Not to condone this behavior, but I think it's absolutely worth noting that she was wearing a shirt that said "Penetration Expert" on the front (which the article mentions) which is reasonably mild. <i>But the shirt also says on the back</i>, if you follow the link, "When was the Last Time you were PENETRATED..." [capitalization sic] (which the article conveniently leaves out).<p>I've gotta say, that is way more sexual of a joke than I'd personally be comfortable wearing in a business casual environment, and I can't help but feel that if you wear that you're really opening yourself up to people teasing you with "Oh yeah, when was the last time <i>you</i> were penetrated?". There's a big difference between "she was asking for it because of her clothes" - bad argument - and "she chose to wear a shirt with an overtly sexual joke on it and people repeated the joke to her".
You can see the shirt she wore at <a href="https://scontent.fapa1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.18172-8/23467459_1764130716933568_1577781541875017446_o.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=973b4a&_nc_ohc=vLOyScseZEAAX8yQK_s&_nc_ht=scontent.fapa1-1.fna&oh=2e49228c047f6a4b876bf173f4321114&oe=61295026" rel="nofollow">https://scontent.fapa1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.18172-8/2346745...</a>.<p>While I don’t condone this behavior, the back of the shirt says “When was the last time you were penetrated…”
Before this devolves, please put yourself in the shoes of a woman wanting to work in the industry and knowing a bunch of drunk men not only think hitting on you is appropriate, but also they’re the people that hold the keys to your hiring role and future promotions. You’d stay the fuck away.
The t-shirt she chose to wear to a career event showing a [sexual] double-entendre is not asking for abuse obviously, but demanding some kind of attention. The entire video game business has a [lack of] culture problem. That the Blizzard boys went so far in embarrassing themselves is theirs to own.<p>Edit: Flagged? I'm sorry. If you read the article, the inappropriate jokes were targeted to her t-shirt reading "Penetration Expert". This is stupid on top of stupid.
Behavior like this is extremely common in the security community, and not even just towards women. Unfortunately many people in the industry are essentially socially maligned outcasts and fail to see how inappropriate it is to use this same behavior towards strangers, especially women, at a conference. It’s not a hacker IRC channel with people you’ve known for a decade who appreciate low effort dark humor, it’s sexual harassment.
When I explain I worked as a penetration tester and provided hacking demonstrations, for some reason, both male and female colleagues have responded with naughty innuendo.<p>There is something to do with the word penetration that makes people feel as though they MUST comment sexually on it.
If you see anyone trying to make a joke about penetration testing and penetration, stay well the fuck away and tell everyone you know to stay well the fuck away.<p>Not only are they being inappropriate by trying it with people at a security event, they're probably an idiot for ever thinking it was funny.<p>But aside from that, we probably should retire "penetration tester" as a job title because dipshits can't resist being dipshits and there's enough barriers for women in security as it is.
It's inevitable that in a few years this whole practice will be called vulnerability testing or some variation thereof because of nonsense like this.
> "One of them asked me when was the last time I was personally penetrated, if I liked being penetrated, and how often I got penetrated," Mitchell told Waypoint. "I was furious and felt humiliated so I took the free swag and left."<p>Took the free swag and left?!
not gonna lie. a big part of me groans every time i see "penetration testing."<p>i suppose maybe that might have been funny in junior high school or something. but, seriously?
so that's how they recruit people? if they have sexual experience?<p>no wonder people are leaving WoW and their recent games were underperforming (Warcraft 3 Reforged for example)
I don't get it. I just don't.<p>I don't even WANT to have that conversation with a random person...<p>What is with these people?<p>Gotta be honest I'd even be a little uncomfortable about the shirt... the whole situation is wonky.