I appreciate the overwhelming support I have received from this community in the few hours since the video has been up; your positivity and encouragement never fail to restore my faith that things can, and will, get better. -Emily
***** Be strong, Emily! Nevermind the male primates! Here in Brazil the same happens! People are strongly held to old prejudices. Not only making science writing (and video making) hard to women, but also to people from other ethnicities, and the disabled ones. There are indeed many channels like ours all around the globe, and slowly women will change this scenario.
FWIW - Despite ALL THE FACTS that I or anyone else post on YT on space-related videos, the "Apollo Moon Landing Conspiracy" crowd will ALWAYS believe what they want to believe. Emily, SOME PEOPLE are just plain ASSHOLES, and they ALWAYS WILL BE. 'Nuff said....
thebrainscoop there is obviously a problem with sexism here that should be addressed (nice job), but I feel as though a lot of the points you brought up to do with, self conscious imaging , awkwardness to cohost due to sexual tension, negative comments to do with looks and attractiveness could easily apply to male youtubers.
thebrainscoop: Emily you are a very beautiful woman but that is not the defining characteristic of your personality, you are very smart and brave to work in a field with such criticism and any one who thinks otherwise has obviously not had the same experiences as you have. Racism in any field of work is completely unacceptable but in such a field of work that you're in one would think with such educated people that racism would not exist, but I digress stay strong for all of us who completely support you and live and love for the work you accomplish.
YES. So much yes. This video says everything I've been feeling for years. Why can't people focus on my content instead of my appearance? Why are people always so shocked to see a young woman making tech videos? And why do people constantly tell me I should just ignore it because it's inevitable? I've been wanting to make a video just like this but I feared the backlash since 80% of my viewers of male and I thought they'd see it as an attack on them. Anyway, thank you so much for making this and being so eloquent. And thanks for linking to my channel!
as you can see in the comments: you've got nothing to worry about. I've yet to read a negative comment on this video we're not chauvinist by default. it's just that as men, we do not face sexism as women do and as such sometimes we lack awareness if you wish to make a video about it, just do it. but do it with respect to your viewership.
You shouldn't ignore it because it's inevitable. If you want to be respected you should though. At the end of the day you won't get respect for asking to be treating specially nice because you are a girl. Men have stuff to deal with too. They get respected because they overcome it. All of the people(particularly men) who are falling over themselves to protect your feelings are actually doing you a disservice, and (ironically) being sexist.
alienzen You really need to let go of the idea that a woman is asking for "special treatment" if she calls out people who bully her. Of course everyone has issues in their own life, but someone's own problems are never an excuse for disrespecting and dismissing another human being - and they are ABSOLUTELY not an excuse for - like you just did - telling that person to be silent and accept it, because they do not have the right to name how people are treating them and to push back at it. You are the one being sexist, sir, because you illegitimized the problem which she faces and which you have never had to deal with. Never silence people when they say they are being mistreated. It doesn't magically go away if they shut their mouths and stop inconveniencing you with their "complaining".
iTalkApple People are shocked because it's regrettably (as Emily mentioned) rare. While vihart has been around for a while I have never come across any other female STEM channels. As for why they comment on your looks, the answer is "boys will be boys". Yes, I know, I know, unsatisfactory as hell, but that doesn't make it not true - one can (and maybe should) try to educate these boys, but the frustrating point is that there are more ignorant biys coming along all the time. And about ignoring it: Essentially this is the idea of the "don't feed the troll" maxim. Chances are, when someone makes a "GREAT BODY SHOW MORE TITS WHAH WHAH WHAH!!!!11!1!!1"-style comment, they don't want you to feel good, rather the opposite. By pointing out that you are hurt by it you are, however understandably, providing a road map for them how to hurt you even further - thus, these discussions are unlikely to solve the problem. I hope I'm wrong, but 20 years of experience with internet trolls tells me I'm not :(.
alienzen Yes, men get these kind of comments (just look at the comments of any British youtube kid's videos), but it's not okay there either. And these people also suffer from this needless, pointless disrespect. We're not saying "it's not okay to disrespect women like that", we're saying "it's not okay to disrespect people like that" (while emphasizing that women suffer from this phenomenon way more) It's pretty much a fact that women are held up to these standards more often. If you look for any channel made by someone who isn't the current object of obsession by teenaged girls, you'll see almost no comments pretaining to their appearance or their clothes.
This is awesome! Props for putting up with the personal nonsense that's so prevalent and unwarranted on RUclips. My girlfriend is a badass scientist who's saving the world (of endangered species). Go women, go science! And have some respect, y'all!
I can't imagine what it was like for you to sit there and listen to those comments read to you. Thank you so much for making this video, Emily. It really hit home, both as a woman online content creator and as a woman, full stop. The idea that some men feel that I owe it to them to look pretty, wear makeup, do my hair, show my figure, smile--god, it's the worst, creepiest, most invasive assumption. And it goes unquestioned *so* often. You reminded me that I don't owe it to anyone, regardless of gender, to look or behave any way beyond observing standards of decency.
Thank you for posting this video, Emily. As a male, it is all to easy to forget the injustice women face on the internet and out in the world, and how profound of an impact it can have. This video (and all other discussions of sexism) are an important reminder for everyone, especially those who plug their ears and pretend misogyny doesn't exist. I've been subscribed since the beginning of The Brain Scoop, and I'm excited to see more content from you and this channel. Keep up the great work, and don't back down!
I found you via your recent stint on sci show quiz show and am so glad I did. I am a woman in science and it is incredible to see these statements made. Girl power. Also kudos to Michael for reading those comments out loud in your presence. That must have been hard. And kudos to you for being freaking classy and amazing.
Bob Smith Dude, get out... Comments like this are the problem that this video was made to bring attention to. Get out, rethink, and if you can't stop being degrading and instead be constructive, please stay out of the RUclips comments.
Bob Smith This video touched me emotionally not because of abusive and degrading RUclips comments I've received myself (which I have, in abundance) as a result of being an "attention whouer", but because this is but a tiny manifestation of a massive, world-wide problem that women face every day, and something that has troubled me since I was a little girl.
I think people in the comments need to recognize that it's a lot easier to shrug off hateful comments on the internet when your livelihood doesn't depend on audience feedback. If someone sends you hate online, it's no big deal, but this is her job, her income, and her passion... It deserves respect. If you got a performance review at a job and they said "Well, your mostly good, but you need to stop dressing like a nerdy pig," you would be offended, right? It's the same idea. Communicating science online is her job and since she's good at it, she deserves credit where it's due! Keep it up Emily, you're awesome!
The problem with how we deal with sexism is we teach young girls to be strong opinioned but we seem to teach the boys nothing new. Both sexes need to change to fix sexism in both directions
I'm actually so glad you posted this video... I always feel really weird reading youtube comments because people seem to think I'm overly sensitive about sexism or something? I mean I'd read a comment like one of the ones in the video and get offended and my friends/other commenters just say i'm just being melodramatic because they were trying to be supportive or "just joking" (because degrading a person in a joking way is ok for some reason). It's great to hear that it's not weird for that stuff to irk me, especially from somebody I respect as an intellectual (that's you by the way).
THIS KIND OF (Internet bullying of female content creators) APATHETIC ATTITUDE IS UNACCEPTABLE. Well said Emily. I hope everyone who supports you comes forward and shows that we can support women in public spaces - whatever their roles.
This video is fantastic and I'm so glad you made it, Emily! I really hope people start to become more aware of the types of comments they're leaving, and beyond that, I know you're already inspiring girls to do what they love, especially in the STEM fields. Definitely going to check out some of those channels when I have the chance!
Prevalent? Did i miss something. All she said is that it's a minority of comments she receives. Did you not know that all youtubers receive horrible comments
Erin Blockabitch Im certain that whatever gender OC is doesnt prevent them from seeing sexism. It's easy to see in everyday life, such as mothers (such as mine) teaching their sons the importance of conforming to their gender role, whilst teaching they should support a woman who chooses not to conform to her's. Its easy to see when people openly say male voices are less valuable in certain discussions. Its sometimes hard not to notice in contexts of violence, and differing reactions based upon the gender of who is violent and who is hurt. I suspect OC wasnt talking about sexism, but rather their surprise at the prevalence of these specific types of comments towards female youtubers
Lady, a friend just pointed me to your channel and you are a breath of fresh air in this industry! I started doing videos a couple years ago but got discouraged straight away from comments that were left in poor etiquette. About to embark on relaunching the channel again soon, and I'm thrilled to know you are helping pioneer a new movement for us! Thanks girl and keep on rockin'!
It's kind of a bummer that people choose to only respond to the part of the video where Emily talks about her personal experiences, and just skip over the 'larger picture' that is sketched in the rest of the video. This isn't just about 'nasty comments', it is about the fact that male scientists are often taken more seriously than female scientists, and youtube is just another mediaplatform that proves this point. It's not about whether or not Emily should take comments on her outfit as a compliment, but about the fact that these comments are completely irrelevant to the topic discussed in her videos, and the fact that shit like that happens multiple times a day, which makes women in her position feel as if they are not taken seriously. It's not about microaggressions, but about the massive flaw in our society these aggressions stem from.
RUclips didn't exist when I was thirteen, but I was talking to my friend about how we wish it (and you!) were around then, because we probably would have gotten into science. So, thanks for doing what you're doing despite rude comments.
I co-host a Technology channel with a German...I feel like his being male is secondary to his being German. I have recently started sharing some of the threads of my videos that have gone sideways...I did a video, 13 things you didn't know about Nintendo...and well...it turned into 50+ comments about my nationality and how being a Canadian woman made me pronounce Mario..Merio..lol...this video couldn't have come with more perfect timing! Thanks so much for sharing!
It is utterly tiresome that women are so often considered for their looks first, content second, and that it is also assumed that what a woman wants to hear (no matter the content she puts up) that she is attractive, sexy etc. Personally, I don't know a single woman who feels comments about her being sexy is the least bit nice at all if she puts up content which does not relate to that topic. But yet, the sexy comments arrive, and when the women tell them to stop there's a shitstorm of the same dudes getting upset because you didn't giggle and get flattered by their disability to appreciate women for other things than their sex appeal. I've gotten several quite persistant haters on YT just because I told them I didn't want any comments of that kind, because yes indeed, some guys certainly seem unable to appreciate content from women for other things than looks (and also seem to think it's the women's duty to appreciate it). I am happy most on my own channel is not like that, and will actually tell people off if they start focusing on looks before content.
It is utterly tiresome that men are so often considered for their abilities first, content second, and that it is also assumed that what a men wants to hear (no matter the content he puts up) that he is handy, efficient etc. Personally, I don't know a single men who feels comments about him being useful is the least bit nice at all if he puts up content which does not relate to that topic. But yet, the 'ability' comments arrive, and when the men tell them to stop there's a shitstorm of the same women getting upset because you didn't respond confident and appreciated their disability to appreciate men for other things than their confidence. I've gotten several quite persistant haters on YT just because I told them I didn't want any comments of that kind, because yes indeed, some women certainly seem unable to appreciate content from men for other things than skill (and also seem to think it's the men's duty to appreciate it). I am happy most on my own channel is not like that, and will actually tell people off if they start focusing on confidence/ability before content.
Here is a list of some STEM channels with female creators or voices that I have subscribed to: Deep Look, Braincraft, Looking Glass Universe, Draw Curiousity, Physics Girl, Neural Transmissions and of course Vi Hart and thebrainscoop. I do notice the surprising lack of views and subscribers on these awesome channels (especially Deep Look). I hope this helps people looking for some more great content.
"We need to make sure we're making it possible for people of all genders to feel acknowledged for their contributions and not feel held back by something as arbitrary as their genetics or appearance." VERY POWERFUL.
As a male, the content is what made me subscribe in the first place. I'm a biology major at Texas Tech University and I see that the world of STEM is dominated with men. Its sad cause I have seen many brilliant women fall out of the sciences because they is sexism in the field they wanted to go in. Sad but true. Keep on doing a great job. I look forward to seeing more videos in the future.
**APPLAUSE** I don't make science or tech videos, so it's less of a surprise that my comedy video comments are ripe with sexual innuendo comments (though "verbal rape" commentary is probably a more accurate way of describing them.) I openly poke fun at these comments, but truthfully, it is discouraging to think that a good half of my audience only watches to get a boob screengrab. Kudos to you, your content, and this video :)
I agree that there should be more women in the stem category. However was turned off by the message when it went to the stop the bullying segment. I don't bully and don't endorse it, I do think learning to deal the with negativity is important you can't always run to "teacher" for help. Great people of the past have been able to over come these challenges why not now.
Jonathan Orosco How is she "running to teacher?" She's pointing out that there's a problem, explaining why it's wrong, and then calling on the whole community to help her stop it. If anything, she's BEING the teacher.
Thank you so much for this great video. It encourages me on so many levels: as someone who wants to create content (not just youtube related), as a young woman who works at a museum, and as... just a regular young woman who gets flak like that in all areas, even the ones you think should be safe, like friend groups and church.
Yes, all the support! And thank you for links to the other channels! I'm a female in engineering and this is an important topic on and off the internet. It sucks when people are discouraged from doing what they love--or not even exposed to it--due to their gender. Keep up the fantastic work! You ARE making a difference--I look forward to every video and now wish I took a few biology courses as an undergrad.
I appreciate the tone taken on this video. You aren't confrontational at all. The facts about the situation are presented neutrally and allow the audience to take an honest look at their behavior without making accusations or being angry about it. This is how open and engaging discussions are created. I just found your channel but I'm subscribing now.
GO EMILY GO GIRL YOU TELL THEM you are correct in every way, When i look at you i see a very clever person who is going to grow into something very special to us all in the future wouldn't be surprised to see a professorship coming your way .
I don't think anybody should have to deal with comments like that, regardless of their gender. Sexual discrimination isn't just for women. Male nurses or crafters are constantly looked down upon as well. Emily, thank you for trying to make a stand against sexism and internet bullying.
I am so happy that you decided to acknowledge this issue! I feel as though most women are afraid to talk about the issue because people will accuse them of being overly sensitive or something else accusatory that is related to gender. I think that it is important for men and women to dialogue about sexism and such and am so grateful to the people who do ad to the dialogue on youtube, be them men or women. I am so proud to consider you a role model. Thank you and I hope everyone who contributes to the Brain Scoop has a wonderful holiday! (Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday but I hope you all on the Brain Scoop know that you are making awesome material!)
I could not agree more with what you are saying, indeed you managed to verbalise some of my feelings towards RUclips that I hadn't consciously recognised myself. Reading some of the comments down below however was even more of an eye-opener. If you cannot understand why "complimenting" on appearance for a video that might have taken months of research and editing to make is belittling and insulting, then you need to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Yes, we understand there are trolls, and I for one love a good troll now and again, but it is the "well meaning" commenters that have a louder voice. For those that say that by putting ourselves in the public eye we should expect such scrutiny, I respond by saying that we do expect it. And since women expect it more than men, more women are likely to react by simply not making videos. The ones that you see have already made the decision to deal with the inevitable barrage of comments. If you want to help, one commenter suggested replying to such 'compliments' by saying something as simple as "Please remember you are talking to a real person". This would massively help! Finally, I love the list - so many new people to watch! And thank so much for mentioning my own channel; it's very much appreciated :)
I've been watching the sci-show channel for a while, plus some others, and some of the comments about the female presenters are really bad. I'd kind of hoped that anybody with sufficient education to be interested in channels like this would be more mature and thoughtful. Sadly i'm often disappointed.
I was made aware of your video (and channel) by a friend who posted it on my Facebook wall after I put up a CNN iReport about my aspirations to build a world where the mistakes of men and women carry equaly weight, especially online. I have subscribed and shared this video widely. :-)
This was a truly great video essay. I thought I'd just watch for a minute and "like" but you kept my attention start to finish. And sadly, I think you pinned down the reasons so few women researchers, STEM or otherwise, have RUclips channels. But great vloggers like you is what is needed to change that. Keep up the great work, I am now a subscriber.
You go girl. As a host who works primarily on the Internet, I can relate, and often times wonder how to deal with and/or stop the sexist, negative, or misogynistic comment cycle. I enjoyed seeing your thoughts on the matter. Keep up the good work!
I've now subscribed to your channel because I came across this video on NPR and agree that there needs to be some solidarity! I'm hoping that my daughter (who wants to be an architect) and other girls can find good female role models like yourself who are appreciated for their minds, not their appearances. We need more like you, Emily, and hopefully we'll beat back this growing trend of demeaning women in intellectual fields!
As a white hetero male in a STEM field, it's easy to see the treatment I receive is far different than the treatment others receive. When I'm in a public situation, and say something intelligent or insightful, I get a reaction along the lines of "oh, cool, this guy knows what he's talking about". No real surprise, just an acknowledgement (which is cool, not complaining). When my wife says something insightful or intelligent, however, it's earth shattering... "Woah, what!? What did she just say???" People are astonished, dumbfounded, and even intimidated when she shows any signs of above average intelligence. It's ridiculous... It also creates an odd situation for me socially anytime that someone (other than a white hetero male - or maybe Asian) surpasses me in an intellectual competition. All of a sudden, I get comments like "it's alright, you weren't at the top of your game", as if there was no possibility they could have beaten me in a fair match, or "how could you have let them win" as if either by losing to the other person I have shamed this white bystander or that I had to have let the minority or woman win. I know what I've said isn't 100% on topic, but I completely support women like Emily who get into STEM fields. I would really like to see more women in STEM fields, or in any other form of intellectual pursuit. I think that gender roles are dangerous nonsense that need to be abolished.
I'm sorry this is what it took for me to find out about your videos, but now that I'm here, I look forward to watching them. So far, they're awesome! Thank you for doing what you do!
Thank you Emily. Really, I keep trying to tell people about these issues but nobody believes me, and nobody with a big youtube following has even mentioned them before, male or female. I've been TRYING to get Hank to make a scishow video about it (as he does mention amazing STEM women a lot and emphasizes it in the videos) but to no avail. So much support and love from a fellow STEM field lover (even if I'm not going into a STEM field as an occupation.)
I totally hear you on this Emily! When I was in my second and third years of the Mechanical Engineering Technology programming at Algonquin College here in Ottawa, I had to deal regularly with sexism, ageism and anti-disability attitudes from fellow classmates, an few instructors and some of the college staff. I was the only woman in the program, the oldest person in the class by at least 8 years and physically disabled. I was harassed daily because of my gender, my size and cussed out "Why couldn't you have been more attractive/good looking/younger/not disabled" etc. Put that on top of an already intense programme of study and well, yeah, I had stress issues. Top it off with threats of damage to my vehicle, inaccessibility at the campus and a general lack of interest of the general staff of the college to do something about the abuse, harassment or improve the accessibility of the campus and it is a wonder I didn't have a full out meltdown. It is hard out there. I have worked in the technical trades industry all of my life (30+ years) and never before did I get this much trouble. Same goes in school. It was shocking.
Thank you for taking a stand and calling out on this! As a girl going on to study science (specifically bio anth), when I watch your videos, it gives me confidence to go out and do the research that I love to do. Your channel is freaking awesome, and I love it! Always am learning something new ^_^
I absolutely loved this video! It has definitely inspired me to work on a few new videos... I studied Engineering at university, but never really talk about it on my channel. Hopefully I can get a mini-series going on the topic! I would love to have more women in science in my subscription feed!
Thank you so much for this video. As a woman struggling to enter the neuroscience field, I understand where you're coming from. I'm often embarrassed to even tell people what I'm studying for fear of whatever poorly-thought out comments they might say. STEM fields in any sense are intimidating for women, and we should be doing all we can to encourage and strengthen female passions of all kinds. Thanks again.
As a woman in the IT field, also a woman who loves science and one who works in a mainly man occupied job, I really appreciate this video. Also I can strongly empathize with you, I get creepy comments at work all of the time except it's not anonymous and it's in my face. I am called sweetcheeks, sweetie, honey, and such and have even been told "is there a man I can talk to about this?" regarding a question about an xbox. It's endlessly frustrating that I am hit on and treated differently because of my gender. Keep going strong! Remember we're all here for you!
Thank you for speaking about this issue. I always hesitate to read the comments on female youtubers' videos for this reason, especially when one of their videos gets linked somewhere so there's a horde of new people in the comments who aren't part of the generally supportive and awesome core fanbase. You're courageous for putting up with it and confronting it.
As a woman and a teacher of pre-service teachers, this couldn't have been more timely (sadly) and on the mark. I'm sharing it on my website for educational psychology, and I've posted it on my Facebook page. You are probably the most articulate spokesperson on this issue I've run across. Emily, I applaud you for sharing a personal message with examples and with the logic to break through some of the bias. Fingers crossed!
We all love you Emily! I'm not sure if it was your first time on RUclips when Hank Green went to your school and interviewed you but all I remember seeing in the comments of that video were "More Emily!" As a fellow woman scientist I applaud you. I've shown you to a few of my peers and we all adore you. :)
I'm an alien, neither-male-nor-female-nor-even-in-between STEM producer, maybe the only one on RUclips. The strange thing is that evan as an alien, I never get the kind of negative comments you get on a regular basis. Are earthlings' gender stereotypes so entrenched that even an alien from outer space seems less surprising - to some - than a female earthling doing science?
It's indeed such an unfair and irrational tradition among Earthlings to treat their fellows based on their chromosomes. It's one of those baffling Earthling behaviors which I can't never explain whenever I'm abducted by alien sociologists. That, and twerking. With that in mind, perhaps I can help giving some balance to your situation Zogg... "clears throat" Even while you're a disgusting alien cyclops, I still enjoy and subscribe to your videos _(oh man, I hope his disintegrator gun is not loaded and his joke-o-meter is working)_
It's so rediculous people still think like that. Emily, you're an intelligent, inspiring lady, and you've shown me the wonders of science and natural history. I'm upset that you have to go through comments like that, because you definitely don't deserve it. But please continue to educate the world, because you are making an impact on people. Keep being an inspiration for girls and boys everywhere, we love you. ❤️
I... am going to have to flip a table over in rage now. I missed this video and found it due to /r/nerdfighters If you make comments like the ones read in the video, just shut up. Emily is amazing because she brings us fascinating information and presents it in an interesting way. The way she looks and her gender are immaterial to that. Casual (and not so casual) misogyny is just not cool. Not cool. Not cool at all.
This is amazing. One of the most thoughtful, level-headed, and cogent expositions on the inherent sex-based biases in the STEM fields (or just in general) I have ever seen. And Emily did it all without once throwing around the buzz word, 'misogyny.' Take some notes, Jezebel.
I see a lot of "why isn't it sexism to say this to men?/men get these comments too!" comments. So let me help you out. Sexism (and racism) = Prejudice + Power. You can't discuss either without looking at who has the power. The world we live in, the STEM community, and RUclips are male dominated spaces. Men have the power. So when you say these things to women you are being sexist because you are playing on gendered stereotypes towards the oppressed. Women are socialized to believe their decorative value is what matters, so when you point out how poorly (or well) they are performing that function in a setting where they are trying to disseminate information - you are perpetuating that damaging gender expectation. Also sexism (and racism) doesn't need to have malicious intentions to be sexist/racist. You can perpetuate inequality while trying to be nice. For more info on this I suggest bell hooks. Sincerely, - fifth year sociology student/PhD prospect. TL;DR: You can't be sexist towards men because men have the power in our society. Stop complimenting female science educators on their looks - its sexist.
These are deep thoughts, Emily, I appreciate it. Keep up good work and thank you for all those cool channels I can now subscribe to, I knew only for Dr. Doe and ViHart before.
Emily, I love your content. You're always so inspiring to everyone, men and women alike. As a high school girl aspiring to be a fighter pilot, I get a lot of crap like this. I get a lot of weird looks when I tell people I want to go into the military or that I can fly a plane. I've even had a few people not believe me. Thank you for supporting women in STEM and thank you for always being so positive, even in the face of so much negativity.Thank you for being awesome! And PS, I could only dream of having your fashion sense. :)
This is such a great video! Well said, well done, Emily! (Also, I love how you stuck Michael in the corner behind your chair!! it's like he's in time-out or something!!)
Please, if you have the urge, do video. Do not let stupid people keep you from enlightening/entertaining/whatevering your potential intelligent viewers. If not, do it for yourself and keep comments disabled, but don't let dumb people hold you down.
First off well done. You didn't belittle, you gave facts. And I think this is just the channel I want me and my14 yr old daughter following. Please keep your head up and keep making videos!
This vlog alone made me subscribe to you. I look forward to watching your previous ones and the ones to come. Keep up the amazing work and it's wonderful to see how passionate you are about your career =)
What is sad is that when some people make comments about the way you look or how "you would look hotter if" ... they think that they are doing you a service, that some how they are complimenting or helping you out, regardless of whether it was solicited or appropriate. These same people get defensive when you call them out and resort to insults and name calling. What they fail to realize is that NO ONE ASKED THEIR OPINION about how the person in the video looks or dresses. Yes, it is natural for us, as human beings, to be attracted toward good-looking people, but it does not mean that we have type in creepy replies to every potentially attractive person. Would you do that in real life? If you did, you would probably quickly be told to go away. So why is it OK to do so on the internet? It is not. :/ Anyway, keep doing what you do, Emily, and don't let them get you down! Prejudice sometimes is just a matter of ignorance, and it is up to all of us to change our world. :D
You are my new hero Emily! I go through the same thing! Us women need to stick together and put our foot down and say no more to sexist comments. Amen girl. I'm right there with ya.
I mean, I'm all for women's rights, but it seems a little unfair... Men have a lot of gender based pressures. Women are always saying "I'm a female so I don't have to do___!" And are always getting special attention and yet we still say that we deserve equality! If you wanted equality, why don't you go do something about it rather than ranting about it on the Internet? (Oh how hypocritical I am)
As a guy I apologize for those who are absolute pigs amongst my gender. I would love to see more women produce great science/educational shows....and not to stare at but because I am all for their empowerment and because more girls need more role models in that field!
Thank you Emily, I will check out those vlogs and thanks for bringing up an issue I was not aware of. I'm going to encourage women in science to become content creators. I have learned a great deal from your shows. You are truly an inspiration.
Wow I never really read the comments, I just appreciate how you present the material, it isn't full of techno babble and you really enjoy telling the story. Its obvious so that makes me want to learn. Thanks for all you do Emily.
after hearing the comments in the video and reading what Google considers the top comments for this video I'm horrified. particularly the comments by Lawrence Newman, PeterNolanAssociates and Medhue truly are despicable. please keep doing the amazing work you have been doing Emily I would hate to think you or other women would get discureged by the opinions of these despicable people
Stop white knighting and trying to play the enlightened man. All you're doing is encouraging women to cry wolf and use sexism as an excuse to draw attention to themselves. Show me one person who hasn't received abuse online and you can prove me wrong, but you won't, because everyone has been on the receiving end of it at some point. Women have entire support networks, programs encouraging them to get into science, scholarships available only to them, and the sympathies of both genders. No one ever said that we are guaranteed to go through life without bumping into some nastiness every once in a while. It's how YOU respond that makes the difference, and whining never helped anyone.
GozerTheGozerian life is about how you respond to adversity but how dose attaking women for being women help anyone. And for that matter how dose the issue of women in science and technology benefit from a hostel environment. Think first about your response and how that benefit society!?
GozerTheGozerian HAHAHAHAHA That's not white knighting, it's being a decent human being. And apparently you think women have an unfair advantage getting into science? Well I'll let you in on a little secret: Men have their own programs encouraging them to get into science and follow their dreams and all that bullshit too. It's called the entire fucking history of civilization. Consider this the "nastiness" you're going to bump into every now and then. Nice to see you handle it with whining.
GozerTheGozerian Yes. Everyone receives online abuse. This doesn't make it less of an issue. If anything, it makes it more of an issue. It's not whining. It's pointing out the problem and calling assholes out on their bullshit.
thevampirefrog06 You don't have a basic grasp of spelling and punctuation, you have a serious deficiency when it comes to reading comprehension, and you just made up some ridiculous shit and attributed it to me. 0/10
Emily, Thank you for this video. It feels really good to hear women sharing these opinions. I've been seriously considering beginning my own channel regarding science, I've always wanted to play a role as a female science advocate, inspiring youth to join the path of continuous learning and exploring our curiosity to understand. I'm about to enter University, still can't decide on an engineering, math or neuroscience degree. Your words provide courage--to be a leader and an example, to join the movement and further ourselves as a species, working in unison with both men and women. I believe your contribution to society plays a major impact on the dreams and aspirations of young girls and women--it has in my life. I know, personally, growing up, there was still the stigma against women in the sciences. Kudos to your strength and your efforts to make this world, brighter. I am optimistic for our future. Keep shining.
Well stated - though a shame that it should be necessary. Sounds more like kids in school than an adult audience - but some folk never grow up - especially when they can comment anonymously - Bless them! Keep up the Good Work!
Bill Ney the Science Guy is proof that looks does not need to be a determiner for whether you are listened to or not. You look great, Emily. As a retired STEM Lady, I applaud you, Emily. Thanks to the press on this video, I am now a subscriber. By the way, would love to find out where you get your cool earrings.
I know this video is super old, but I just realized there is almost no people of colour as well producing a lot of RUclips material in STEM fields. When I think of a person of colour at all in some sort of STEM celebrity status, I mostly think of Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Just as women need people to look up to, people of colour should also be influenced to contribute in something that might be intimidating for them as a white dominated field (although I have no idea as I'm white so I haven't experienced this in this way). Any comments? Are there any STEM channels where a person of colour has a dominant role?
+The Super Porcupine Fish You know, I'm trying to think of people but I can't. I follow channels led by POC, but none of them are STEM related. This requires more investigation...
We can choose to believe the hoopla about conspiracy to keep black peoples out of power spits but truth is we hardly take advantage of opportunity in school to strive for more. I think it's rooted to not getting out of ghetto mind state of day to day vs goal to goal. I say that as a black man going down my own path. Their are some promising people up and coming I think can change this tho
+The Super Porcupine Fish Why does this even matter? Skin color is irrelevant, especially in science. If someone of color wishes to pursue a career in STEM then there is literally no one stopping them. What difference does it make if Neil DeGrasse Tyson is black? Why is it so harped on. "oh hes a black man in science", no, he is just a scientist. No one should care if he is black or not. Gender is also completely irrelevant. If you are qualified and are a good match for the job you want you will get hired, no one will care what color or gender you are.
+Dennis Barker You're right, race and gender make no difference in a person's scientific and mathematical capabilities. However, race and gender still matter because of the treatment people sometimes face in scientific fields due to their race and gender. As a non white female, I'm the minority in two senses, and while the majority of my peers don't treat me any differently, there are still people who do. Cultural attitudes, whether outspoken or not, continue to influence how people of color or other minorities are treated. It's great to see that you don't think these arbitrary traits have an influence on a person's capabilities, but not everyone thinks that way. Sometimes women aren't hired on the off chance that they might drop out to raise children. And as demonstrated in this video, negative, gender (and race!) focused comments can create a hostile work environment that is a real deterrence to capable women and people of color who just want to work in STEM fields.
+Dennis Barker that means it's pretty cool to see women and people of color who have managed to make people look past their gender and race to realize that hey, they're pretty amazing at science/math/etc. I wish more people realized that gender and race doesn't really matter, but until that happens, they do. I hope your attitude towards these arbitrary factors spreads! Thanks for reading if you're still around, haha.
4:02 - If the only way a woman can hold your attention is by dressing provocatively, she will never genuinely hold your attention, and you need to take a good, long look at yourself.
Two things: One, I wanted to thank you for making such amazing videos! I have been studying biology for the last 4 years at my university, and started watching your channel in the midst of a year of Developmental Biology and Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy. Needless to say, your videos have been a supplemental asset to my education in these broad fields of science, and have inspired me in my pursuit of both higher education and future endeavors as a researcher. Thanks for being so awesome and for walking tall under the weight of this sexist world. Two, I was wondering what "Evolution" textbook is on your bookshelf in your study. (I have been slowly working to read the books from your "Reading List" video, and I have come to greatly value your recommendations) Thanks again!
This is a totally seriously video, but I totally lost it when Michael popped out of nowhere to read that comment. Thank you for the tons of channel recommendations! Always looking for more great content to sub to.
Emily, you put this video up a couple of years back. Do you see any improvement on this front? Are there any new channels that you'd recommend checking out? I hate to say, but you and vihart are still the only major female STEM content creators that I'm aware of. Get the word out! (Also, thank you for all the amazing content)
This is awesome! It has inspired me to start my own channel! I am a women in physics, and I am only 1 of 3 in my whole department. I often think about how I can encourage more women to find the awesome world of physics, and I think the light bulb just went on! Thanks Emily :)
Emily, you're amazing. I'm sorry that the internet and the world as a whole is like this. I want to tell you that you are adorable and not to pat attention to those comments about your appearance, but then I feel that may undermine your message. I want you to know that the real reason I subscribe to your channel and watch regularly is because of how interesting, witty, and intelligent you are. I love the content of these videos and I love the atmosphere you create within them.
My mom just forwarded this to me... to be honest I have not seen your videos before but I am very interested in science content creation a big science nerd and science teacher in training. I wish that I were surprised that people make ignorant, sexist, and inappropriate comments on your videos, but I am really glad that you decided to address the issue head on. Hopefully some of those ne'er-do-well commenters will think twice before hitting post. My question is, how do you get into this racket? I would love to do informal science education content creation and have dabbled in it a bit through some part-time work at my local science center, but how do you parlay that into a career?
I've subscribed to the channels that you recommended. Thank you for the work you are doing and being a positive role model to young women. (Bronx Science graduate 1985)
I am torn between a desire to reassure Emily that she is in fact atractive in order to help bolster her self esteem against any of the trolls who say otherwise (as though my lone opinion would actually mean anything) and an understanding that, by doing so I am in fact reinforcing the patriarchal system that is the problem in the first place. So instead... all I will say is, Emily, you are awesome, what you do is awesome, and we need more people like you on youtube and Media In General. Also, favorite women in educational channels, I would say Jack from Brain Storm over on Qdragons channel.
Someone once left a comment on a video of me with my son that my kid is hideous but that they want to "do" me. What the heck? You ARE intelligent and articulate and I love that you rock you. Keep being a strong voice for women in science. As an elementary school teacher, I am consistently fighting largely unnoticed sexism and apathy. I try to encourage girls to do what they are interested in, not what someone told them they should do because of gender. Thank you for all you do. It was awesome meeting you at vidcon.
I appreciate the overwhelming support I have received from this community in the few hours since the video has been up; your positivity and encouragement never fail to restore my faith that things can, and will, get better.
-Emily
***** Be strong, Emily! Nevermind the male primates! Here in Brazil the same happens! People are strongly held to old prejudices. Not only making science writing (and video making) hard to women, but also to people from other ethnicities, and the disabled ones. There are indeed many channels like ours all around the globe, and slowly women will change this scenario.
FWIW - Despite ALL THE FACTS that I or anyone else post on YT on space-related videos, the "Apollo Moon Landing Conspiracy" crowd will ALWAYS believe what they want to believe. Emily, SOME PEOPLE are just plain ASSHOLES, and they ALWAYS WILL BE. 'Nuff said....
thebrainscoop there is obviously a problem with sexism here that should be addressed (nice job), but I feel as though a lot of the points you brought up to do with, self conscious imaging , awkwardness to cohost due to sexual tension, negative comments to do with looks and attractiveness could easily apply to male youtubers.
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thebrainscoop: Emily you are a very beautiful woman but that is not the defining characteristic of your personality, you are very smart and brave to work in a field with such criticism and any one who thinks otherwise has obviously not had the same experiences as you have. Racism in any field of work is completely unacceptable but in such a field of work that you're in one would think with such educated people that racism would not exist, but I digress stay strong for all of us who completely support you and live and love for the work you accomplish.
Wonderful. Thank you Emily for the mention. Proud to be amongst a fabulous list of STEM ladies, which we hope gets longer all the time! :D
YES. So much yes. This video says everything I've been feeling for years. Why can't people focus on my content instead of my appearance? Why are people always so shocked to see a young woman making tech videos? And why do people constantly tell me I should just ignore it because it's inevitable? I've been wanting to make a video just like this but I feared the backlash since 80% of my viewers of male and I thought they'd see it as an attack on them. Anyway, thank you so much for making this and being so eloquent. And thanks for linking to my channel!
as you can see in the comments: you've got nothing to worry about. I've yet to read a negative comment on this video
we're not chauvinist by default. it's just that as men, we do not face sexism as women do and as such sometimes we lack awareness
if you wish to make a video about it, just do it. but do it with respect to your viewership.
You shouldn't ignore it because it's inevitable. If you want to be respected you should though. At the end of the day you won't get respect for asking to be treating specially nice because you are a girl. Men have stuff to deal with too. They get respected because they overcome it. All of the people(particularly men) who are falling over themselves to protect your feelings are actually doing you a disservice, and (ironically) being sexist.
alienzen You really need to let go of the idea that a woman is asking for "special treatment" if she calls out people who bully her. Of course everyone has issues in their own life, but someone's own problems are never an excuse for disrespecting and dismissing another human being - and they are ABSOLUTELY not an excuse for - like you just did - telling that person to be silent and accept it, because they do not have the right to name how people are treating them and to push back at it.
You are the one being sexist, sir, because you illegitimized the problem which she faces and which you have never had to deal with. Never silence people when they say they are being mistreated. It doesn't magically go away if they shut their mouths and stop inconveniencing you with their "complaining".
iTalkApple People are shocked because it's regrettably (as Emily mentioned) rare. While vihart has been around for a while I have never come across any other female STEM channels.
As for why they comment on your looks, the answer is "boys will be boys". Yes, I know, I know, unsatisfactory as hell, but that doesn't make it not true - one can (and maybe should) try to educate these boys, but the frustrating point is that there are more ignorant biys coming along all the time.
And about ignoring it: Essentially this is the idea of the "don't feed the troll" maxim. Chances are, when someone makes a "GREAT BODY SHOW MORE TITS WHAH WHAH WHAH!!!!11!1!!1"-style comment, they don't want you to feel good, rather the opposite. By pointing out that you are hurt by it you are, however understandably, providing a road map for them how to hurt you even further - thus, these discussions are unlikely to solve the problem. I hope I'm wrong, but 20 years of experience with internet trolls tells me I'm not :(.
alienzen
Yes, men get these kind of comments (just look at the comments of any British youtube kid's videos), but it's not okay there either. And these people also suffer from this needless, pointless disrespect. We're not saying "it's not okay to disrespect women like that", we're saying "it's not okay to disrespect people like that" (while emphasizing that women suffer from this phenomenon way more)
It's pretty much a fact that women are held up to these standards more often. If you look for any channel made by someone who isn't the current object of obsession by teenaged girls, you'll see almost no comments pretaining to their appearance or their clothes.
This is awesome! Props for putting up with the personal nonsense that's so prevalent and unwarranted on RUclips. My girlfriend is a badass scientist who's saving the world (of endangered species). Go women, go science! And have some respect, y'all!
I can't imagine what it was like for you to sit there and listen to those comments read to you.
Thank you so much for making this video, Emily. It really hit home, both as a woman online content creator and as a woman, full stop. The idea that some men feel that I owe it to them to look pretty, wear makeup, do my hair, show my figure, smile--god, it's the worst, creepiest, most invasive assumption. And it goes unquestioned *so* often. You reminded me that I don't owe it to anyone, regardless of gender, to look or behave any way beyond observing standards of decency.
Thank you for posting this video, Emily. As a male, it is all to easy to forget the injustice women face on the internet and out in the world, and how profound of an impact it can have. This video (and all other discussions of sexism) are an important reminder for everyone, especially those who plug their ears and pretend misogyny doesn't exist.
I've been subscribed since the beginning of The Brain Scoop, and I'm excited to see more content from you and this channel. Keep up the great work, and don't back down!
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I'm a teen girl who likes science, and you've inspired me to go into neurobiology.
Good luck! (Though I'm sure you won't need it).
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Power to you. Go be inquisitive ask hard questions. The human mind is the most powerful tool in the world.
Unfortunately the most powerful tool in the world is currently Donald Trump (sorry...couldn't resist)
Have you gotten into neurobiology yet? 😀
I found you via your recent stint on sci show quiz show and am so glad I did. I am a woman in science and it is incredible to see these statements made. Girl power.
Also kudos to Michael for reading those comments out loud in your presence. That must have been hard. And kudos to you for being freaking classy and amazing.
Exactly!
I Found Emily On the Sci show Quiz show too
And Wat is a Kudos?
Kudos is kinda like a job well done, extra points, in this case that had to be hard and uncomfortable to do.
ohh
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Thank you, Emily, for speaking out.
This made me cry. It's an issue that's very close to my heart. Thank you for acknowledging it.
if you weren't such an attention whouer maybe you'd cry less also you don't have a STEM channel.
Bob Smith Lewis's Law alive and well.
Bob Smith Sad to see that all the STEM education is wasted on you. No amount of knowledge is ever going to make you a respectable person in my eyes.
Bob Smith Dude, get out...
Comments like this are the problem that this video was made to bring attention to. Get out, rethink, and if you can't stop being degrading and instead be constructive, please stay out of the RUclips comments.
Bob Smith This video touched me emotionally not because of abusive and degrading RUclips comments I've received myself (which I have, in abundance) as a result of being an "attention whouer", but because this is but a tiny manifestation of a massive, world-wide problem that women face every day, and something that has troubled me since I was a little girl.
I think people in the comments need to recognize that it's a lot easier to shrug off hateful comments on the internet when your livelihood doesn't depend on audience feedback. If someone sends you hate online, it's no big deal, but this is her job, her income, and her passion... It deserves respect. If you got a performance review at a job and they said "Well, your mostly good, but you need to stop dressing like a nerdy pig," you would be offended, right? It's the same idea. Communicating science online is her job and since she's good at it, she deserves credit where it's due! Keep it up Emily, you're awesome!
This comment is amazing. I never thought of it from that angle.
"Well, your mostly good, but you need to stop dressing like a nerdy pig,"
I think the people who post such comments are horny 14 yr olds, or haven't outgrown that phase.
The problem with how we deal with sexism is we teach young girls to be strong opinioned but we seem to teach the boys nothing new. Both sexes need to change to fix sexism in both directions
You can teach women to stand up for themselves to hell and back but if men aren't taught to treat women as equals there won't be change.
I'm actually so glad you posted this video... I always feel really weird reading youtube comments because people seem to think I'm overly sensitive about sexism or something? I mean I'd read a comment like one of the ones in the video and get offended and my friends/other commenters just say i'm just being melodramatic because they were trying to be supportive or "just joking" (because degrading a person in a joking way is ok for some reason). It's great to hear that it's not weird for that stuff to irk me, especially from somebody I respect as an intellectual (that's you by the way).
WinnyPants
haha yes that's amazing
THIS KIND OF (Internet bullying of female content creators) APATHETIC ATTITUDE IS UNACCEPTABLE. Well said Emily. I hope everyone who supports you comes forward and shows that we can support women in public spaces - whatever their roles.
This video is fantastic and I'm so glad you made it, Emily! I really hope people start to become more aware of the types of comments they're leaving, and beyond that, I know you're already inspiring girls to do what they love, especially in the STEM fields. Definitely going to check out some of those channels when I have the chance!
You make some great points, Emily. I didn't realize that this was such a prevalent issue, and I thank you for making me more aware
Prevalent? Did i miss something. All she said is that it's a minority of comments she receives. Did you not know that all youtubers receive horrible comments
Erin Blockabitch
Im certain that whatever gender OC is doesnt prevent them from seeing sexism. It's easy to see in everyday life, such as mothers (such as mine) teaching their sons the importance of conforming to their gender role, whilst teaching they should support a woman who chooses not to conform to her's. Its easy to see when people openly say male voices are less valuable in certain discussions. Its sometimes hard not to notice in contexts of violence, and differing reactions based upon the gender of who is violent and who is hurt.
I suspect OC wasnt talking about sexism, but rather their surprise at the prevalence of these specific types of comments towards female youtubers
Lady, a friend just pointed me to your channel and you are a breath of fresh air in this industry! I started doing videos a couple years ago but got discouraged straight away from comments that were left in poor etiquette. About to embark on relaunching the channel again soon, and I'm thrilled to know you are helping pioneer a new movement for us! Thanks girl and keep on rockin'!
It's kind of a bummer that people choose to only respond to the part of the video where Emily talks about her personal experiences, and just skip over the 'larger picture' that is sketched in the rest of the video. This isn't just about 'nasty comments', it is about the fact that male scientists are often taken more seriously than female scientists, and youtube is just another mediaplatform that proves this point. It's not about whether or not Emily should take comments on her outfit as a compliment, but about the fact that these comments are completely irrelevant to the topic discussed in her videos, and the fact that shit like that happens multiple times a day, which makes women in her position feel as if they are not taken seriously. It's not about microaggressions, but about the massive flaw in our society these aggressions stem from.
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It hasn't changed at all sadly
I am an aspiring physics youtuber - and a female. I agree with so much that you said. Thanks for the video
Tibees it's nice to see you achieve your goals. Your channel is great.
this aged well
RUclips didn't exist when I was thirteen, but I was talking to my friend about how we wish it (and you!) were around then, because we probably would have gotten into science.
So, thanks for doing what you're doing despite rude comments.
I co-host a Technology channel with a German...I feel like his being male is secondary to his being German. I have recently started sharing some of the threads of my videos that have gone sideways...I did a video, 13 things you didn't know about Nintendo...and well...it turned into 50+ comments about my nationality and how being a Canadian woman made me pronounce Mario..Merio..lol...this video couldn't have come with more perfect timing! Thanks so much for sharing!
It is utterly tiresome that women are so often considered for their looks first, content second, and that it is also assumed that what a woman wants to hear (no matter the content she puts up) that she is attractive, sexy etc. Personally, I don't know a single woman who feels comments about her being sexy is the least bit nice at all if she puts up content which does not relate to that topic. But yet, the sexy comments arrive, and when the women tell them to stop there's a shitstorm of the same dudes getting upset because you didn't giggle and get flattered by their disability to appreciate women for other things than their sex appeal. I've gotten several quite persistant haters on YT just because I told them I didn't want any comments of that kind, because yes indeed, some guys certainly seem unable to appreciate content from women for other things than looks (and also seem to think it's the women's duty to appreciate it). I am happy most on my own channel is not like that, and will actually tell people off if they start focusing on looks before content.
It is utterly tiresome that men are so often considered for their abilities first, content second, and that it is also assumed that what a men wants to hear (no matter the content he puts up) that he is handy, efficient etc. Personally, I don't know a single men who feels comments about him being useful is the least bit nice at all if he puts up content which does not relate to that topic. But yet, the 'ability' comments arrive, and when the men tell them to stop there's a shitstorm of the same women getting upset because you didn't respond confident and appreciated their disability to appreciate men for other things than their confidence. I've gotten several quite persistant haters on YT just because I told them I didn't want any comments of that kind, because yes indeed, some women certainly seem unable to appreciate content from men for other things than skill (and also seem to think it's the men's duty to appreciate it). I am happy most on my own channel is not like that, and will actually tell people off if they start focusing on confidence/ability before content.
Amazing video, thank you so much for it. Really. It means a lot, and we really appreciate your hard work.
see reply on other pink haired replica
Bob Smith
**slowclap** Way to be a douchebag.
Here is a list of some STEM channels with female creators or voices that I have subscribed to: Deep Look, Braincraft, Looking Glass Universe, Draw Curiousity, Physics Girl, Neural Transmissions and of course Vi Hart and thebrainscoop. I do notice the surprising lack of views and subscribers on these awesome channels (especially Deep Look). I hope this helps people looking for some more great content.
I looked at the channels you wrote! thank you! they're amazing!! :D
You are welcome. Also see Gross Science and thehappycat.
Also, Animal Wonders, sexplanations, Kate Tectonics.
Thanks Maddie. Too bad Kate Tectonics only has one video so far.
Abram Thiessen Yes, hoping for another soon since the first was so good.
"We need to make sure we're making it possible for people of all genders to feel acknowledged for their contributions and not feel held back by something as arbitrary as their genetics or appearance."
VERY POWERFUL.
As a male, the content is what made me subscribe in the first place. I'm a biology major at Texas Tech University and I see that the world of STEM is dominated with men. Its sad cause I have seen many brilliant women fall out of the sciences because they is sexism in the field they wanted to go in. Sad but true. Keep on doing a great job. I look forward to seeing more videos in the future.
**APPLAUSE** I don't make science or tech videos, so it's less of a surprise that my comedy video comments are ripe with sexual innuendo comments (though "verbal rape" commentary is probably a more accurate way of describing them.) I openly poke fun at these comments, but truthfully, it is discouraging to think that a good half of my audience only watches to get a boob screengrab. Kudos to you, your content, and this video :)
It is nice to know that this is how you see your audience.
I agree that there should be more women in the stem category. However was turned off by the message when it went to the stop the bullying segment.
I don't bully and don't endorse it, I do think learning to deal the with negativity is important you can't always run to "teacher" for help. Great people of the past have been able to over come these challenges why not now.
Jonathan Orosco How is she "running to teacher?" She's pointing out that there's a problem, explaining why it's wrong, and then calling on the whole community to help her stop it. If anything, she's BEING the teacher.
Taryn Southern I'm watching you because of your content.. not for a Boob Screengrab.. Believe it or not ;)
Thank you so much for this great video. It encourages me on so many levels: as someone who wants to create content (not just youtube related), as a young woman who works at a museum, and as... just a regular young woman who gets flak like that in all areas, even the ones you think should be safe, like friend groups and church.
This is painfully true. I don't know how many times I've had an idea for a video and thought "No, I can't do that I'm to ugly to be on camera."
Yes, all the support! And thank you for links to the other channels!
I'm a female in engineering and this is an important topic on and off the internet. It sucks when people are discouraged from doing what they love--or not even exposed to it--due to their gender.
Keep up the fantastic work! You ARE making a difference--I look forward to every video and now wish I took a few biology courses as an undergrad.
I appreciate the tone taken on this video. You aren't confrontational at all. The facts about the situation are presented neutrally and allow the audience to take an honest look at their behavior without making accusations or being angry about it. This is how open and engaging discussions are created. I just found your channel but I'm subscribing now.
GO EMILY GO GIRL YOU TELL THEM you are correct in every way,
When i look at you i see a very clever person who is going to grow into something very special to us all in the future wouldn't be surprised to see a professorship coming your way .
I don't think anybody should have to deal with comments like that, regardless of their gender. Sexual discrimination isn't just for women. Male nurses or crafters are constantly looked down upon as well.
Emily, thank you for trying to make a stand against sexism and internet bullying.
I am so happy that you decided to acknowledge this issue! I feel as though most women are afraid to talk about the issue because people will accuse them of being overly sensitive or something else accusatory that is related to gender. I think that it is important for men and women to dialogue about sexism and such and am so grateful to the people who do ad to the dialogue on youtube, be them men or women. I am so proud to consider you a role model. Thank you and I hope everyone who contributes to the Brain Scoop has a wonderful holiday! (Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday but I hope you all on the Brain Scoop know that you are making awesome material!)
I could not agree more with what you are saying, indeed you managed to verbalise some of my feelings towards RUclips that I hadn't consciously recognised myself.
Reading some of the comments down below however was even more of an eye-opener. If you cannot understand why "complimenting" on appearance for a video that might have taken months of research and editing to make is belittling and insulting, then you need to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Yes, we understand there are trolls, and I for one love a good troll now and again, but it is the "well meaning" commenters that have a louder voice.
For those that say that by putting ourselves in the public eye we should expect such scrutiny, I respond by saying that we do expect it. And since women expect it more than men, more women are likely to react by simply not making videos. The ones that you see have already made the decision to deal with the inevitable barrage of comments.
If you want to help, one commenter suggested replying to such 'compliments' by saying something as simple as "Please remember you are talking to a real person". This would massively help!
Finally, I love the list - so many new people to watch! And thank so much for mentioning my own channel; it's very much appreciated :)
I've been watching the sci-show channel for a while, plus some others, and some of the comments about the female presenters are really bad. I'd kind of hoped that anybody with sufficient education to be interested in channels like this would be more mature and thoughtful. Sadly i'm often disappointed.
I was made aware of your video (and channel) by a friend who posted it on my Facebook wall after I put up a CNN iReport about my aspirations to build a world where the mistakes of men and women carry equaly weight, especially online. I have subscribed and shared this video widely. :-)
This was a truly great video essay. I thought I'd just watch for a minute and "like" but you kept my attention start to finish. And sadly, I think you pinned down the reasons so few women researchers, STEM or otherwise, have RUclips channels. But great vloggers like you is what is needed to change that. Keep up the great work, I am now a subscriber.
This is my favorite. Thank you, thank you, thank you for what you do and this video. So excited to go through these STEM suggestions.
You go girl. As a host who works primarily on the Internet, I can relate, and often times wonder how to deal with and/or stop the sexist, negative, or misogynistic comment cycle. I enjoyed seeing your thoughts on the matter. Keep up the good work!
I've now subscribed to your channel because I came across this video on NPR and agree that there needs to be some solidarity! I'm hoping that my daughter (who wants to be an architect) and other girls can find good female role models like yourself who are appreciated for their minds, not their appearances. We need more like you, Emily, and hopefully we'll beat back this growing trend of demeaning women in intellectual fields!
As a white hetero male in a STEM field, it's easy to see the treatment I receive is far different than the treatment others receive. When I'm in a public situation, and say something intelligent or insightful, I get a reaction along the lines of "oh, cool, this guy knows what he's talking about". No real surprise, just an acknowledgement (which is cool, not complaining). When my wife says something insightful or intelligent, however, it's earth shattering... "Woah, what!? What did she just say???" People are astonished, dumbfounded, and even intimidated when she shows any signs of above average intelligence. It's ridiculous...
It also creates an odd situation for me socially anytime that someone (other than a white hetero male - or maybe Asian) surpasses me in an intellectual competition. All of a sudden, I get comments like "it's alright, you weren't at the top of your game", as if there was no possibility they could have beaten me in a fair match, or "how could you have let them win" as if either by losing to the other person I have shamed this white bystander or that I had to have let the minority or woman win.
I know what I've said isn't 100% on topic, but I completely support women like Emily who get into STEM fields. I would really like to see more women in STEM fields, or in any other form of intellectual pursuit. I think that gender roles are dangerous nonsense that need to be abolished.
I'm sorry this is what it took for me to find out about your videos, but now that I'm here, I look forward to watching them. So far, they're awesome! Thank you for doing what you do!
Thank you Emily. Really, I keep trying to tell people about these issues but nobody believes me, and nobody with a big youtube following has even mentioned them before, male or female. I've been TRYING to get Hank to make a scishow video about it (as he does mention amazing STEM women a lot and emphasizes it in the videos) but to no avail. So much support and love from a fellow STEM field lover (even if I'm not going into a STEM field as an occupation.)
I totally hear you on this Emily!
When I was in my second and third years of the Mechanical Engineering Technology programming at Algonquin College here in Ottawa, I had to deal regularly with sexism, ageism and anti-disability attitudes from fellow classmates, an few instructors and some of the college staff.
I was the only woman in the program, the oldest person in the class by at least 8 years and physically disabled. I was harassed daily because of my gender, my size and cussed out "Why couldn't you have been more attractive/good looking/younger/not disabled" etc.
Put that on top of an already intense programme of study and well, yeah, I had stress issues. Top it off with threats of damage to my vehicle, inaccessibility at the campus and a general lack of interest of the general staff of the college to do something about the abuse, harassment or improve the accessibility of the campus and it is a wonder I didn't have a full out meltdown.
It is hard out there. I have worked in the technical trades industry all of my life (30+ years) and never before did I get this much trouble. Same goes in school. It was shocking.
Thank you for taking a stand and calling out on this! As a girl going on to study science (specifically bio anth), when I watch your videos, it gives me confidence to go out and do the research that I love to do. Your channel is freaking awesome, and I love it! Always am learning something new ^_^
I absolutely loved this video! It has definitely inspired me to work on a few new videos... I studied Engineering at university, but never really talk about it on my channel. Hopefully I can get a mini-series going on the topic! I would love to have more women in science in my subscription feed!
From one STEM woman to another, go Emily! It's really brave of you to speak out on these issues!
Thank you so much for this video. As a woman struggling to enter the neuroscience field, I understand where you're coming from. I'm often embarrassed to even tell people what I'm studying for fear of whatever poorly-thought out comments they might say. STEM fields in any sense are intimidating for women, and we should be doing all we can to encourage and strengthen female passions of all kinds. Thanks again.
As a woman in the IT field, also a woman who loves science and one who works in a mainly man occupied job, I really appreciate this video. Also I can strongly empathize with you, I get creepy comments at work all of the time except it's not anonymous and it's in my face. I am called sweetcheeks, sweetie, honey, and such and have even been told "is there a man I can talk to about this?" regarding a question about an xbox. It's endlessly frustrating that I am hit on and treated differently because of my gender. Keep going strong! Remember we're all here for you!
Thank you for speaking about this issue. I always hesitate to read the comments on female youtubers' videos for this reason, especially when one of their videos gets linked somewhere so there's a horde of new people in the comments who aren't part of the generally supportive and awesome core fanbase. You're courageous for putting up with it and confronting it.
Holy shit?! Those comments are horrible!
As a woman and a teacher of pre-service teachers, this couldn't have been more timely (sadly) and on the mark. I'm sharing it on my website for educational psychology, and I've posted it on my Facebook page. You are probably the most articulate spokesperson on this issue I've run across. Emily, I applaud you for sharing a personal message with examples and with the logic to break through some of the bias. Fingers crossed!
Bravo. An important message well stated.
We all love you Emily! I'm not sure if it was your first time on RUclips when Hank Green went to your school and interviewed you but all I remember seeing in the comments of that video were "More Emily!"
As a fellow woman scientist I applaud you. I've shown you to a few of my peers and we all adore you. :)
I'm an alien, neither-male-nor-female-nor-even-in-between STEM producer, maybe the only one on RUclips. The strange thing is that evan as an alien, I never get the kind of negative comments you get on a regular basis. Are earthlings' gender stereotypes so entrenched that even an alien from outer space seems less surprising - to some - than a female earthling doing science?
It's indeed such an unfair and irrational tradition among Earthlings to treat their fellows based on their chromosomes. It's one of those baffling Earthling behaviors which I can't never explain whenever I'm abducted by alien sociologists.
That, and twerking.
With that in mind, perhaps I can help giving some balance to your situation Zogg...
"clears throat"
Even while you're a disgusting alien cyclops, I still enjoy and subscribe to your videos
_(oh man, I hope his disintegrator gun is not loaded and his joke-o-meter is working)_
Thank you for everything about this video!
It's so rediculous people still think like that. Emily, you're an intelligent, inspiring lady, and you've shown me the wonders of science and natural history. I'm upset that you have to go through comments like that, because you definitely don't deserve it. But please continue to educate the world, because you are making an impact on people. Keep being an inspiration for girls and boys everywhere, we love you. ❤️
Great job with a difficult subject. Also I love Michael's dramatic readings and your serious face while he does them.
I... am going to have to flip a table over in rage now. I missed this video and found it due to /r/nerdfighters If you make comments like the ones read in the video, just shut up. Emily is amazing because she brings us fascinating information and presents it in an interesting way. The way she looks and her gender are immaterial to that. Casual (and not so casual) misogyny is just not cool. Not cool. Not cool at all.
This is amazing. One of the most thoughtful, level-headed, and cogent expositions on the inherent sex-based biases in the STEM fields (or just in general) I have ever seen. And Emily did it all without once throwing around the buzz word, 'misogyny.' Take some notes, Jezebel.
I see a lot of "why isn't it sexism to say this to men?/men get these comments too!" comments. So let me help you out. Sexism (and racism) = Prejudice + Power. You can't discuss either without looking at who has the power. The world we live in, the STEM community, and RUclips are male dominated spaces. Men have the power. So when you say these things to women you are being sexist because you are playing on gendered stereotypes towards the oppressed. Women are socialized to believe their decorative value is what matters, so when you point out how poorly (or well) they are performing that function in a setting where they are trying to disseminate information - you are perpetuating that damaging gender expectation. Also sexism (and racism) doesn't need to have malicious intentions to be sexist/racist. You can perpetuate inequality while trying to be nice. For more info on this I suggest bell hooks. Sincerely, - fifth year sociology student/PhD prospect.
TL;DR: You can't be sexist towards men because men have the power in our society. Stop complimenting female science educators on their looks - its sexist.
Thank you for tackling this head on. The discussion is so important.
These are deep thoughts, Emily, I appreciate it. Keep up good work and thank you for all those cool channels I can now subscribe to, I knew only for Dr. Doe and ViHart before.
Emily, I love your content. You're always so inspiring to everyone, men and women alike. As a high school girl aspiring to be a fighter pilot, I get a lot of crap like this. I get a lot of weird looks when I tell people I want to go into the military or that I can fly a plane. I've even had a few people not believe me. Thank you for supporting women in STEM and thank you for always being so positive, even in the face of so much negativity.Thank you for being awesome! And PS, I could only dream of having your fashion sense. :)
I salute you, Emily Graslie, for being an amazing human being. Huzzaah!
This is such a great video! Well said, well done, Emily! (Also, I love how you stuck Michael in the corner behind your chair!! it's like he's in time-out or something!!)
Straight up--the reason I do NOT do video is horrible RUclips comments. You are spot on here.
Please, if you have the urge, do video. Do not let stupid people keep you from enlightening/entertaining/whatevering your potential intelligent viewers. If not, do it for yourself and keep comments disabled, but don't let dumb people hold you down.
I read some youtube comments once. I want those few seconds back.
Saulo Raoux Lemos It's not just "stupid people." It's people who are threatening to beat or rape you.
Emily, you are my STEM Heroine. Thank you for all the inspiring and amazing content - plus the awesome list of channels. I'll check them out.
First off well done. You didn't belittle, you gave facts. And I think this is just the channel I want me and my14 yr old daughter following. Please keep your head up and keep making videos!
These "actual comments" are hilariously presented but also oh so sad. Nice approach to addressing this issue. Good job!
They made me cringe too much, I had to skip through them :P
This vlog alone made me subscribe to you. I look forward to watching your previous ones and the ones to come. Keep up the amazing work and it's wonderful to see how passionate you are about your career =)
I for one appreciate your hard work, that of yourself and the crew.
Keep up the good work.
What is sad is that when some people make comments about the way you look or how "you would look hotter if" ... they think that they are doing you a service, that some how they are complimenting or helping you out, regardless of whether it was solicited or appropriate. These same people get defensive when you call them out and resort to insults and name calling. What they fail to realize is that NO ONE ASKED THEIR OPINION about how the person in the video looks or dresses. Yes, it is natural for us, as human beings, to be attracted toward good-looking people, but it does not mean that we have type in creepy replies to every potentially attractive person. Would you do that in real life? If you did, you would probably quickly be told to go away. So why is it OK to do so on the internet? It is not. :/
Anyway, keep doing what you do, Emily, and don't let them get you down! Prejudice sometimes is just a matter of ignorance, and it is up to all of us to change our world. :D
You are my new hero Emily! I go through the same thing! Us women need to stick together and put our foot down and say no more to sexist comments. Amen girl. I'm right there with ya.
I mean, I'm all for women's rights, but it seems a little unfair... Men have a lot of gender based pressures. Women are always saying "I'm a female so I don't have to do___!" And are always getting special attention and yet we still say that we deserve equality! If you wanted equality, why don't you go do something about it rather than ranting about it on the Internet? (Oh how hypocritical I am)
Emily Lu I can say with 90% certainty that you are really a guy pretending to be a girl.
***** THAT'S SEXIST! (Lmao)
Actually I'm a girl....
I'm just trying to say something I think.
As a guy I apologize for those who are absolute pigs amongst my gender. I would love to see more women produce great science/educational shows....and not to stare at but because I am all for their empowerment and because more girls need more role models in that field!
Thank you Emily, I will check out those vlogs and thanks for bringing up an issue I was not aware of. I'm going to encourage women in science to become content creators. I have learned a great deal from your shows. You are truly an inspiration.
Don't ever change!
Wow I never really read the comments, I just appreciate how you present the material, it isn't full of techno babble and you really enjoy telling the story. Its obvious so that makes me want to learn. Thanks for all you do Emily.
after hearing the comments in the video and reading what Google considers the top comments for this video I'm horrified.
particularly the comments by Lawrence Newman, PeterNolanAssociates and Medhue truly are despicable.
please keep doing the amazing work you have been doing Emily I would hate to think you or other women would get discureged by the opinions of these despicable people
Stop white knighting and trying to play the enlightened man. All you're doing is encouraging women to cry wolf and use sexism as an excuse to draw attention to themselves. Show me one person who hasn't received abuse online and you can prove me wrong, but you won't, because everyone has been on the receiving end of it at some point. Women have entire support networks, programs encouraging them to get into science, scholarships available only to them, and the sympathies of both genders. No one ever said that we are guaranteed to go through life without bumping into some nastiness every once in a while. It's how YOU respond that makes the difference, and whining never helped anyone.
GozerTheGozerian life is about how you respond to adversity but how dose attaking women for being women help anyone.
And for that matter how dose the issue of women in science and technology benefit from a hostel environment. Think first about your response and how that benefit society!?
GozerTheGozerian HAHAHAHAHA That's not white knighting, it's being a decent human being. And apparently you think women have an unfair advantage getting into science? Well I'll let you in on a little secret: Men have their own programs encouraging them to get into science and follow their dreams and all that bullshit too. It's called the entire fucking history of civilization. Consider this the "nastiness" you're going to bump into every now and then. Nice to see you handle it with whining.
GozerTheGozerian Yes. Everyone receives online abuse. This doesn't make it less of an issue. If anything, it makes it more of an issue. It's not whining. It's pointing out the problem and calling assholes out on their bullshit.
thevampirefrog06 You don't have a basic grasp of spelling and punctuation, you have a serious deficiency when it comes to reading comprehension, and you just made up some ridiculous shit and attributed it to me. 0/10
Emily, Thank you for this video. It feels really good to hear women sharing these opinions. I've been seriously considering beginning my own channel regarding science, I've always wanted to play a role as a female science advocate, inspiring youth to join the path of continuous learning and exploring our curiosity to understand. I'm about to enter University, still can't decide on an engineering, math or neuroscience degree. Your words provide courage--to be a leader and an example, to join the movement and further ourselves as a species, working in unison with both men and women. I believe your contribution to society plays a major impact on the dreams and aspirations of young girls and women--it has in my life. I know, personally, growing up, there was still the stigma against women in the sciences. Kudos to your strength and your efforts to make this world, brighter. I am optimistic for our future. Keep shining.
Well stated - though a shame that it should be necessary. Sounds more like kids in school than an adult audience - but some folk never grow up - especially when they can comment anonymously - Bless them! Keep up the Good Work!
Sexism on the internet is rife: not cool.
This sexism discouraging women from taking up positions in the field of science: super not cool.
Bill Ney the Science Guy is proof that looks does not need to be a determiner for whether you are listened to or not. You look great, Emily. As a retired STEM Lady, I applaud you, Emily. Thanks to the press on this video, I am now a subscriber. By the way, would love to find out where you get your cool earrings.
Thank you for taking the time to put so many great links in the video description. I've subscribed to a bunch of great new content.
I know this video is super old, but I just realized there is almost no people of colour as well producing a lot of RUclips material in STEM fields. When I think of a person of colour at all in some sort of STEM celebrity status, I mostly think of Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Just as women need people to look up to, people of colour should also be influenced to contribute in something that might be intimidating for them as a white dominated field (although I have no idea as I'm white so I haven't experienced this in this way). Any comments? Are there any STEM channels where a person of colour has a dominant role?
+The Super Porcupine Fish You know, I'm trying to think of people but I can't. I follow channels led by POC, but none of them are STEM related. This requires more investigation...
We can choose to believe the hoopla about conspiracy to keep black peoples out of power spits but truth is we hardly take advantage of opportunity in school to strive for more. I think it's rooted to not getting out of ghetto mind state of day to day vs goal to goal. I say that as a black man going down my own path. Their are some promising people up and coming I think can change this tho
+The Super Porcupine Fish Why does this even matter? Skin color is irrelevant, especially in science. If someone of color wishes to pursue a career in STEM then there is literally no one stopping them. What difference does it make if Neil DeGrasse Tyson is black? Why is it so harped on. "oh hes a black man in science", no, he is just a scientist. No one should care if he is black or not. Gender is also completely irrelevant. If you are qualified and are a good match for the job you want you will get hired, no one will care what color or gender you are.
+Dennis Barker You're right, race and gender make no difference in a person's scientific and mathematical capabilities. However, race and gender still matter because of the treatment people sometimes face in scientific fields due to their race and gender. As a non white female, I'm the minority in two senses, and while the majority of my peers don't treat me any differently, there are still people who do. Cultural attitudes, whether outspoken or not, continue to influence how people of color or other minorities are treated.
It's great to see that you don't think these arbitrary traits have an influence on a person's capabilities, but not everyone thinks that way. Sometimes women aren't hired on the off chance that they might drop out to raise children. And as demonstrated in this video, negative, gender (and race!) focused comments can create a hostile work environment that is a real deterrence to capable women and people of color who just want to work in STEM fields.
+Dennis Barker that means it's pretty cool to see women and people of color who have managed to make people look past their gender and race to realize that hey, they're pretty amazing at science/math/etc. I wish more people realized that gender and race doesn't really matter, but until that happens, they do.
I hope your attitude towards these arbitrary factors spreads! Thanks for reading if you're still around, haha.
4:02 - If the only way a woman can hold your attention is by dressing provocatively, she will never genuinely hold your attention, and you need to take a good, long look at yourself.
Two things:
One, I wanted to thank you for making such amazing videos! I have been studying biology for the last 4 years at my university, and started watching your channel in the midst of a year of Developmental Biology and Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy. Needless to say, your videos have been a supplemental asset to my education in these broad fields of science, and have inspired me in my pursuit of both higher education and future endeavors as a researcher. Thanks for being so awesome and for walking tall under the weight of this sexist world.
Two, I was wondering what "Evolution" textbook is on your bookshelf in your study. (I have been slowly working to read the books from your "Reading List" video, and I have come to greatly value your recommendations)
Thanks again!
This is a totally seriously video, but I totally lost it when Michael popped out of nowhere to read that comment.
Thank you for the tons of channel recommendations! Always looking for more great content to sub to.
Emily, you put this video up a couple of years back. Do you see any improvement on this front? Are there any new channels that you'd recommend checking out? I hate to say, but you and vihart are still the only major female STEM content creators that I'm aware of. Get the word out! (Also, thank you for all the amazing content)
There was so much face palming (at the comments) and so much nodding and "YES, THIS". THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO.
This is awesome! It has inspired me to start my own channel! I am a women in physics, and I am only 1 of 3 in my whole department. I often think about how I can encourage more women to find the awesome world of physics, and I think the light bulb just went on! Thanks Emily :)
Good luck!
I've seen a few of your videos before, but this was the one that made me want to subscribe. Keep it up. You're amazing, Emily.
Emily, you're amazing. I'm sorry that the internet and the world as a whole is like this. I want to tell you that you are adorable and not to pat attention to those comments about your appearance, but then I feel that may undermine your message. I want you to know that the real reason I subscribe to your channel and watch regularly is because of how interesting, witty, and intelligent you are. I love the content of these videos and I love the atmosphere you create within them.
My mom just forwarded this to me... to be honest I have not seen your videos before but I am very interested in science content creation a big science nerd and science teacher in training. I wish that I were surprised that people make ignorant, sexist, and inappropriate comments on your videos, but I am really glad that you decided to address the issue head on. Hopefully some of those ne'er-do-well commenters will think twice before hitting post.
My question is, how do you get into this racket? I would love to do informal science education content creation and have dabbled in it a bit through some part-time work at my local science center, but how do you parlay that into a career?
I've subscribed to the channels that you recommended. Thank you for the work you are doing and being a positive role model to young women. (Bronx Science graduate 1985)
Thanks so much for educating us!!! You go girl, you're amazing!!!!
Just keep doing what you do Emily - the content is bang on and your delivery of it makes it super interesting and accessible to everyone.
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I am torn between a desire to reassure Emily that she is in fact atractive in order to help bolster her self esteem against any of the trolls who say otherwise (as though my lone opinion would actually mean anything) and an understanding that, by doing so I am in fact reinforcing the patriarchal system that is the problem in the first place.
So instead... all I will say is, Emily, you are awesome, what you do is awesome, and we need more people like you on youtube and Media In General.
Also, favorite women in educational channels, I would say Jack from Brain Storm over on Qdragons channel.
Thank you for this video :)
Someone once left a comment on a video of me with my son that my kid is hideous but that they want to "do" me. What the heck? You ARE intelligent and articulate and I love that you rock you. Keep being a strong voice for women in science. As an elementary school teacher, I am consistently fighting largely unnoticed sexism and apathy. I try to encourage girls to do what they are interested in, not what someone told them they should do because of gender. Thank you for all you do. It was awesome meeting you at vidcon.