Sexism in the medical field

by Marlin and Hasti

Introduction

Who gets to decide what is considered professional? Does what one wear outside the workplace determine how professional he or she appears at work? Recently, an article was published arguing that young female vascular surgeons posting ‘unprofessional’ pictures - defined to be bikini photos, photos showing alcoholic beverages, or political posts - on their social media accounts were disreputable. The article stated that this type of social media content can not only affect how patients choose physicians, hospitals, etc. but can also affect the professional reputations between colleagues and employers. Researchers concluded that young professionals should be more cautious about public exposure of ‘unprofessional’ content that is accessible by peers, patients, and employers. As a result, #MedBikini has become a movement within the female physicians’ discourse. Although the article has been retracted, it has invigorated an important question: who decides what is professional or unprofessional, and how do these definitions change within one’s social life and work-life?

Underlying Issue

Some of the issues, including patient privacy and illegal drug use, addressed in this article are critical for patient care. However, the other issues discussed invaded the privacy of the lives of young physicians, especially female physicians (Shapiro). Creating three “neutral,” or in other words, fake accounts, the researchers investigated the social media feeds of young surgeons. Female physicians in bikinis and ‘provocative’ Halloween costumes were considered unprofessional behaviors (Shapiro)

This article quickly gained the world’s attention on how young female surgeons dress when they are not working. In mutual support, the hashtag #MedBikini quickly became viral bringing a multitude of female and male physicians to post themselves in bikinis or casual attire. This article and movement shined a light on a persisting issue in the medical field. The underlying issue of the article, and why so many people stood against it, is the perception of women being weaker in every aspect of society, even in the world of medicine (Kevin).

Figure 1: Doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers posting images in scrubs and their swimsuits.

#MedBikini Movement

Multiple female and male physicians have turned to their social media accounts to show support against this article and to their colleagues. One popular post includes Dr. Candice Myhre’s post included images of her treating an injured patient from the beach all the way to the hospital while in her bikini the entire time. from the beach all the way to the hospital Figure 2: Dr. Bikini’s post shows her treating a patient in her swimwear.

She captioned her post with, “Dr. Bikini 👙 will save your life in the middle of the ocean when you get hit by a boat.” She continues to reiterate that wearing a bikini doesn't diminish one’s ability to treat an injured individual. Physicians have an important job in today’s society, but they are also human beings. They should be allowed to wear whatever they desire on their own time, whether or not they are going to the beach, without being called unprofessional. The authors of this article “targeted young female surgeons,” who face many uphill battles in their journey to becoming a physician (Dr. Marlene Wüst-Smith), leading to this #MedBikini social media movement to help conquer this underlying problem.

Conclusion:

The article has brought clarity to the issue of sexism in the medical field. Although there are more opportunities now for women in the field, there is still a long way to go. Physicians are often held at higher standards because of their responsibilities to their patients as well as those that they teach, train, and mentor. However, similar to all other work fields, their personal lives do not define their professional careers. Some of the “unprofessional behaviors” that the authors deemed inappropriate include female physicians wearing bikinis, holding alcoholic beverages, and discussing politics. As stated before, these physicians have the right to enjoy wearing a bathing suit at the beach, at the pool, or on vacation. They are allowed to enjoy adult beverages, when not on call, as well as talk about their opinions on current events. Simply put, they are not just people who save lives, but they are normal human beings as well. This article brought about a movement to stand for equality in the work field, specifically the medical field. #MedBikini has shined a light on the misogyny in medicine, an unspoken prejudice that creates barriers for equality in the medical field. What defines being professional? Definitely not something that an individual decides to do outside his or her work.

Work Cited

Kevin. Let Us Talk about the Underlying Situation of #Medbikini. 29 July 2020, www.newsbreak.com/news/1608290359123/let-us-talk-about-the-underlying-situation-of-medbikini.

Shapiro, Nina. “Viral #MedBikini Response To Controversial Manuscript Leads Editor To Retract Article.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 25 July 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/ninashapiro/2020/07/25/viral-medbikini-response-to-controversial-manuscript-leads-editor-to-retract-article/.

Wüst-Smith, Dr. Marlene. “Female Physicians Publicly Defend Their Professionalism via #MedBikini Posts.” Hispanic Outlook, www.physicianoutlook.com/articles/female-physicians-publicly-defend-their-profession.