85°F
weather icon Clear

#ILookLikeAnEngineer wants to change what you think about engineers

After a 22-year-old engineer in San Francisco was featured online in a campaign poster for her company OneLogin, she decided to use the attention and highlight her dislike of sexist stereotypes in the science and technology world.

Isis Wenger was featured on a poster that was displayed in San Francisco's BART system after being roped into it by collegues on whim, she wrote on Medium. The ad received a lot of attention online, both negative and positive.

"The negative opinions about this ad that strangers feel so compelled to share illustrate solid examples of the sexism that plagues tech," she wrote.

Diversity has been a costant issue in STEM. While growing numbers of woman and people of color are moving in on the tech world, managerial and executive positions are still dominated by white men.

After seeing some of the negative responses to the campaign, Wenger posted a picture of herself on Saturday with the hashtag "iLookLikeAnEngineer," and it instantly took off.

“I think the message went viral because it’s not just my message,” she told the Washington Post. “It addresses a problem that many people of different genders and ethnic backgrounds face.”

The hashtag had been used tens of thousands of times as of Tuesday afternoon, featuring pictures of engineers and engineering students aiming to break the idea of what it means to "look" like an engineer.

Check out some of the responses below.

Contact Kristen DeSilva at kdesilva@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @kristendesilva

MOST READ
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
What’s in Trump’s big bill that will soon become law?

At nearly 900 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations.

Michael Madsen, ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ star, dies at 67

His most memorable screen moment may have been the sadistic torture of a captured police officer — while dancing to Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle with You” — as Mr. Blonde in 1992’s “Reservoir Dogs.”

House passes Trump’s tax cuts bill after Democrat’s marathon speech

House Republicans propelled President Donald Trump’s $4.5 trillion tax breaks and spending cuts bill to final congressional passage Thursday, overcoming multiple setbacks to approve his signature second-term policy package.

MORE STORIES