Female scientists hit back at claims 'pretty lab selfies fuel sexist culture' in male-dominated organisations

Female scientists have hit back at claims sharing "pretty selfies" from the lab is fuelling sexism in the male-dominated field.

Meghan Wright, a doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering, claimed that women who post pictures of themselves in "cute outfits" with "sweet smiles" were doing little to dismantle the science world’s sexist culture.

She wrote in an article for Science magazine that the snaps "demonstrate that they’re interested in clothes and makeup, that they’re physically active, and that they are attractive romantic partners.”

Ms Wright also pointed out that women “hold less senior positions, are paid less and are continuously underrated”, the Times reported.

She cited a fellow PhD student named Samantha Yammine who studies neural stem cells and has almost 25,000 followers on Instagram as “ScienceSam”.

Ms Wright wrote: “These researchers assert themselves as scientists who don’t fit the stereotypes that are typically applied to women in the field.

“They are not boring or unfashionable. Instead, their posts demonstrate that they’re interested in clothes and makeup, that they’re physically active, and that they are attractive romantic partners.

“By visibly contradicting stereotypes about female scientists, it is clear that they hope to inspire girls to pursue science and to encourage scientists to showcase their femininity in our male-dominated work spaces.”

But Ms Wright went on to say: “Publicly documenting the cute outfit I wear and the sweet smile I brandish in the lab isn’t going to help me build a fulfilling career in a field where women hold less senior positions, are paid less, and are continuously underrated.

“I wonder whether our efforts should instead be directed toward advocating for policy changes at institutional and governmental levels.”

The article has drawn an angry response from female scientists, with some claiming that social media is a powerful tool in fighting sexism.

Ms Yammie co-wrote a response to the Science article with three others stating social media was a “powerful tool in a larger strategy to dismantle such structures".

It added: “Selfies on Instagram are optional, but they receive 38 per cent more engagement than pictures without a face, enabling open dialogue with broad audiences in an effectively personal manner.”

Academic scientist Dr Pragya Agarwal said women posting the selfies are making science "accessible."

She told the Standard: "It is a ridiculous statement to make and reeks of sexism.

"Why shouldn’t women be both beautiful and clever? This is symptomatic of the unconscious bias that promotes the idea that beautiful women are not intelligent or that a woman who takes care of her appearance is shallow in some ways.

"I think it is empowering for women to take control of our femininity and showcase it. It is making science accessible.

"It is changing the stereotype that a scientist is a man in a lab coat or the traditional view of the eccentric scientist, one who is always a man."

Antonia Hamilton, from UCL's neuroscience department, said having more women in science in the public eye was a positive for the field.

She said: “It’s a complicated topic where you can’t easily come down on one side or the other.

"More women scientists on Twitter and social media are showing themselves inside the lab – and there is a wide variety of women scientists – and you don’t have to look like a geek to be a scientist.

"On the other hand, doing the kind of public engagement work of putting yourself on Twitter all of the time is not always well rewarded in science, and if women are taking on that difficult work of criticism that goes with it, while men are not bothering, that disadvantages women."

Ms Hamilton said one disadvantage of female scientists engaging in social media is that it can distract from lab work.

She continued: “The piece that was written in Science was certainly one-sided, but it’s a complex topic.

“In general, the more people see women in science, and a wide variety of women in science is a good thing. By that I mean older women, younger women, women who want to wear make-up and heels and look beautiful and women who don’t, and women from all races and backgrounds.

“The thing that can be damaging is expecting all women to have to do this social media work, of putting selfies up and engaging with that, because that is to some extent work that takes you away from your lab and from writing papers.

“There is more pressure on women to engage with social media and engage with science communication, or feel that they have a responsibility to promote women in science in general as well as getting on with their own work.”