By now I’m sure you all are familiar with the recent so-called shirtgate. If not, here’s the quick and dirty: Dr. Matt Taylor, lead project scientist for the Rosetta Mission, wore a shirt covered in very sexy space ladies during a press event. As you can imagine, the feministy internet was none too pleased.
No comet landing is complete without a little T&A. (That was sarcasm.) Credit: nationalreview.com
I was not impressed by this sartorial choice. I couldn’t stop thinking that if this guy had worn a Sailor Moon shirt, he would have gotten a very different–a more positive–reaction. And it hit me! Why not send him a Sailor Moon shirt? A quick visit to the Hot Topic website and voila! A men’s Sailor Moon t-shirt was acquired.
Lots of leg, but no T&A. Hey, that rhymes!
I included a little note with my package. Here’s what I wrote:
Dear Dr. Taylor,
I hope this letter finds you well! My name is Anne and I’m an astronomy fan living in the United States. Recently, I saw the t-shirt you wore during that press briefing for the Rosetta mission. I wasn’t impressed so I thought to send you a better one! The enclosed shirt features five young women from the Japanese anime Sailor Moon. Are you familiar with it?
Sailor Moon is about a group of normal school girls who receive incredible power from the planets to save the world. (It’s full of astronomy references!) The creator of Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi, even flew all the way to Kennedy Space Center in July 1994 to watch the first Japanese woman in space, Dr. Mukai, launch off.
But Sailor Moon is much more than just another superhero. She inspires girls (and boys) around the world to fight for their dreams even when society tells them to stay home. I don’t work in a STEM field, but I have several female friends who do. They are so smart and amazing; it angers me when they are treated as sex objects. In one incident, my friend’s boss fondled her bra strap. Luckily, a co-worker was able to defuse the situation.
Anyway, I hope this shirt fits you. When you wear it, I think you’ll get a much more positive reaction.
Sincerely,
Anne
P.S. In the Sailor Moon S movie, the bad guy, Snow Princess Kaguya, travels to Earth on a comet. I hope Philae doesn’t find her! 🙂
I don’t know if Dr. Taylor will want to wear this shirt. It turns out the shirt he wore was also a gift from a lady friend; a laser technician who loves pin-ups. But regardless, I figure a little Sailor Moon makes any situation better.
Did you know the main office of the European Space Agency is in the Netherlands? It’s in Noordwijk!
And speaking about making a situation better, I’m not the only person who thought Dr. Taylor needed a new shirt. Elly Zupko thought so too! But this time the shirt wouldn’t be of sexy space ladies or sailor guardians, her shirt would consist of real life women who made important contributions to STEM fields. And with your help, she can make her dream a reality. Check out her Kickstarter “STEM: Women Are All Over It” – #ThatOtherShirt. You have until Jan 2nd 2015 to back this campaign—Dr. Mukai has even made the short list to appear on the shirt!
