Annoyed female scientists all over the world have taken to Twitter in response to Sir Tim Hunt's sexist speech at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Seoul, South Korea by posting #distractinglysexy pictures of themselves at work.
The 2001 Nobel prize winner reaped the ire of female scientists when he told the audience at the conference about why he preferred single-sex labs.
"Let me tell you about my trouble with girls," Hunt said, according to The Guardian. "Three things happen when they are in the lab. You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticize them, they cry."
Hunt resigned from his post at the University College of London on Wednesday because of the controversy that erupted from his remarks.
"UCL can confirm that Sir Tim Hunt FRS has today resigned from his position as Honorary Professor with the UCL Faculty of Life Sciences, following comments he made about women in science at the World Conference of Science Journalists on 9 June," the University said in a statement, according to CNN.
"UCL was the first university in England to admit women students on equal terms to men, and the university believes that this outcome is compatible with our commitment to gender equality," the statement further said.
Meanwhile, female scientists have been tweeting photos of themselves and others after Hunt's comments spread on the Internet. Below are some of the most popular tweets of #distractinglysexy female scientists.
Nothing like a sample tube full of cheetah poop to make you #distractinglysexy pic.twitter.com/tdBTLRos4p
— Sarah Durant (@SarahMDurant) June 11, 2015
Filter mask protects me from hazardous chemicals and muffles my woman cries. Double win! #DistractinglySexy pic.twitter.com/5kYlm6SNud — Amelia Cervera (@ameliacervera) June 11, 2015
I had 3 marriage proposals after this talk. Shame I cried too much to accept #distractinglysexy #captioncompetition pic.twitter.com/Bv8yYmKhMK
— Sammie Buzzard (@TreacherousBuzz) June 11, 2015
A male microbiologist even designed an easy to print signage. His design is now posted in many laboratory doors.
To save you all time, I have designed an easy to print off sign for your lab. You are welcome. #distractinglysexy pic.twitter.com/3LAPboJhb4 — Steve Diggle (@stevediggle) June 11, 2015
One of the best tweets is about how Marie Curie shockingly discovered two elements between bouts of girly tears.
I'm really glad that Curie managed to take a break from crying to discover radium and polonium #distractinglysexy pic.twitter.com/txYVHoidK5
— Amy Remeikis (@AmyRemeikis) June 11, 2015
Hunt has since apologized for his comments, according to CNN.
"I'm really, really sorry I caused any offense ... I certainly didn't mean that. I just meant to be honest, actually," he said. However, he did not retract his previous comment about having trouble with girls.
"I did mean the part about having trouble with girls," he said. "I found that these emotional entanglements made life very difficult."
