Nobel scientist, Tim Hunt, had a bad week when he mistakenly used his outside voice instead of just thinking quietly in his head to himself. His cringe-worthy evaluation of women scientists is right up there with any backwards comment uttered by your dementia-suffering grandpa at Thanksgiving dinner. Hunt found himself in world of hurt after addressing the World Conference of Science Journalists (I thought Nobel winners were smart – did he think the room full of journalists weren’t going to pick up on his misogyny) After he told the audience that when it comes to women scientists “three things happen when they are in the lab; you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticize them, they cry,” oh no he didn’t. Oh yes he did.
After the initial WTF reaction, female scientists reacted brilliantly by mocking Sir I’m-so-hot-chicks-can’t-get-enough-of-me Hunt. No one had apparently given Hunt the “don’t mess with smart women” memo. I almost feel badly for him. Almost. Female scientists took to social media to post pictures of themselves being #distractinglysexy. They posted pics of themselves shoulder deep in cow rectum, picking up poop, wearing heavy gear, and rocking goggles. And after I stopped laughing at these impossibly hilarious pictures I realized something. Tim Hunt may be right: Female scientists are distractingly sexy.
They aren’t distractingly sexy in a Brazilian supermodel kind of way – seductively posing for the male gaze. Rather they are sexy because they are highly educated, clearly capable, curious, adventurous women in charge of themselves and discovering amazing things. That shit is hot. Hunt is right – and this is true not only of scientists but of women in any field – smart women doing smart things are #distractinglysexy. And we’re not going anywhere. It’s the men like Hunt who feel threatened by women being women who need to either make a change or get out of the way. We don’t need to prove how un-sexy we are. We need to embrace our sexy and the boys are just going to have to deal with it.
And as for his reference to women crying, I want him to explain to me what is wrong with crying. Who made the rule that says crying is a bad thing? Oh wait, I know, it was a bunch of old duffers like Hunt who made that rule back when dinosaurs roamed the planet. As a woman who is in touch with her full range of feelings I challenge the notion that crying is a bad thing. In fact, I think it is unhealthy to be so emotionally shut down that you think crying is a sign of weakness, something to find fault with, something you would never do because you are so “tough.” Real strength comes from recognizing all of your feelings and not stuffing them down only to come out in inappropriate ways – like in front of a room full of journalists.
So ladies, pleased keep on being capable leaders in your field, cry when it is appropriate and let’s continue to be #distractinglysexy.
(picture is of my #DistractinglySexy sister-in-law, Dr. Joy Cookingham, doing field work in a jungle in Belize)
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