Let’s be honest: LinkedIn can be pretty bland. Occasionally, though, it generates some fairly heated controversy.
Take this story from Toptal, a firm that matches companies with developers. In 
short, LinkedIn banned Toptal ads like the one at right
due to “complaints” about the images the included–despite the fact, according Toptal, that the photos featured “real engineers.”
While the story itself is intriguing, raising some interesting questions about gender bias in engineering, things get even more interesting when you read the comments. Consider this one from “t.maris”:
Is it really that hard to believe that a women can be HOT AND an ENGINEER?? I am disguisted that you are objectifying women and think its ok to judge them simply on what they’re wearing. As a female engineer I make a point of looking good at work. Why? Because I fucking can. Do I need another reason? NO!
There’s more where that came from. After you read the story and the comments, I’d be interested in hearing your perspective. Was LinkedIn totally out of line for banning the ads, or was Toptal at all to blame? Share your thoughts, please.
Hat tip: Andy Welfle
The LinkedInstitute 
My guess would be that TopTal got more free publicity from LinkedIn than anything else in this whole thing. I personally think the whole thing is silly.I could see if the images were pornographic or even sexually suggestive, but all I see is an attractive, professional woman in the ad. Frankly, I am surprised in our sexual society that anyone even batted an eye at the ads. Of course TopTal would want to put an attractive picture on their ad, that’s marketing 101. I would love to see the “complaints” that LinkedIn claimed to have gotten for the ads.