Another scientist wading into the #shirtstorm melarky. Well, I neededan article on feminism anyway.

Another scientist wading into the #shirtstorm melarky. Well, I needed an article on feminism anyway.

On page 1, I explain why (in my view) feminism does not mean you can't objectify women in certain circumstances :
" If you can differentiate between the fantasy world of gameplay and reality, you damn well ought to be able to tell the difference between a woman posing for a photograph and the idea that women are somehow subordinate to men. There ought to exist the same vast chasm between enjoying killing thousands in a video game and wanting to massacre people in reality, as between enjoying a photograph of the opposite gender (or indeed any form of adult entertainment) and assuming they're all somehow inferior to you. You ought to possess the modicum of intellect needed to realise that people aren't toys because they chose to dress (or undress) in a certain way - yes, even (especially) when they're deliberately doing it so that you can enjoy them."

Page 2 deals with why objectifying women in practise is much worse than the way men are objectified by women :
"That's why my female friends admiring the manly nature of certain public figures doesn't make me feel diminished in any way. The degree to which men are objectified is far less than that experienced by women - they don't carry on the harmless admiration of tremendously manly men and expect me to conform to that stereotype. No pressure is put upon me to do the slightest thing to live up to an unrealistic expectation of masculinity. I can live my life however the hell I like and not be judged for it; they are very much expected and obliged to try and meet certain ideals that exist only to appease male sexuality."

Finally on page 3 I look at a selection of anti-feminist memes that sprang up in response to the shirt. Mostly I think they're all nonsense, however, about this widely perceived idea that they discourage women from entering science - I would like an actual poll conducted as to whether students really feel put off my the shirt or not. I conclude that the shirt isn't inherently anti-feminist, but I understand why it was perceived as such. Taylor was right to apologise for the offence caused, if not the shirt itself.