Rymdforskare ber om ursäkt för "Shirtstorm"
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.
Tröjan i fråga
Så vad tycker ni Sweclockers? Är tröjan sexistisk? Är det rätt av han att be om ursäkt? Själv skulle jag kategorisera detta som dagens I-landsproblem.
Send me out... with a bang.
