I think this is debate. I'm not 100% sure. This/His shirt again. It's a story about this guy who wore an offensive shirt in an interview. Do you think they should have told him to change or do you think he should have the right to wear what he wants? Personally the company that he works for should have told him to change, imo.

I think if you're going in for an interview, you should at least go business casual. My one job demands it and the other is more open to dressing freely... as long as it isn't offensive.

They should have made him change it.

heh I think he should be able to wear what he wants - It's not like it was a job interview or anything and quite frankly, it's good to see a scientist who doesn't look so 'boring' with brown jumpers and corduroys. Meh Also there was an article with this guys family yesterday in the newspaper (evening standard I think it was - London) which says he's really intelligent, but lacks common sense....so that might explain the shirt :P

[edit] Here is the link for the article with his family http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/rosetta-comet-mission-scientist-matt-taylor--probe-landing-9858125.html

There's no reason for them to ask him to change. How he looks to the world is his choice. That's not to say I'm bothered by his shirt. I could care less about it but I do think it's funny to read all the blogs and articles by women who are upset about it. Half-naked women? SEXIST! Half-naked men? Lol look at the hotties/"empowering". Really though, how many of the women calling pictures of half-naked women sexist have NO problem looking at half-naked men? How come one is bad and one is okay? (Oh wait I'm totally asking for someone to rant about the Patriarchy or something.)

And no, this isn't really a debate and should probably be moved to chit-chat or something.

I read the article, and it's really fucked up. How far will these social justice warriors take their bullshit. They're more interested in a mission coordinator's shirt for being "offensive and sexist", than humanity landing a fucking spacecraft on a comet millions of miles away from earth that took 10 years to travel to. Not just that, It's sexist to say the shirt is sexist, because it was designed by a woman, and the woman asked him to wear it.

There's nothing sexist about this shirt at all. I'm a woman and I don't take offense by it. I might think he's a pervert for wearing it, but how is it any different than a woman wearing a shirt with buff superhero's on it? The only women who take offense to this are extreme feminists, who are a joke all their own.

Heeeee probably should have changed it just because I don't think that is the best shirt to wear for a TV interview. I mean, it's obvious it will upset people. But at the same time, that's an amazing shirt. I would love to work with him just so I could see that shirt being worn around the office.

I don't think the company should have told him to change though. I think they should have brought up the fact that it might upset people and then leave it up to him to decide if he wants to wear it or not because I personally see nothing wrong with it. I'm a woman, I'm not offended... If they were fully naked women, then there would be an issue. To me, it the same as seeing the good ol' fashioned, scantly clad, Wonder Woman on a T-shirt.

I mean personally, I think it's a kind of gross shirt, but I don't like shirts with half-naked people on them in general? Most shirts with pictures of real people creep me out, especially when it's just a face. Because it's like, "woa that's a real person and their head is on your chest."

Considering he represents a project and more importantly a company, he probably should have worn something a bit more professional. Because what it comes down to is that he is not just representing himself. If he was, I wouldn't really care, because what he wears is his own personal choice, etc. However, when you're representing more than yourself, the rules change. For example, I was in a marching band, and while we were at band functions as well as in uniform, there were different expectations for behavior because if you did something inappropriate, everyone knew that you were affiliated with the band and the school as a whole and then had a bad impression of both groups. So this guy wearing a shirt with half-naked women on it gives the impression that the groups he represents are okay with him doing that, even if they aren't.

TL;DR because he is representing more people than just himself, no, he probably should have worn something more professional.

First off, never in my life have I seen a picture of a half-naked man called "empowering." Usually I see pictures of half-naked women getting called that! The issue is less the amount of clothing, but the posing, facial expressions, etc. being sexual. A woman could be standing minding her own business in her underwear in a photo, which is fine and not sexualized, no biggie. But once you have her lying in an erotic or suggestive pose, that's when people get upset about it. Because the image of the sexual woman is seen very often, and more women would like to be portrayed as just women and less the sexual object they feel they are portrayed as. The woman (or women) on the shirt looks very sexual and suggestive, which doesn't make people happy.

Secondly I'd have to say that in contrast, a lot of pictures of half-naked men I've seen in media have been more evocative of power and strength than sexuality, though those lines can be blurred. But also, the half-naked man isn't as present in everyday viewing as the half-naked and sexual woman. It's not even really that women and men being portrayed as sexual is inherently negative, but when it's all your gender seems to be portrayed as, it gets taxing.

TL;DR Half-naked anybody is okay, just when it gets sexual and it's prevalent is when people get upset.

(I'm typing this reply chronologically to when I'm reading these so keep that in mind!) That's not how sexism works. That would be like saying that because someone thinks a book saying women are inferior is sexist (which I presume it would be unless it was satire) that they are sexist because the writer is a woman. A woman is fully capable of being misogynistic (internal misogyny).

It is very interesting that there is that kind of a story behind the shirt, and it makes it a bit more meaningful I guess? (While I don't feel it's very sexist, I understand the morale behind someone believing it to be sexist.) A lot of artists use risqué subjects, this being no different.

On is a sexualized individual while another is not, they're just unrealistically in-shape. (Me speculating: The implication with that connection is that both are some sort of unattainable ideal? Which is very untrue, the woman on that shirt looks like a pretty average-weight and fairly attractive individual! Totally within the realms of reality.) Unless the buff superhero is equally sexual, there is no real connection.

Your entire post can be summed up as, "Half-naked women in media are sexist but men aren't for no real reason."

I don't think you're someone who is able to say how sexism works.

A half-naked woman, in whatever pose, is not sexist by itself. It's not automatically showing women to be "inferior" (really, since you seem to think that way I think you are the one who's sexist). And yes, it's the exact same as showing half-naked men. There are a lot of sexual half-naked male pictures out there. Otherwise, you're right, it's not sexual! And neither are half-naked women, unless they're in a sexual pose. Even then, that's not sexist.

To be quite honest, this entire thing about this guy is disgusting. He's been reduced to tears because some people in this world think that their feelings are more important than everything else. Humanity just put a probe on a comet and this man was a part of that accomplishment. Instead of receiving the accolades he deserves he's being bashed by a bunch of over-emotional, small-minded people.

Every single person out there who's arguing that his shirt is "sexist" have a few screws loose. Apparently a "sexist" (it's not even sexist) shirt is more important than one of the greatest scientific accomplishments of our lifetime. Goes to show how self-centered some people are!

[edit] Also, that's fine if you haven't personally seen girls going on about how "empowering" it is to have half-naked (or even naked) men on their blogs and such. Some girls think it's "empowering" to display their sexuality. The whole "empowerment" and "girl power" thing is ridiculous enough as it is, but then there's the hypocrisy that just makes it completely bogus.

Actually, nowhere in my post do I state that half-naked women in media are sexist. However, I do state that:

A) Half-naked women seem to be a prevalent image in media. B) Half-naked anyone, when portrayed as sexual as opposed to not sexual, has the potential to make people upset. C) There is more of an overlap between being half-naked and being shown as sexual when it comes to women in media, while half-naked men are usually portrayed as powerful or something similar, though that often overlaps into being sexual or having sexual appeal. So in the case that there are equal portrayals of sexuality, the way they are portrayed are different (which isn't inherently bad, women and men are different, making one group feel more uncomfortable than the other.

All I was trying to get to was that sexuality and how it is portrayed is more the defining factor in making a group uncomfortable, rather than the level of dress.

I never said that a woman being sexual is inferior. And I definitely don't think that, so I'd appreciate if you would stop putting words in my mouth or at least tell us all that you came to that assumption, and that's not what I actually said (which you did do here, thank you). What you did point out though is that I failed to elaborate on how a woman being depicted as sexual in media can be a problem. The problem stems from how a woman is being portrayed as sexual. A lot of times, women are shown not taking an active role in sexuality, but a passive one, shown lying down or in positions in which it would be easier to act upon them, rather than for them to act upon you. This is a problem because women often take an active part in sex, and being portrayed as passive just reinforces the ideas of traditional gender roles in sex (the man is always dominant and active, while the woman is always submissive and passive). This is hurtful to both parties involved, as it's a lie to tell any half of the population how they should be acting during sex.

It is not the exact same because the ways these men and women are portrayed when half naked is predominantly different. If you're just comparing two pictures with a man and a woman in the exact same pose, yes, there is no difference other than the gender of the model. As a whole though, men and women are depicted differently, at least in my experience. I still didn't say that pictures of either gender half-naked are sexist, just that they have the potential to make a group feel uncomfortable.

Though I felt his shirt was distasteful for his position in representing a larger group, he definitely doesn't deserve widespread harassment. I actually had no idea about the shirt thing because I was too busy reading about the project and how it's a huge deal and everything else.

I guess they feel like it makes them empowered to act like they think men act? Which actually opens up the whole "it isn't feminism to just act like a man, that's becoming-a-man-ism" thing. There's a whole lot of semantics to empowerment and girl power that just give me a headache, and to many they feel like outdated concepts, but I wouldn't say they're ridiculous.

Did you even read what I said was not sexist? Just because a woman made a thing doesn't give it a free pass to not be sexist. Women have the capability of being sexist, just like men. You know very little about me, my views, my history, etc., so I don't think you are able to make a statement like that. ESPECIALLY considering what evidence you do have of my character contains no statement that women being sexual is sexist, which you site as evidence for me being a sexist. I'm sorry, I didn't know I had to present my credentials first, I'll keep that in mind next time.

I searched and searched but found you to turn your heart pink..❤️

Me,I would think it would depend on what kind of job he was applying for,but if you said,I'm sorry I didn't read the entire thing...actually I just commented on it so I didn't get another warning HAHAHAHAHA