AIN'T NO SCRUB
Women doctors say they can save lives — while still rocking bikinis
These docs refuse to scrub their sexy bikini pics from the Internet.
Doctors are sharing their finest swimsuit selfies online after a controversial new study claimed that surgeons who post these kinds of pictures are “unprofessional.”
The study, published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, touched on the impact of “publicly available social media content” and how it could affect future patients’ physician choices. In order to conduct the study, the researchers, who were mostly men, created undercover accounts to investigate content posted online.
They deemed photos that display alcohol, that contain “inappropriate attire” such as bathing suits or costumes, and posts with censored profanity or controversial opinions as “potentially unprofessional content.”
Many doctors were quick to confront the suitshaming study. Both men and women physicians labeled it sexist and troubling, and said those kinds of photos have no bearing on a doctor’s ability to do their job.
“I certainly want my patients to trust and respect me, and part of that may be influenced by a public social media presence,” Seattle surgeon Lauren Agoubi, 28, told The Post.
“However, the bottom line is who decides what is and isn’t unprofessional should not be left up to three men.”
To underscore her point, Agoubi shared a picture of herself wearing a colorful one-piece swimsuit and drinking a beer on social media.
Stephanie, a medical student who requested her last name not be used to avoid the harassment she’s already experiencing for sharing her swimsuit selfies, pointed out that she dresses appropriately to go to the beach — in a bathing suit, not scrubs.
“When I saw that it was three men who authored this paper, I was disappointed but not surprised, considering the many conversations that have happened on #MedTwitter about professionalism,” she said in a message to The Post on Twitter, noting that the term “professional” is often used as a veiled way to uphold racism and sexism in the industry.
“Women should not have to strip themselves of their femininity and womanhood to be considered a professional, especially in their personal lives,” Stephanie added.
None of the researchers involved in the study responded to The Post’s request for comment.
However, Thomas Cheng and Jeffrey Siracuse, two of the authors, tweeted identical apologies after the public outcry, saying in part, “Our intent was to empower surgeons to be aware and then personally decide what may be easily available for patients and colleagues to see about us. However, this was not the result . . . We are sorry that we made the young surgeons feel targeted and that we were judgmental.”