It’s hard to believe, but even in this modern day and age, there’s still a huge amount of sexism when it comes to women working in the technology sector.
In spite of the fact that women are just as capable of pursuing careers in computer sciences and internet technology, statistics show that the gender gap in STEM-based industries is still very much a thing. Of all of the jobs in these industries, only 25% are held by women. Hardworking industry pioneers like Lyndsey Scott aim to change that fact by advocating for women and minorities in tech.
Lyndsey graduated from a prestigious college with a double major in theater and computer science. She now balances a successful modeling and acting career with creating apps and doing freelance iOS software engineering. While you may not recognize her by name, she’s quickly becoming one of the most recognizable faces for women in tech, while also representing massive global brands on the runways of New York and Milan.
Oh, and also? She used to be a Victoria’s Secret model.
View this post on Instagram#tbt To my strut down the @victoriassecret runway
Regardless of her myriad professional accomplishments and success, Lyndsey still runs into the same small-minded trolls who dominate internet comment sections everywhere.
When an Instagram account named coding.engineer shared a photograph of Lyndsey walking the Victoria’s Secret catwalk, along with some impressive stats about her prowess as a programmer, the bullies couldn’t wait to rain on her parade.
“Yeah she can write Hello World,” wrote one commenter, referring to the first words often learned by programmers in beginning coding classes. Other haters were quick to jump in with underhanded jabs of their own, with one simply stating, “What a waste.”
Thankfully, for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction, and soon other commenters were jumping in to defend Lyndsey’s talents and skill as a programmer. Many women shared their own stories of working in a male-dominated “old boys’ club.”
Eventually, Lyndsey herself heard about the hullabaloo that her photo and credentials had caused, and naturally, this tough cookie couldn’t wait to pop into the comment sections to set the haters straight.
Take THAT! This is one model who’s got absolutely zero time for your attacks.
When asked how STEM fields could improve those “hostile work environments” for female programmers, Lyndsey’s solution is simple: the men have to step up. “Male programmers outnumber female programmers by about 5 to 1, so I think they have to take the lead in holding each other accountable,” she stated.
Lyndsey said she felt like she wasn’t taken very seriously when she first began working in the STEM industry. Being a woman was hard enough, but being a model gave many colleagues the impression that she was somehow not as qualified as they were.
The whole reason I started answering questions on Stack Overflow and writing tutorials in the first place was because I was struggling to have app companies take me seriously. So a few years back, I decided to commit a month to answering over a hundred questions posted by other iOS developers on Stack Overflow until I was able to take a screenshot of my avatar in the #1 iOS question answerer slot. With that, I was able to join a great tutorial team, then paid work eventually followed.
Lyndsey says she’s now “living my dream” of living in Los Angeles, supporting herself with her programming, and having the freedom to pursue her creative ambitions on the side.
You know what they say — success is the best revenge! Thank you for showing the world that women in tech are more than just ‘a pretty face.’
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