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Physicist Lisa Randall in Vogue
We can’t believe that we only found out about this. Theoretical physicist Lisa Randall - Harvard professor, poster girl for women in physics, and author of the popular-science book Warped Passages - appeared in Vogue (August 2007). She’s in a photo spread on “Ageless Beauty.” There’s a picture of her standing behind a messy desk, in front of an equation-covered chalk board, wearing a suit; online version available here.
We love the idea of women scientists being photographed for fashion magazines. But we love even more the quote from Randall, which makes it sound like the hardest problem facing women in science is what to wear:
“It’s difficult for women in science,” says Randall. “It’s a double-edged sword. I don’t want to seem frivolous—though obviously I’m not, because I’m a physicist. I think there are a lot of women in physics—and there really aren’t that many women in physics—who sort of don’t really know how they should dress. You want to just blend in. On the other hand, you’re never going to blend in. The great thing about getting older is you don’t have to care.“
The emphasis is ours: we’ve decided that last line is our new motto.