1. stressrelated
  2. Hey! Who are you calling unfashionable?

Hey! Who are you calling unfashionable?

By khannula on May 28, 2009.

My climatological Scibling Stoat used "geologist" as an insult, I think:

hard rock geologists have done rather poorly in science, because they have become unfashionable

Hey! I resemble that remark!

(Point taken, at least career-wise. In the past 20 years, many departments have replaced retiring rock geeks with climate geeks. But some of us aren't bitter, and most of us accept that climate science has made huge advances in the past 20 years. In fact, I said something like that in a recent survey from... maybe AAAS?)

I blog because I think rocks are interesting. But perhaps blogging about the inherent coolness of rocks isn't enough to save the field. Maybe we need a fashion makeover.

Maybe we need a goddess. Isis has advice about stylish clothes for the air-conditioned office. Maybe she could save us from our fleece and Carhartts... and get us into Science and Nature, too.

On the other hand, geologists aren't universally seen as unfashionable. Why, geologists have even been described as the "coolest and sexiest men alive"...

*looks down*

Maybe we do need help from Dr. Isis. But for other kinds of advice.

Tags
fluff

More like this

This is what (some) geologists look like
Geologists are quirky and interesting. We study this planet we live on (and others), we get to think about volcanoes or earthquakes or landslides or floods, we can tell you a gazillion ways that the earth could kill you (and then say that they'll all happen tomorrow... on the geologic time scale).…
The Proper Way To Be A Woman In Science
Though university administrators seem to be widely reviled among faculty members, one of the best jobs I ever had was in administration. Many wonderful opportunities came my way; possibly the most mind-stretching, exhilarating, and rewarding of these was the chance to spend four weeks attending…
Bra-Burners and Feminist Activists: A Wee Primer
Inquiring minds want to know: what's a feminist activist, and how should she dress? My last post has raised a lot of discussion for people about the nature of feminism and feminists. There are questions about litmus tests and whether Zuska applies them. I thought it best to take a moment or too…
Isis does SciWo's summer wardrobe
Two months ago, at the beginning of the summer, I asked Dr. Isis, the goddess of all things domestic and laboratory, for some fashion advice. My problem was one of hot outside-cold inside - which is pretty unappealing when referring to undercooked microwaved food - but also pretty obnoxious when…

"hard rock geologists have done rather poorly in science"

I've heard this before, and it infuriates me every time. Some people just seem determined to disrespect geology and what we do. It's strange that I never hear similar comments about other fields:

"Oh, those invertebrate zoologists... what a bunch of hacks." "Organic chemists... like, put the L on your forehead."

Hell, Carhartt is an improvement. Back when I was getting my degree we used to buy all our clothes from the army surplus store because it was cheap and held up great for field trips.