Learning To Love

The internet has been blowing up with an annoying enormous amount of feminism.

I was not planning to participate because...well the collective populous of the inter-webs has clearly verbalized what I personally believe.

I was going to be a silent supportive bystander for the equality hurricane that was ripping through cyberspace.

Until today. Today, I was informed of something that, to be honest, pissed me off more than I thought possible. Background: I am an undergraduate/senior in college, doing research on hearing loss caused by natural, Eastern medicine-style drugs. I am going to present at an international conference (ARO) on my findings at the end of February. 

Today, I was talking with my PI (Principle Investigator) about what to wear at the conference, specifically during my presentation. I have never been to one before and was not sure how fancy to dress. I started explaining a few options I had.

"I have a business-style dress that..."

"Don't wear a dress."

Confused at her intense response, I ask why. She looks at me for a few seconds, then proceeds to tell me that the other researchers won't take me or my work seriously if I wear a dress.

What...so all of my work just...goes out the window?

The hours that I spend counting cells under a microscope: gone.

Cleaning, mating, and feeding our fish every day: pointless.

8-hour long protocols for staining proteins: unimportant.

Entire weekends dedicated to writing the paper: insignificant.

Most people have no idea how much work goes into doing research and publishing a paper. The fact that a female name at the top of that paper  makes it less valid upsets infuriates me.