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| A Chihuly sculpture and the needle in Seattle, WA! |
Lucky me, I’m
celebrating the end of my full-time consulting job with a trip! My husband took
me to Seattle for one of his conferences, so I get to relax poolside and explore the
city while he works! Well, we’re finally going to do some hiking this weekend,
so this is finally going to start feeling like a vacation for him too!
Taking a break from
all the relaxing, I decided to write about geobabes,
that is, women who are into the geosciences.
The term geobabe originally came from my group of
friends at my college’s Geology Department. It stuck with me because I
appreciate that it is a fun and simple way to celebrate women and femininity in
a traditionally male and masculine academic field. I have to say, though, that women
are doing well and are strong in the geosciences. At the same time, we are
still in a world where gender norms still affect all aspects in life. As a
geologist working up a career, there are a lot of women in the field that
mentor me and I feel so lucky for that.
But there are other
aspects of being a woman in geology that I have noticed as well. As much as I love
the generally welcoming and open nature in the geologist community, I’m also
noticing there is a distinctly masculine energy that pervades the culture and
that there is little room for femininity. Some might say that many aspects of
stereotypically feminine traits might be backwards or demeaning towards women,
but as a self-proclaimed feminist, I like to think that women are truly free
when they can land anywhere on the feminine-masculine spectrum that they want. Plus,
if masculinity is venerated, or even simply allowed to be the standard, that’s
still creating the underlying assumption that male-oriented behavior and
culture is somehow superior like it’s the standard that everyone should follow.
For example, I love
painting my nails, and I’ll often have my nails done out in the field while I’m
working. I have received more than a handful of judgmental comments from
coworkers, being mostly men, on how I work with my nails done and whether it’s
appropriate. Always graciously, I respond with saying something like my painted
nails don’t affect my safety or my work product. These interactions always make
me a little uncomfortable because those around me are still so ready to look
beyond my work’s credibility to focus on what makes me different. That critical
eye makes it that much harder to gain a solid reputation in a woman’s career.
Just last week, a
woman came up to be during a professional meeting and mentioned as an aside, as
if she was trying to help me, that “my look” makes it harder for people to take
me seriously. I was quite surprised by this comment, considering that I always
maintain the highest degree of professionalism, and I asked her to elaborate.
She literally said that I come off as a “pretty girl,” and apparently that’s
not ok in her book. I think probably what she meant is that I’m very feminine,
with long hair, makeup, and dresses, and it’s simply harder to take feminine
women more seriously.
Coming away from that
interaction was certainly difficult because it made me question my credibility
in the eyes of others. Especially since it came from a woman, making me aware
of how critical women can be of one another. But I came to the conclusion that
I can’t change the assumptions that someone might make upon seeing me at face
value. I’m very happy and comfortable being what some people might describe as
“too feminine,” and as much as I want to be taken seriously, I’m going to get
that respect through my work, not my looks.
So, to all my geobabes
out there, in all your various glorious shades, stay strong and keep finding
those cool rocks.
