After scientist Sir Tim Hunt says “girls” in labs can put male colleagues off their work, women scientists express their disapproval of his views using the ironic hashtag “distractingly sexy”.
Sir Tim, a Nobel prize-winning biochemist, reportedly told a conference in South Korea: “Let me tell you about my trouble with girls. Three things happen when they are in the lab – you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them, they cry.”
The comments provoked outrage, with the UK’s most eminent science body the Royal Society swiftly distancing itself from Sir Tim, saying “science needs women.” Sir Tim has been a fellow of the society since 1991.
Cathy Newman blog: Sir Tim Hunt comments: just a little bit sexist?
On Thursday Sir Tim resigned from his post as honorary professor with the faculty of life sciences at University College London.
Despite this, the backlash continued online, with female scientists taking the opportunity to post pictures of themeselves at work on Twitter under the hashtag distractinglysexy:
Here I am again being #distractinglysexy in Level B PPE. Because who can’t resist a girl with her own supplied air? pic.twitter.com/uCAwdtOm6R
— Geeky Girl Engineer (@gkygirlengineer) June 11, 2015
It’s just really hard working in a coed lab because I’m too distracting to the male scientists #distractinglysexy pic.twitter.com/9cZMUpy6TL
— Danielle Spitzer (@dspitzzz) June 11, 2015
Hopeful the googles will stop me crying into the cancer cells #distractinglysexy pic.twitter.com/dnNjSfkbEO
— Winnie Simeon (@topazjem) June 11, 2015
the #distractinglysexy hairnet & helmet combo, great for head safety, only wish it also stopped me from crying… pic.twitter.com/UOMz8PSrPR
— EleanorYeldHutchings (@Eleanor_YH) June 11, 2015
#distractinglysexy tear pads. Absorbs tears and avoids eye contact for those tricky falling in love lab situations. pic.twitter.com/v1Jdk1LZ9A
— Jo Variava (@jovar14) June 11, 2015
Nothing like a sample tube full of cheetah poop to make you #distractinglysexy pic.twitter.com/tdBTLRos4p
— Sarah Durant (@SarahMDurant) June 11, 2015
Our work on â??Mending Broken Heartsâ?? can be #distractinglysexy â?? but BHF researchers battle onâ?¦ pic.twitter.com/rsIGQysORT
— BHF (@TheBHF) June 11, 2015
#distractinglysexy with reprints of a few of my peer reviewed published scientific papers. pic.twitter.com/684BK2QWSc
— Prof Cathy Bennett (@plasmafire23) June 11, 2015
Is it too late to put #distractinglysexy on my college application form?
— Donna (@DonnaIRL) June 11, 2015