirt for Mankind?

Dr. Matt Taylor is an amazing, kind, loving and sensitive person.

I never expected him to wear my gift to him for such a big event and was surprised and deeply moved that he did.

I made that shirt for his birthday last month as I make clothes just as a hobby and he asked if I would make him one.
...
I am so proud of Matt and his achievements and the fact he is an interesting and very brave person to do what he did with the very sweet gesture he made towards my gift and to wear his individuality with pride.

He was showing off a prized present, and gets shat upon for doing so.

Haters gotta hate. Tolerance only goes so far, apparently.

I think that may have to be my new tagline.

ETA: And imagine the reaction if this had been a lady scientist in a short skirt and "too much" cleavage getting dissed by the moralists for what she chose to wear. Would that be ok, or are we supposed to judge people as people, rather than the way they dress?

If you do a google image search on his name, you'll find he has a habit of wearing graphic shirts of many different fabrics. Plus, he has some awesome tats. He's obviously into graphic color.

Celia Cyanide · Nov 15, 2014

Rhoda Nightingale said:
Yeah, I'm gonna say this guy is guilty of nothing more than horrifying bad taste. (That's a quote from something, isn't it? I feel like it is...)

People vs Larry Flynt?

I don't find the shirt sexist, either. When I was about 16, I read an article in SASSY in which a woman said she saw a guy wearing a shirt that said, "big tits never hurt anyone." I find that sexist, yeah. Not pictures of women.

Liosse de Velishaf · Nov 15, 2014

It was a very inappropriate shirt of that venue. I can't imagine the shit that would fall on a woman who wore a shirt similarly objectifying men at such a presentation. (I'd assume it would involve giant dicks in speedos, since those and breasts are the two body-parts whose sex-appeal is apparently based primarily on size.)

I'm not sure the shirt itself is inherently sexist, but having the designer friend speak out is more of a black best friend thing than anything else to me. Just because she doesn't find it sexist, it doesn't mean it isn't.

I think cornflake hit on one of the major problems I had with the shirt. The context of wearing it did not send the best signal.

Like, would you want an employee wearing that shirt when giving a presentation to investors? (Well, some folks might, but I imagine it'd generally be frowned upon.)

I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt for his apology, though. Hopefully he's learned to think things through a bit more.

benbradley · Nov 15, 2014

The shirt may be sexist, is certainly in (IMHO) bad taste, but at least he didn't make THIS scientific blunder:

benbradley · Nov 15, 2014

As for an equivalent shirt (or dress?) for a woman, I just saw a Twitter link to this perhaps-NSFW "beefcake" fabric:
http://mochimochiland.com/2008/03/male-stripper-fabric/

Synonym · Nov 15, 2014

That's a pretty cool shirt. Doesn't take much to offend some people apparently.

J.S.F. · Nov 15, 2014

As a guy, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that the shirt didn't look all that provocative or sexist. Bad taste at a press conference, yes, but sexist? IMO, no.

Some people just gotta crap on others for the littlest of reasons...even when there's no reason at all.

Fruitbat · Nov 15, 2014

Some just people need this shirt!

http://www.zazzle.com/i_m_offended_shirts-235053953829573917

StormChord · Nov 15, 2014

I don't think the shirt is particularly sexist. Gaudy, maybe. But then again, it was a gift.

Poor guy. Grown men crying always gets to me.

kikazaru · Nov 15, 2014

He has nothing to apologize for and it irritates me to see someone being made to feel bad (actually 2 someone's if you count the friend who made it for him) for a bloody shirt.

He should not have apologized and just told everyone to piss off and get a life - and move on.

What a stupid tempest in a tshirt.

Toothpaste · Nov 15, 2014

My thoughts on the subject:

1. The shirt was a dumb idea and is an example of very mild systemic sexism (yes, that's what wearing half naked women as decoration is).

2. Just because a woman designed the shirt doesn't make it suddenly a-okay.

3. Ultimately though it still isn't that huge a deal, and certainly not something people should have attacked the scientist and the designer for.

4. Also I do think that there was likely no real attempt to talk sincerely about women's issues in science by writing about the dang shirt, all this was just for click bait and I find that more offensive quite frankly.

4. But while folks are getting upset that so much time was wasted on the shirt, ultimately it was the guy who chose to wear a shirt using women as decoration in a professional situation. Had he not, none of this would have happened.

So yes, I feel, for want of a better word, conflicted. However I conclude thus:

5. All this being said, after the week I've had, ultimately, I cannot support the unnecessary internet hate in the name of social justice or page views. I think all this is a real pity, takes away from far more important things, and I'm going to ignore the shirt thing now and go google Kathrin Altwegg, one of the main female scientists working on the mission.

Celia Cyanide · Nov 15, 2014

Liosse de Velishaf said:
I'm not sure the shirt itself is inherently sexist, but having the designer friend speak out is more of a black best friend thing than anything else to me. Just because she doesn't find it sexist, it doesn't mean it isn't.

The shirt doesn't really bother me much, but I really agree with this.

vsrenard · Nov 15, 2014

It doesn't matter that the shirt is not sexist, it's inappropriate for work. Wear that kind of shit outside of work all you want but at work, it contributes to an atmosphere I spent much of my professional life having to deal with. Ignore it and pretend you don't feel like you've walked into a big boy's club; say something and you'll be called an oversensitive bitch.

frimble3 · Nov 15, 2014

Between his sister's comments about his 'cluelessness' about day-to-day life, and his friend, the designer, saying it was a birthday gift a month ago, I'm going with 'only clean, pressed shirt in his closet on presentation day'.

It's a dumb choice of shirt for a major public presentation, but the real shame is that it distracted from that presentation.

Really, this could all have been solved by a dress code. 'No employee shall appear, representing us, at an official presentation, unless in a solid coloured shirt, shoes, and pants or skirt. Jewelry, piercings or tattoos are acceptable if normally worn to work.'
Sometimes you have to spell things out for people, if it's an unfamiliar task they're doing.

And, yeah, it's not a good message to be sending out to young women who may be considering the sciences, but if that's the most sexist thing they run into, a) I'd be surprised and b) maybe they'd like a shirt with half-dressed men on it. (The source mentioned in the link E-Quilter also has this.
http://www.equilter.com/category/286/hunks-+-retro-pinups
Equal opportunity sexism.)

BenPanced · Nov 15, 2014

benbradley said:
The shirt may be sexist, is certainly in (IMHO) bad taste, but at least he didn't make THIS scientific blunder:

*crickets*

Emilander · Nov 15, 2014

If I were him, I'd have worn shirt with half-naked men on it and commented on how no one gives a shit if men are objectified. But I'm an asshole who finds overblown SJW outrage tiresome.

In all seriousness, while it obviously wasn't the best wardrobe choice, it's not like he was wearing a shirt with something like, "Bitch, make me a sammich!" on it. This just feels like someone needed to be offended about something and saw this and said, "That'll work."

Liosse de Velishaf · Nov 15, 2014

Toothpaste said:
My thoughts on the subject:

1. The shirt was a dumb idea and is an example of very mild systemic sexism (yes, that's what wearing half naked women as decoration is).

2. Just because a woman designed the shirt doesn't make it suddenly a-okay.

3. Ultimately though it still isn't that huge a deal, and certainly not something people should have attacked the scientist and the designer for.

4. Also I do think that there was likely no real attempt to talk sincerely about women's issues in science by writing about the dang shirt, all this was just for click bait and I find that more offensive quite frankly.

4. But while folks are getting upset that so much time was wasted on the shirt, ultimately it was the guy who chose to wear a shirt using women as decoration in a professional situation. Had he not, none of this would have happened.

So yes, I feel, for want of a better word, conflicted. However I conclude thus:

5. All this being said, after the week I've had, ultimately, I cannot support the unnecessary internet hate in the name of social justice or page views. I think all this is a real pity, takes away from far more important things, and I'm going to ignore the shirt thing now and go google Kathrin Altwegg, one of the main female scientists working on the mission.

I do think the shirt is mildly sexist. I do think it was an inappropriate choice. I do think scientists in PR areas should be more professional, even though he probably isn't a woman-hater or intending to espouse overt sexist views. I don't think we needed this big of a dust-up over it. Honestly, how big was this actually? Like, Twitter blows up over everything. How many mainstream news sources freaked out?

Liosse de Velishaf · Nov 15, 2014

Emilander said:
If I were him, I'd have worn shirt with half-naked men on it and commented on how no one gives a shit if men are objectified. But I'm an asshole who finds overblown SJW outrage tiresome.

In all seriousness, while it obviously wasn't the best wardrobe choice, it's not like he was wearing a shirt with something like, "Bitch, make me a sammich!" on it. This just feels like someone needed to be offended about something and saw this and said, "That'll work."

A shirt covered in naked men would have been equally inappropriate in this setting.

Xelebes · Nov 15, 2014

Liosse de Velishaf said:
I do think the shirt is mildly sexist. I do think it was an inappropriate choice. I do think scientists in PR areas should be more professional, even though he probably isn't a woman-hater or intending to espouse overt sexist views. I don't think we needed this big of a dust-up over it. Honestly, how big was this actually? Like, Twitter blows up over everything. How many mainstream news sources freaked out?

CBC passed comment.

Because there has to be controversy about everything.

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