Women Geeks Are Gorgeous

In my article "Talibanism in Technology" I pointed out one of the

myths about being a woman in technology is that they are usually considered

unattractive. For some reason smart, sexy women and technology are considered

mutually exclusive. It is as if women in tech are female replicas of male nerds

with unkempt hair, baggy clothes, and glasses. Well, Lilac Mohr decided to do

something about it.

Lilac Mohr, a senior Java developer was determined it was

time to set the world straight after hearing the myth repeated at her workplace.

She decided to produce a 'Women Geek Calendar' where all the models are

women computer professionals. According to Mohr, intelligent women are sexy too.

She has declared the proceeds of the calendar sales would go up to setting up a

scholarship fund that would help girls who would like to pursue computer science

in college.

sLilac Mohr, a senior Java developer was determined it was time to set the world straight after hearing the myth repeated at her workplace. She decided to produce a 'Women Geek Calendar' where all the models are women computer professionals.

The Geek Gorgeous Calendar (www.geekgorgeous.com) has kicked

up a controversy in the tech circles for some see this as just another

objectification of women like fashion models. Some women have objected to the

calendar on the premise that this is only a step back and Mohr in the guise of

helping computer women professionals has ended up hurting her fellow

counterparts in the computer field.

The Objections



Those objecting to this calendar cite three primary reasons:

The first one is that the calendar just portrays women as sex

symbols and does nothing, but perpetuate the idea of beauty as just sexy women.

With this calendar, some worry that male colleagues and co-workers will not take

them or their work seriously, but instead wonder if they are as sexy as the

calendar models.

The second one is, they question how this will help the women

in the field as the calendar is only seeking to perpetuate the stereotype. The

calendar plays right into the socially defined idea of beauty as it conveys the

idea that beautiful, smart women are always slender, glossy with flawless skin,

perfect makeup, and hairstyle, thus reiterating superficial beauty and sexiness.

They ask why Mohr feels the need to prove there are sexy women in the IT field

and how this calendar is going to help break the myth. They claim the brainy

aspect of beauty is completely left out and this would add additional pressure

on technical women that being smart isn't sexy.

The third objection is that if it was going to be a geek

calendar why does it not have both male and female models? They argue that boys

and young men face the same problems initially though later on they are able to

overcome it in life, because women prefer intelligent men than just eye-candy

men! They point out that unfortunately, the situation is reversed for women, as

men prefer to date and marry pretty women rather than smart women.

The Response



Lilac Mohr responded to the above accusations with this

statement, which she published on the calendar's website. She says, "I

obviously knew that this project would cause some controversy, and there would

be individuals who felt that the project would promote men to view their female

co-workers and classmates as sex objects instead of accepting them for their

technical competence. It is a difficult task to create a product that breaks

stereotypes, and yet has market potential in a society that is still driven by

physical appearances. The sad, but honest truth is that very few people would

pay attention to, much less purchase a calendar that features women in business

suits.

When I started this project, my biggest concern was

objectifying the women-I kept reiterating that I did not want the poses or

attire to mimic the types of images found in Maxim magazine. What I found out,

is that the models themselves wanted to show off their sexy sides - they didn't

view this as a step back for women, but as a form of empowerment and fun.

Something they could look back on in time and be proud of. Our media culture is

constantly flaunting actresses and singers wearing next to nothing and acting

provocative -these entertainers get attention and unfortunately have become

role models for teenage girls. What is so wrong about intelligent women showing

the world that they can be just as sexy and comfortable with their bodies as the

bimbettes are, but hold careers where they are valued for nothing more than

their brain power? The bottom line is that sometimes you need to get people's

attention in order for them to listen to the underlying message. "My

intentions are good, and I believe my methods are justified. I hope others

understand."

My Take



The male reaction has been mainly leery and they do not read

the brief write up of the calendar models, which is there in each page. Most

women have been critical of Lilac Mohr and the computer women professionals who

volunteered to model for the calendar. They suggest that the calendar was an

extremely bad idea. Personally, I think the calendar is a very good idea despite

the reactions from people in the tech field. Why?

For starters, high school children, both girls and boys,

would mostly buy the calendar. If this calendar can make boys think brainy girls

are sexy, then girls may not be afraid to be geeks and would be themselves

instead of trying to be someone else. It may also help change at least a few

girls' minds about taking it up as a career instead of dropping it after

marriage. The high school boys and college-going guys who buy this calendar may

grow up to realize that girls in computing are 'real' girls who enjoy

mathematics and engineering just as they do. In the long run, the future

generations of boys and men will not be intimidated by 'smart' women and

would be able to treat them as equals as the men in teaching and medical

professions do today.

Secondly, many a time, this sort of 'in your face'

marketing needs to be done for women to be taken seriously! Most of you reading

this may think I am crazy, but take sports for example. In tennis, women tennis

truly became huge around the world, only after short skirts came into

vogue. Of course, the reason was technical (shorter skirts for better movement

and less wind resistance) but it was seen as sexy. It started a debate around

the time about objectification of a women's body and women stars being just

poster girls. However, the next generation did benefit and women tennis became a

sport to be reckoned with.

Thirdly, we do not need a male geek calendar for whether we

admit it or not, there is a paucity of women and not men in the science and tech

field. As the aim of the calendar is to get more girls into the field, we need

to show or prove computer women as sexy.

In closing, I found it strange, but disturbing that both

Lilac Mohr and those who disagree with her seem to propagate a very

narrow-minded stereotype by using words like "bimbettes." Women

models, singers, and actresses have to work very hard and are not clueless just

as women geeks who work in the technical field are not unattractive. By

resorting to the "Gentlemen prefer blondes" and

"objectification" argument, both leering men and women debating and

producing the calendar in our field are guilty of perpetuating this prejudiced

label based on a superiority-inferiority complex as the case may be.

So let us wait and see what effect the calendar has on our field, if any

effect at all.

Deepa Kandaswamy,

The author is a writer and engineer based in Trichy, TN, whose articles have

been published in six continents. She is also the founder-moderator of the

IndianWISE e-group