Software engineer and model Lyndsey Scott has posted an Instagram picture responding to trolls sceptical about her coding capabilities.
The former Victoria Secret model is a vocal advocate of both coding and women in tech, yet a recent Instagram photo of her captioned ‘Coding is for anyone’ received negative comments from some users.
Posted by an account for the programming community, some commenters said they didn’t believe she could code and others implied that if she could, she probably wasn’t very good.
In response, Scott posted a picture on her own account listing her qualifications and naming the tech firms she had worked for.
The ruckus comes as BusinessCloud continues its hunt for ‘101 Female Entrepreneurs in Tech’ to highlight and celebrate the fantastic women disrupting the industry.
“I’m only stating facts in the hope I’ll convince at least one negative commenter that programmers can come in all shapes, sizes, genders, races, et cetera,” said Scott in her post.
“So I hope they’ll think twice before doubting other women and girls they encounter in tech.”
The computer science and theatre graduate is the lead Apple iOS software engineer at US-based crowdfunder site RallyBound, amongst other projects. She told the BBC her coding income helped her to pursue other interests.
“It’s clear that there are plenty of women and men in tech that would love for things to change,” said Scott.
“As the tech industry becomes more and more central to the world economy, I think representation will become more and more crucial.”
She told the BBC: “My schedule’s probably very different from most people in tech because I only take on remote contracting work.
“I feel very fortunate that I’m able to program around my acting auditions, classes etc… Without the income from my programming work, I probably wouldn’t have nearly as much freedom to devote time to everything I’m passionate about.”
The 31-year-old has also received messages of support from the community, particularly from other women in tech.
“Thank you, Lyndsey. As a woman in technology, I have faced years of men “challenging” my credibility. The ridiculous idea that women in tech have to fit some predefined image is exhausting. You are awesome,” said one commenter.
Another wrote: “As a fellow software engineer, I can confirm that we come in many forms. You’re an inspiration for choosing to follow your passions both technical and creative. Go get ‘em!”
How to enter BusinessCloud’s 101 Female Entrepreneurs in Tech list:
- If you would like to nominate someone else please email [email protected] with contact information for the nominee if possible
- If you are a female entrepreneur wishing to nominate yourself simply complete the following questionnaire so we can find out a bit more about you and your business, making sure to include contact details
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