As Sir Tim Hunt announced his resignation from an honorary professorship at UCL in the wake of his suggestion that science would benefit from “single-sex labs”, female researchers have turned to Twitter to pour scorn on the idea that they are #distractinglysexy.
Sir Tim told a conference in South Korea on 9 June that “three things happen when they are in the lab: you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry”.
Here are some of the responses posted on Twitter using the #distractinglysexy hashtag:
Rare moment where I wasn't crying or falling in love in labs. Damn my feeble female mind! #distractinglysexy pic.twitter.com/41iJ7RHxNU
— Rachael (@TheConstantRach) June 11, 2015
Women only lab! the boys have gone off crying #TimHunt #distractinglysexy pic.twitter.com/KL8H3uoKqr
— Louise Renouf (@LouLouMinx) June 11, 2015
Is that a magnetic wrench in your pocket or are you just happy to see my array? #DistractinglySexy #TimHunt pic.twitter.com/0DtP2S9RJr
— Bailey-Ann (@baileyanns) June 11, 2015
"@Loose_Lab_Rat: #Distractinglysexy when emptying the biohazardous waste bucket. #TimHunt pic.twitter.com/3MTw1RBImf"
— jo sier (@j_sier) June 11, 2015
feeling sexy in boot #distractinglysexy #womaninscience pic.twitter.com/hmdO8HzmsM
— Marie Cachera (@CacheraMarie) June 11, 2015
Loving the #distractinglysexy tweets this morn. Huge problem. Even affected the cows I did my degree research on. pic.twitter.com/FjceTWByCp
— Lizzie Ellis (@charlania) June 11, 2015