Female doctors share bikini photos on social media to protest sexist study

Would photos of scantily-clad doctors tarnish the image of the profession? Well, that’s what a study published in the American Journal of Vascular Surgery has claimed. After looking at the social media pages of young vascular surgeons, the researchers, mostly men, concluded that a lot of the content on these pages photos of the women in bikinis or with a drink in their hand could be considered ‘unprofessional behaviour.’

Extracts of the study that were posted on Twitter say.

Unprofessional social media content not only reflects poorly on the individual, but also the medical profession as a whole.

The study has also classed ‘holding/consuming alcohol, wearing ‘inappropriate attire’ (including ‘underwear, provocative Halloween costumes, and provocative posing in bikinis/swimwear’), sharing censored profanity, and/or posts with ‘controversial political, religious or social commentary (including comments about ‘specific stances on abortion and gun control’)’ to be inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour as well. Not long after it was published, the article had sparked a wave of outrage among female doctors.

Doctors put on their bikinis in protest

To protest this study, which lots of people consider overwhelmingly sexist, several doctors decided to post photos of themselves in bikinis on social media. Candice Myrhre, a doctor who practices in Hawaii, even launched the hashtag #MedBikini to encourage her sisters to follow suit.

It didn’t take long for lots of other female doctors to follow her example and dozens have since posted photos of themselves in bikinis in protest of the study. As CNN reported, in light of how huge the study and the movement became, the Journal of Vascular Surgery has since retracted its study.