When software development company OneLogin was creating a quick recruitment campaign, they asked four engineers on their team to be featured in their ads.
One of the engineers is named Isis Anchalee. She’s also a woman.
And once her face was plastered across buses and walls, things went a little differently for her than for the other engineers who were featured. Turned out not everyone was satisfied with the ads.
“I think they want to appeal to women, but are probably just appealing to dudes…” someone wrote on Facebook. “…I’m curious people with brains find this quote remotely plausible and if women in particular buy this image of what a female software engineer looks like.”
“If their intention is to attract more women then it would have been better to choose a picture with a warm, friendly smile rather than a sexy smirk,” another user commented.
Stunned by the backlash and support to her seemingly innocent ad, Anchalee urged engineers who didn’t fit into the “cookie-cutter mold” of what engineers “should look like” to use the hashtag #iLookLikeAnEngineer to help redefine society’s image of the computer scientists, developers and engineers.
Sure enough, within a hours, Twitter was awash with photos of the most diverse and intimidatingly qualified engineering team to ever grace the planet.
#ILookLikeAnEngineer because no matter how I dress, I still can code. pic.twitter.com/DPlCLXvpg7
— julia ferraioli (@juliaferraioli) August 4, 2015
#ILookLikeAnEngineer @RebexCaroline, @DeadlyiCoN, and I look like engineers who like to have a good time pic.twitter.com/989vx3E3iL — jessie wu (@jessie__wu) August 4, 2015
My tea is #bulletproof as is my code. #ILookLikeAnEngineer and #Ibuilt @wootric cc:@bpnutrition pic.twitter.com/B5bFpenUlx
— Deepa Subramanian (@jumpingdeeps) August 4, 2015
Mech Eng ’95. The engineering building at my school was built in the 60s w/o women’s bathrooms. #ILookLikeAnEngineer pic.twitter.com/hw9P23zLzl — Rena Tom (@rena_tom) August 4, 2015
Saying “you don’t look like an engineer” is basically saying is “my model of engineers is poorly-calibrated.” #ilooklikeanengineer
— Malcolm Ocean (@Malcolm_Ocean) August 4, 2015
#ILookLikeAnEngineer who learned two new tricks today! One about react components. One about aerial silks pic.twitter.com/zqiXjoLsqW — Una (with a hard U) (@Una) August 4, 2015
I have another photo to share for #ILookLikeAnEngineer. Every single woman in this photo is a software engineer. pic.twitter.com/71soJ8uRLE
— Becky Standig (@understandig) August 3, 2015
Tech coach for womenpreneurs. @Cisco Certified Infrastructure Mgr. And I got new glasses.
#ILookLikeAnEngineer pic.twitter.com/3pZCSoHrmj — Jessica L Williams (@techbizgurl) August 4, 2015
I make software for millions of users in schools across the world. #ILookLikeAnEngineer pic.twitter.com/lQeJPIcUbL
— Coraline Ada Ehmke (@CoralineAda) August 4, 2015
We make holograms! Love this hashtag. #ILookLikeAnEngineer #HoloLens @JoanChao pic.twitter.com/QAe3oTEoKg — Lauren Bissett (@laurenjbissett) August 3, 2015
English lit & creative writing grad. Founder. Junior full stack dev. #ILookLikeAnEngineer pic.twitter.com/xzx46ZYZ6x — damilola odelola (@damiodelola) August 4, 2015
I’m an iOS Engineer, creator of @WeReadTooApp. #ILookLikeAnEngineer pic.twitter.com/CRF3rM2R4M
— kaya (@kthomas901) August 4, 2015
You want qualifications? These women have got binders full.
i have undergrad & grad degrees in eecs from mit & have done machine learning research on asimo #iLookLikeAnEngineer pic.twitter.com/c5OxS5wB2F — sailor mercury (@sailorhg) August 3, 2015
Oh hey, #ILookLikeAnEngineer #ILookLikeADork cc @isisAnchalee pic.twitter.com/9u2W5EqthT
— __root__ (@roguelynn) August 4, 2015
#ILookLikeAnEngineer even though I don’t even have a high school diploma!
#ILookLikeAnEngineer who could use more sleep. No need to run my creds, I’ll still be an eng without your validation. pic.twitter.com/KhCBh8LPNL
— ¯_(ツ)_/¯ (@EricaJoy) August 4, 2015
#ILookLikeAnEngineer @GitHub. Wait, I am one! pic.twitter.com/YJ2Gp5J3Js — Mu-An (@muanchiou) August 4, 2015
#ILookLikeAnEngineer, because I am one. 10 years in FOSS, EECS degree, started programming by learning Z80 by myself. pic.twitter.com/5ebRD1t7r1
— Burću Dogan (@rakyll) August 4, 2015
BA @Stanford MS @SJSUEngineering I code functional prototypes of features on @Oracle roadmap #ILookLikeAnEngineer pic.twitter.com/8TnU71sRYi — A.M. McReynolds (@amcreynolds) August 4, 2015
“So easy, even your mom can do it.” Yeah, she can – because she’s an engineer who was building before you were even born.
Mom: Hardware turned database engineer. Me: Built flight simulation for military training at 19 #ILookLikeAnEngineer pic.twitter.com/LlJpxhrTXF
— H▲NИ▲H (@herlifeinpixels) August 4, 2015
My mom, Perl hacker, 20+ years sys analyst. Nuclear physicist. Started coding on punch cards! #iLookLikeAnEngineer pic.twitter.com/0VhMB56ps6 — Marcos Caceres (@marcosc) August 4, 2015
I am a 53-year old grandmother with over 30 years in information technology. #ILookLikeAnEngineer
— Amy (@AmyStephen) August 4, 2015
#MomOps to 3 {autism, T1 Diabetes, & Tethered Spinal Cord} Ops, Infrastructure, Full Stackaroni #ILookLikeAnEngineer pic.twitter.com/zcr3NrmfEK — Carmen Caelestis (@Caelestisca) August 4, 2015
I’m female, wear pink and I’m pregnant. I’m also a full stack software engineer. #ILookLikeAnEngineer pic.twitter.com/3PV9BepNYy
— Jolene Hayes (@JCHayes) August 3, 2015
