Dear Agilent Technologies, Several weeks ago, my husband headed off to the annual ASMS Conference...one of the highlights of his year. Upon his return, he couldnt wait to show me one of the t-shirts he got while he was there. Im sure this was partly because he genuinely liked the shirt, but Im also positive that he thought Id get a kick out of it. On the front, a row of colorful silhouettes in celebratory poses was stretched out above the words, CELEBRATE MASS SPEC. I started to snicker, and then he turned it over. MASS SPECTACULAR! was emblazoned upon the back, and my snicker morphed into a full-on guffaw. Theres nothing more attractive to me than unrepentant nerdery on display. ;) Since obtaining the t-shirt, Mikes worn it several times. In fact, Im pretty sure its been in the laundry every time Ive done it since then. Tonight, as we were having dinner, I looked across the table and noticed something: One of the silhouettes was wearing a skirt! Immediately intrigued, I started to look more closely. On first glance, I could tell that three of the silhouettes were females. Upon further inspection, I decided that five of the silhouettes could easily be interpreted as females. Considering there are only ten total silhouettes pictured on the shirt, this means that your company chose to represent the field of mass spectrometry with a population that was at least 30% (and as much as 50%) female! I am *thrilled.* You see, Mike and I have a 7-year-old daughter, Ruby, and a 5-year-old son, Burke. Theyre very interested in science and love doing experiments. Recently, Rubys even asked her dad to teach [her] mass spectrometry. Worried that societal influences might discourage her from these interests, Ive become a bit hyper-aware of the images and messages shes receiving. However, I could not be any happier than to have this particular image as a part of our household during this formative time in her life. Now, Im not sure if this was an intentional decision by your marketing team. However, I wanted to thank you for putting it out there. We are in great need of positive, encouraging images that simultaneously esteem intelligence, hard work, *and* the presence of women in these arenas. Your Celebrate Mass Spec t-shirt is one spectacular example. So, kudos, Agilent! Keep up the smart marketing! :) Sincerely, Lindsay Mikes wife, Rubys mom, and honorary nerd by association
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 03:29:47 +0000
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