I have been working in male-dominated industries for over a decade. I have 2 engineering degrees, worked in IT, then drones, FPV drone racing, aviation (experimental), and during all this time — also social media.
It wouldn’t be an overestimation if I said that I had more than a fair share of misogyny, belittling, and sexist behaviors. And while I know there will be a lot of ‘not all men’ comments, I will have to highlight one thing here.
While it may not be all men — it is ‘always men.’ You may think that some of these things are “not that bad” or that something is a joke; I will have to put a little reality check here — if it’s a “joke,” no one would have to clarify it.
Here are seven odd things men at my tech job thought I was, instead of a very successful engineer:
1. A passenger in my own car
— (I was driving a Tesla at the time). Men would only approach my passengers to ask questions about the car. If I was alone, they would come to me and ask where my husband was, to ask the questions.
2. A trophy wife
— Staying with the topic — men would assume that my husband got me the car, and some even said I wasn’t hot enough to be a trophy wife, so I should “watch out for the prettier girls.” Mind you, I was paying for everything, including my car, myself.
3. An OnlyFans model
ThisIsEngineering | Pexels
— Because I had social media accounts and said I was making a living out of it — I had to be an OnlyFans model. Because … there’s no other way for women to make a living I guess?
4. An escort
Polina Zimmerman | Pexels
— While I was married one of my husband’s clients asked him which “website he found me on” and asked me “how much I take for a night out.” My ex-husband thought it was a hilarious “joke.” I saw it in the guy’s eyes — it was not a joke.
5. A model
— “You’re not even flying. You are just a model” — many, many men in my social media comments during my drone career. Some argued that women are obviously incapable of flying those things, and therefore I could not be real. I spent most of my career proving I was not only capable but worthy.
6. A child
Ekateryna Zubal | Shutterstock
— I look young (even younger with no makeup), and some men would message me saying they thought I was like 15 to 18. The same men would send me inappropriate messages. One even said, “OMG! I thought you were 15! Now I want to hook up with you even more!” Blocked and reported.
Lexie Janson is a writer, content creator, flying car racing pilot, and public speaker. Her work can be found on her blog, medium, and various social media platforms.
