What does an engineer look like? A new hashtag #ILookLikeAnEngineer - aimed at breaking down stereotypes and highlighting diversity in the tech industry- has gone viral on social media.
It all began when Isis Anchalee, an engineer from San Francisco, posted a blog in which she described what it’s like to be a woman in the industry. She was featured in a recruiting ad campaign for her IT company and was shocked by the responses it garnered online.
The response shocked her. Friends forwarded her posts from complete strangers responding to the photo.
". . . if you knew me you would probably know that being famous is one of my biggest nightmares; seriously right up there with falling into a porta potty," she wrote.
She ended the post with a challenge:
"Do you feel passionately about helping spread awareness about tech gender diversity?”
"Do you not fit the 'cookie-cutter mold' of what people believe engineers 'should look like?'
"If you answered yes to any of these questions, I invite you to help spread the word and help us redefine 'what an engineer should look like' #iLookLikeAnEngineer."