Engineers in bikinis

I signed on to my Facebook a few days ago and saw a friend's link to this picture and article about how the Dean of the University of Waterloo shut down their student car team from competing because one of the students posed beside it in a bikini and this picture was on the internet. The student argued that she was posing for a charity calendar (on closer inspection though this woman would not have made any money off of the picture, apparently only 10% of the proceeds from the calendar go to charity).

I was a little appalled that this woman had done this. (And at the same time, I could identify with the confusion that may have led her to do this). I thought sadly, "Just as soon as people think, "oh wow a woman engineer, women can be engineers!" we are inevitably and quickly corrected that, no, women's primary purpose in life is always tied to sex. At the end of the day regardless of whatever else she does, engineering etc they are all just momentary diversions, the real reason she's around is sex." I probably reacted a bit emotionally but those were my thoughts. I'll explain the reasoning that led to these thoughts.

I was a woman in Engineering (I switched to Science) and I immediately agreed with the Dean's decision when I heard about this. I have no doubts that this student had the best intentions, and I am empathetic to what must be a bitter disappointment for the team since they will not be able to compete. I hope this woman won't be blamed by her classmates for this incident however I think that she was not thinking clearly in taking those pictures.

My first reason is because I think the pictures were simply unprofessional. It would have been condemned just as strongly if a guy had taken pictures next to the car in a speedo for a calendar! Everyone would think, "Why is that guy taking his clothes off ? What's wrong with him ? Thus is crazy."

Secondly I do think the pictures were objectifying to women simply because of the society we live in. Generally women were traditionally perceived to be good for only two things; sex and babies. Women have had to struggle and are still struggling to be respected and seen for their diverse abilities (including intelligence and the ability to be a good engineer). At the moment, women get paid 77c to the dollar that men make, why ? because on some level people perceive women's ability to do anything but provide sex/raise children as less than men's.

I was disappointed when I heard about this woman's photo shoot. I thought, just as soon as people are beginning to look at a woman and think, "She might be a highly gifted Engineer," we are corrected by a picture of her in a bikini, and instructed that the primary purpose of a woman of which we must always be reminded is, "sex and babies." She may be in engineering, but let's not make the mistake of viewing her as an engineer, that's just a momentary diversion from her main purpose, "sex and babies."

Finally I'm aware that what I'm writing might come across as somewhat repressive of women's natural sexuality. That's not my intention. Girls will be girls, *wink wink.* In terms of women being proud of their bodies, sexuality and femininity however, it's my understanding that women have gained more ownership of their bodies and respect for their femininity primarily as a result of finding economic independence and respect for their diverse abilities (ironically their diverse abilities other than being able to provide sex and children), rather than as a result of simply protesting that we should be allowed to wear a bikini. If you want women to be less repressed, they need a little more economic independence and respect for all their abilities. I also don't want to deny the fact that women have achieved independence and been treated more kindly simply because some moral people have noticed inequality and followed their consciences.

Today I was happy to read this blog by a student in support of the Dean. I was beginning to wonder if no one else shared my viewpoint.