Shirtstorm

Shirtstorm (#shirtstorm), also called Shirtgate, is a controversy involving a shirt worn by Matt Taylor, a scientist working on the Rosetta mission.
Background
Taylor was asked to give a report on the progress of Philae on 12 November 2014. He was wearing a colourful shirt depicting cartoon women, some of whom were scantily-clad. The shirt was a birthday gift from Elly Prizeman, a friend of his who had made it. His choice of clothing was a contrast to other team members.
Some people objected to Dr Taylor's choice of clothing as they found it reflected a culture where women were uncomfortable in scientific fields. The controversy was reported on several news websites such as CNN, The Telegraph, The Guardian Other websites such as The Verge and Stem Women blamed Taylor for his choice of clothing, claiming it was associated with rampant sexism.
Public apology
On 14 November 2014, Dr Taylor made a public apology. “I have made a big mistake,” he said. “I have offended people and I am sorry about this”. The event was covered by news websites as well, including Daily Mail and The Guardian.
Backlash
The Telegraph described Shirtstorm as "the day political correctness officially went mad". and Julie Bindel objected to those who had complained about the shirt.
Rose Eveleth, an online journalist, received criticism as well as a tweet asking her to kill herself as a result of her reaction towards Dr Taylor's shirt. In a statement the Astronomical Society of Australia condemned the reaction to those who criticized the shirt as "unwarranted and reprehensible.". While Phil Plait described the reaction to those criticizing Dr Taylor as "a frothing torrent of backlash misogyny".

Some online campaigns were started to show their support for Taylor, one of which was a crowdfunding effort to buy an astronomical watch for him, as well as a bottle of whiskey for every member of the team.
 
< Prev   Next >