Doctors Are Posting Bikini Photos After Being Called ‘Unprofessional' by Male-Led Study

Doctors—male and female—are pushing back at a study that describes bikini photos as “unprofessional content.”

According to the results of a controversial new study in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, "publicly available social media content" could affect how some patients choose their doctors or medical facility. A group of mostly male researchers led the study and found that "inappropriate attire," including bathing suits or bikinis, drinking, and controversial political opinions or "censored profanity" could all constitute "potentially unprofessional content"—but now women in the medical field are pushing back.

Part of the study included the researches creating social media accounts to look at what kinds of content their colleagues have posted. However, after the study came out, doctors began filling the Internet with pictures of themselves in bathing suits and holding cocktails to protests the results and the male-led research.

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They shared images under the hashtag #MedBikini and blasted what they called the sexist practice of gathering the information and passing judgment on what constitutes professionalism. "Apparently it’s unprofessional for doctors to post social media pics wearing bikinis & drinking alcohol, so here’s me doing both. #MedBikini," Dr. Victoria Dooley wrote. "Also deemed unprofessional, profanity & political talk but these dudes can fuck off b/c health care should be free at the point of care."

The study has struck a nerve particularly at a time in which healthcare workers on the frontlines are working so hard to provide for patients during the coronavirus pandemic. "Because there’s a whole pandemic outside and I have two kids I don’t have a recent bikini pic but how’s this for “unprofessional” with my BLM pin? Misogyny in surgery how novel," one doctor tweeted.

Male doctors are also speaking out against the study on Twitter. “If you are a true #heforshe then you must speak up against this disturbing study,” Dr. Mudit Chowdhary wrote. "3 men created fake social media accounts to purposefully spy on applicants. Worse they are shaming our women physician colleagues for wearing bikinis."

Another man tweeted an image of himself swimming shirtless and asked the Internet, "Does this make me look unprofessional? Or do those standards not apply to me? #medbikini #professionalism."

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Originally Appeared on Glamour