[SexyCyborg]

>But the engineering feats alone will never be the focus as a consequence.

There's a line between "never be the focus" and "we will erase you". This sort of thing is constant- but I'll give you a recent example-

NPR recently ran this story: https://www.npr.org/2021/10/25/1047691984/decades-after-poli...

About an American lady who needed some parts for her iron lung and how no one would help her. Only the thing is, they knew I already had: https://youtu.be/4VKZTmTP7oY

I'd fabricated the collars in Shenzhen, mailed the first batch, revised them and needed someone on the US side to to the final fitting. Martha told them this, a quick search told them this, hundreds of people told them this- did NPR revise the story to correct the omission of "oh by the way this problem we were talking about was solved by this female engineer". No of course not. I mean, it's NPR, you think they are going to get smut on their fingers writing about someone who looks like me? Never going to happen.

Then the Razer mask story, I was central to it and some outlets gave me credit: https://www.pcgamer.com/razer-rows-back-after-zephyr-face-ma...

Others like the Verge flatly refused to mention my involvement- even jumping through some pretty crazy hoops to avoid it: https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/10/22876303/razer-zephyr-mas...

Again, hundreds of people called them out. But they did the math and decided that the stigma of mentioning someone who looked like me was worse.

That's just the last few months- this has been a constant for years. I fully Open Sourced the best selling 3D printer on the planet, have the first five Open Source Hardware Association certifications granted in China- which people said would never happen, have brought multiple Chinese companies into GPL compliance, I'm the only women to have brought a 3D printer to mass-market- a game changing design for small scale manufacturing- the list is long, but somehow, none of it is "appropriate" to cover- just because of how I look.

We're well beyond- "does my appearance detract from my work". Of course it does. We're at "does my appearance justify not just complete erasure of my work but constant attempts to deplatform and defund me" I don't think it does.

[bspammer]

I have never heard of you before (which I guess is just more evidence) but the way you make your point is absolutely brilliant. I will definitely be checking out your channel.

I hope you don’t get worn down by the bullshit, we need more people like you in the world.

[SexyCyborg]

Thank you!

[mysterydip]

It's certainly a shtick that is offputting to some and challenging to others. It also should have zero bearing on whether your work and contributions are valid. There is definitely a double standard, just look at how some celebrities dress and act and are praised for it.

[zelphirkalt]

As I see it, you "cannot do it right". Here is what I mean by this:

Some people in the comments here have noted, that wearing anything that is more revealing than people are used to, might be seen as "fighting for the right to display yourself in whatever way you want" for women in general and see it as a positive thing. Whether that is interpreting too much into the action, I cannot say. On the other hand there are other people, who interpret it as means to attract more viewers, and does not add to the technical content.

So there are at least 2 contrary interpretations. Perhaps it could be named "polarizing". I would not say that this is "your fault" in any way. It is simply the state of our society currently and how we are being socialized. It can be improved. The human body is in itself nothing criminal. It is our interpretations of expression, that gives meaning. There will always be critics, who see it one way or another.

I did not know your channel before. I congratulate you for making some GPL happen. Good job on that! One thing I personally would value is, if you put emphasis on free (libre) software, when doing GPL and not name it merely open source. I think your content is interesting. I also like to see how it looks in Shenzhen, besides the technical aspects of the channel.

[Pixelbrick]

Well said. Also fair play to you for being prepared to openly identify as who you are, in a part of the world where it's not necessarily as easy to do so as it is for many of us.

[mchaver]

I just want to say that your work and determination in the face of adversity is inspiring. Thank you!

[deterministic]

I admire the strength, conviction, humility and technical skills you are constantly showing. Please keep doing what you are doing. Some people can’t handle a beautiful woman who is smart, skilled, and choose her own way in life. That’s their problem. Not yours. Remember that for every low self-esteem hater out there, there are many others who support what you are doing and disagree with the haters. Years ago woman were not allowed to show their ankles in public. We have come a long way since then. But there will always be a small group of people who can’t handle independent woman who doesn’t conform to their ideas. Just ignore them. They are dinosaurs and will eventually die out.

[helmholtz]

Man, you're sooooo well spoken! I'm loving your responses up and down this thread.

[SexyCyborg]

Thank you! I'm an English major and have worked very hard at it- still love to hear it though!

[no-s]

> We're well beyond- "does my appearance detract from my work". Of course it does. We're at "does my appearance justify not just complete erasure of my work but constant attempts to deplatform and defund me" I don't think it does.

It’s not you, it’s not the advertisers, it’s them. It’s not fair play. The fair play aspect is particularly infuriating. So what if it’s their platform - just because they can set the standards as they please doesn’t make it right.

YouTube is a US corporation, and this action is un-American.

[raxxorrax]

I believe you might not fit into the story they want to paint onto the tech industry in general.

You think your successes would have been harder to achieve if you didn't advertise with sex appeal? You don't need to justify yourself for anything but you still sound like you feel the need to do so.

I don't even know their exact angle to be honest, they probably don't want to make the impression that sex appeal is a necessity for success in tech. But that is speculation. I understand the want to keep it "clean" but I hope you can appeal the demonetization.

[SexyCyborg]

>You think your successes would have been harder to achieve if you didn't advertise with sex appeal? You don't need to justify yourself for anything but you still sound like you feel the need to do so.

Oh, not at all. It's a gender expression issue, some dysphoria problems, I will try to go into once I muster up the courage. I'm cis but have an...odd backstory. It's definitely counter productive to success in tech after a certain point.

>they probably don't want to make the impression that sex appeal is a necessity for success in tech.

It could be, but at the same time, many young women like being flamboyant, most unlike me outgrow it, but few 17 year olds aspire to the pant-suit. A passable IG "thot" doing tech isn't necessarily the bad influence people think it is. I think a healthy balance of role models will attract a healthy balance of candidates. I think saying "you have to be gender conforming within this narrow spectrum or look like this" is an absolute nightmare for, well basically everyone- men included.

[raxxorrax]

> It's definitely counter productive to success in tech after a certain point.

I believe this too, although the currency on social media might be different. In a work environment many actually do it as a courtesy to people that do not sexualize themselves. There is an attention economy in the workplace too. Looks do give you a bonus in many cases until you leverage it. Then it is suddenly the worst sin. A bit hypocritical perhaps, but it might level the playing field a bit and it lets people keep focus.

There are probably few people that honestly condemn you if you forget your pants when coming into work, but it is still generally expected that you at least try to put them on. Not sure if there are any barriers yet to be broken down.

> A passable IG "thot" doing tech isn't necessarily the bad influence people think it is

I generally agree, although I would lie that I would not be disappointed if people rely on whatever "thots" do. Perhaps I am too conservative, but Instagram is a great argument for catholic girls boarding schools, even if everyone know they are the worst. I think there is a difference if you get recognition for your looks or for your skills and mixing can lead to trouble.

> aspire to the pant-suit

It changed a bit in recent years, but often it is pretty relaxed. I regard it as a boon that you often can immediately separate the engineer from the salesman. But the former has the choice at least.

[jacquesm]

Never change. What you do is wonderful.