#ILookLikeAnEngineer Is Turning Stereotype on its Head

07 Aug #ILookLikeAnEngineer Is Turning Stereotype on its Head

When engineer Isis Wenger was selected to be part of a recruiting campaign for her company, she didn’t think twice about it. It should have been a fun experience. You get to be on a local billboard and have your friends text you cute congratulatory messages. Pretty cool, right?

Unfortunately, Wegner’s experience was hardly that simple. She was sexual harassed by colleagues and internet trolls were quick to attack her – all because to them, she “didn’t look like an engineer.” Oh, to put it more simply, they didn’t feel women should could be engineers.

Instead of getting mad, Wenger got resourceful and is fighting back against the stereotypes. She wrote about her experience on Medium and launched the hashtag #ILookLikeAnEngineer to change how people think about engineers. It might seem like a small step, but every action that challenges the notion that girls and women can’t do STEM is a good one.

In the span of days her #ILookLikeAnEngineer has become a trending topic online and thousands of female engineers have joined in the conversation by tweeting photos, sharing stories and even launching a crowdfunding campaign to turn the movement into an ad campaign.

Her decision not to stay silent is bringing unrivaled exposure to her field and opening the discussion on why STEM fields are so important for women to pursue. I bet Wegner didn’t realize that when she agreed to be part of that recruitment ad; she would literally become a “poster-child” for the women in STEM movement. But I bet she would have done it anyway:).

– à bientôt

Charell Star | A Girl In A Dress