Over the past week, controversy has erupted on social media for an ad that featured a female doctor. Figs, a popular scrubs brand, has upset and angered many medical professionals for promoting the negative stereotype of female doctors and osteopathic physicians.
The offending video showcased a young woman in hot-pink comfort scrubs with glasses reading “Medical Terminology for Dummies,” with the book upside down. A close-up of her drawstring scrubs features a mock-up hospital badge reading “D.O.,” short for “Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine,” a job which takes a more holistic approach to disease, compared to doctors with M.D. degrees.
Through social media, medical professionals are now lashing out at the company, which was founded by two women, Heather Hasson and Trina Spear. Figs has been growing rapidly since being founded in 2013, reportedly pulling in more than $100 million in annual revenue. Although it’s been a Los-Angeles based favorite brand for many medical influencers, it’s now facing some serious backlash over this insensitive video, with most people even boycotting the company’s apparel.
It’s quite simple: the ad was sexist and misogynistic. It insulted not only the intelligence of women physicians but also the merit of osteopathic medicine. Women, physicians, nurses, and clinicians deserve respect. The ad is a direct insult against all the hard work that has been done to bring equality to a field that was once dominated by men.
The portrayal of women physicians and doctors of osteopathic medicine as less educated and incompetent has been a barrier in medicine for quite some time. For this to occur in 2020 in ignorant marketing campaigns is infuriating and disheartening.
“Are you training to be a nurse, hon?”
As a female, I’ve been made aware of the underrepresentation of women in the medical field as well as the sexism that can range from gendered attitudes about certain medical specialties to persistent wage gaps and biases in hiring or promotion decisions. When shadowing, I’ve been mistaken as a nursing student on multiple occasions or suggested I pursue pediatrics instead of surgery.
The stigmas surrounding the female gender, especially in the medical field, are deeply rooted and difficult to overcome even for women who have the same qualifications as their male counterparts. Presenting an ad that implies a lack of intelligence and merit often associated with female physicians is outraging and distasteful.
“Is a D.O. even a real doctor?”
As a pre-med student, I’ve also come to understand that in the medical community, there is stigma attached to osteopathic medicine, perhaps due to the slightly lower admissions numbers for D.O. matriculants (average GPA and MCAT). However, a doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) receives all the same training as a typical medical doctor (M.D.). The only main difference is that an M.D. studies allopathic medicine, which uses science to diagnose and treat any medical conditions, whereas a D.O. is trained in a “whole-body” approach, focusing on prevention and a method that involves moving muscles and joints to promote healing.
With that said, physicians with both an M.D. and a D.O. are licensed across all 50 states to practice medicine, perform surgeries, and prescribe medication. While the stigma between both kinds of doctors has decreased with the July 2020 announcement to have a single GME Accreditation system, allowing M.D. and D.O. students to apply to any residencies, there is clearly much work to be done to overcome this stigma in medical culture.
The idea that a D.O. or woman is less qualified to be a doctor is simply untrue. Your residency and your action will determine that, not your gender, not what letters follow your name – and certainly, not a thoughtless scrubs ad.
To Figs: Learn from this and do better. Be a part of the change to destigmatize being a female in the medical field and the osteopathic approach in healthcare.
Yours truly,
A future female doctor