"You can't let these things go without talking about it because you don't want this to become this wedge which leads to the undoing of a whole lot of work we've been working on for decades."
— Dr Cathy Foley
Top Scientist to Challenge Retailer Over "Anti-STEM" T-Shirt
Dr Cathy Foley, president of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering and former chief scientist of Australia, has announced she will write to Myer chair Olivia Wirth over a women's T-shirt sold by the retailer. The shirt, produced by Australian label Lioness, carries the slogan: "I'm too pretty to do math".
Dr Foley stated the message could negatively affect women's and girls' interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
"It's not helpful, and it's giving such a wrong message," Dr Foley said.
"Beauty versus brains is a false choice from a bygone era."
— Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea, co-founder of Women in STEMM Australia
The criticism comes amid concerning national data. According to the federal government's 2025 STEM Equity Monitor, girls are more likely than boys to end their formal STEM education at school. Furthermore, the proportion of women enrolled in STEM subjects at university has remained stagnant at 37% since 2020.
As of Wednesday evening, the T-shirt remained available for purchase on the Lioness, Myer, and The Iconic websites. Myer declined to comment, while Lioness and The Iconic have been contacted for comment by news outlets.