It's no surprise that employers often look at job applicants' social media profiles before hiring them. According to CareerBuilder, 70% of employers "use social media to screen candidates before hiring."
It makes sense because social media profiles can reveal a lot about someone's true personality and employers don't want to take any unnecessary risks. But there's definitely a complicated grey area. Aren't people allowed to have a personal, private life outside of their career? Who gets to determine what's considered inappropriate or a "red flag"?
In 2020, the Journal of Vascular Surgery did a study where it viewed the social media profiles of 235 medical residents to see if they had "unprofessional or potentially unprofessional content."
The study found that "One-half of recent and soon to be graduating vascular surgery trainees had an identifiable social media account with more than one-quarter of these containing unprofessional content."
The paper began with a warning: "Young surgeons should be aware of the permanent public exposure of unprofessional content that can be accessed by peers, patients, and current/future employers."
The main findings of the study were compiled in one handy graphic, seen below. Can you spot the problem?
A study highlighted inappropriate attire as a potentially unprofessional red-flag. via Science Direct
At first glance, this study seemed like it would help graduates with their careers by warning them against social media posts that could get them into trouble. But the study created in a backlash from the medical community because it clearly targeted and shamed female doctors.
The major bone of contention that medical professionals had with the study is that the team of predominantly male researchers said that "provocative posing in bikinis/swimwear," "provocative Halloween costumes," and "holding/ consuming alcohol" are all inappropriate.
It's interesting that the study didn't differentiate much between inappropriate attire and, say, hate speech — putting both in the same "Potentially Unprofessional" bucket. There's nothing wrong with a woman wearing a bikini or anyone having a beer in public, why did the study deem them inappropriate?
Plus, you have to admit, the conceit of the study is a little uncomfortable. Male researchers combing through people's personal profiles looking, essentially, for bikini pictures?
The paper inspired female medical professionals to push back against the study by posting shots of themselves in swimwear and imbibing adult beverages under #MedBikini. Photos began pouring in on Twitter by the dozens.
The photos challenged the notion that bikini pictures are "provocative." Are female doctors not allowed to go swimming? Post vacation photos?
"I will not wear my white coat and scrubs to Hawaii," one woman wrote in her post.
Another took issue, too, with the idea that holding a drink in a photo automatically qualifies as a red-flag to employers. "Did I spend my night responding to traumas? Yes. Is there WhiteClaw in my cooler? Also yes."
Doctors are human beings. Those human beings have bodies. It's not their fault if other people sexualize them.
Even a year later, the trend was still going strong.
Some male allies got in on the hashtag, too. "Although no one will want to see this Dad bod here it is in full support of my female colleagues and this misogynistic study. Without my female mentor in medschool and the one in residency, I wouldn’t be the surgeon I am today," Anthony Tucker wrote.
The backlash prompted one of the authors of the study, Dr. Jeff Siracuse, to apologize for the paper's framing.
"Our intent was to empower surgeons to be aware and then personally decide what may be easily available for our patients and colleagues to see about us social media," Siracuse wrote on Twitter.
"However, this was clearly not the result. We realize that the definition of professionalism is rapidly changing in medicine and that we need to support our trainees and surgeons as our society changes without the appearance of judgment."
Though the initial study and controversy happened five years ago, this issue is far from put to bed. Double-standards like these are part of why a larger portion of regular people on social media (non-influencers or content creators) choose to keep their profiles Private, or to not have them at all.
This article originally appeared five years ago. It has been updated.