Matt Rattley, Oxford lecturer, and his prosthetic breasts

[Margaritaaahhh]

From X:

"Matt Rattley, a non-stipendiary biochemistry lecturer at Oxford's St Hilda’s College and part-time in the Department of Biochemistry, shared recent photos of himself wearing noticeable prosthetic breasts while teaching. Critics raise concerns about the impact on students, including young female GCSE and A-level tutees and women at the historic women’s college, with some academics like Professor Michael Biggs suggesting it could create a degrading environment or even amount to sexual harassment. Oxford University emphasizes maintaining professional standards and respect for students while fostering inclusivity, but declines to comment on individual cases. The situation highlights ongoing discussions over personal expression versus workplace expectations in education."

Of course it's sexual harassment. I'd go as far as to say it's assault - forcing women to participate in his fetish without their consent. Women and girls - he also tutors A level and GCSE students.

I am so sick of these men and their perversions being forced on us, and if we do not consent we're the bad guys. Just, no. Enough.

👏👏👏

In such cases I would expect the "it never happened" defence. I'm not kink-shaming. I'm kink-asking-why??

He's obviously got enough support that he's able to continue teaching looking like this.

Do you support him dressing like that for work?

At least you did call him a man though.

So? Unless you think that students who attend Oxford are incapable of making their own judgements? I'm very live and let live - it makes for a much happier life.

I think outside of a very few environments, people would make different judgements.
I also wonder if there are students at Oxford who aren't saying anything for fear of censure, which, as has been repeatedly demonstrated, would not be unreasonable of them.

Couldn't really care less if he wants to wear some fake boobs, but if he must do, he should dress them the same as any professional woman would! He needs a modesty panel on that dress.

Other than that, I wouldn't engage with it. A reaction is what people want when they do things like this, why give it to them?

It'd be the same if a woman decided to wear a packer to work - wear it with a standard pair of chino's, fine, who cares, but don't wear it with some skin tight leggings.

Aaand there it is. Hi Alcoves, we've been expecting you! 👋

This man's managers clearly support his behaviour, or he'd have been told to stop. Or at the very least to cover up, as the women he works with no doubt would be if they wore something so revealing to work. The defence of his behaviour is tacit in that he's allowed to do it. The celebration of behaviour like this is also widespread - people should bring their whole selves to work, be the you you're meant to be, express your gender however you see fit and so forth. It's stunning! It's brave! That's what we've been told for years now. Support and celebration, right there.

Oh and @alcovecupboards - you've misgendered him. He's a they/them. How could you? Disgraceful behaviour. Actual violence. Etc.

Ugh, another attention seeking freak.

What a freak

What a bizarrely goady post.

People make different judgements all the time - and that's OK. But the idea that students at Oxford would be cowed is rather surreal to me.

Why? Are they inherently different from other people?

From Janet Murray, evidence that people at Oxford are distressed by this man’s behaviour but do not feel able to speak up about it:

What's goady about it? It had been discussed upthread by several pp that someone would be along to defend this man soon and indeed, they were correct. And you did misgender this man, which as I understand it equates to an act of violence or, at the very least, being really really horrible.

Someone I know is in their first year at Oxford. He won't be 18 until next week. He is a lovely, very smart and switched on young man, but he is SEVENTEEN. Think back to when you were 17 or 18, navigating your way between being a child at school and an adult in the big wide world and you turn up to your first biochemistry tutorial, and this person is your teacher. 99 people out of 100, especially first year undergrads, are going to feel far too nervous and lacking in confidence to raise it as a problem.

Which of course is exactly what he is banking on.

Please quote where I defended him.

I suspect you had a rather sheltered upbringing compared to many.

Ugh. Fetishes should be put back in the bedroom where they belong.

If a tradesman came to my house dressed like that I'd be calling the police. I wonder who they'd arrest?

Bearded men with massive tits are not commonplace and you do not need to be "sheltered" to think this is abnormal.

Talk about a hildabeest!

If your upbringing involved shit like this then I hope that at some point Social Services were involved.

You’re obviously trying to insult the pp, but why is being sheltered from perverts a bad thing?

You are rather showcasing your lack of knowledge about power dynamics - both in workplaces and HE. Along with failing to understand how the abuse of young people in hierarchical universities and organisations operates.

He's a man with a fetish able to impose this on unconsenting young people because the power dynamics at Oxford enable him.

Oxford has an appalling history of ignoring the sexual abuse and harassment of students - including by members of staff:

www.oxfordstudent.com/2025/11/20/bloomberg-investigation-finds-oxford-university-slow-to-act-against-sexual-misconduct/