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The head of the country’s top science academy will write to Myer over the retailer’s decision to sell a women’s T-shirt emblazoned with the words, “I’m too pretty to do math”.
The T-shirt, by Australian label Lioness, has raised the ire of Dr Cathy Foley, president of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering.
Foley, Australia’s former chief scientist, said she would write to Myer chair Olivia Wirth to raise concerns over the T-shirt’s messaging, given the effect the sentiment could have on women’s and girls’ interest and participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
“It’s not helpful, and it’s giving such a wrong message,” Foley said.
“You have to ask: What does it say to the world? What is it encouraging women to think and aspire to?”
A physicist by training and former CSIRO chief scientist, Foley said it was important to call out messages dismissing or degrading girls’ and women’s abilities in the sciences no matter how subtle.
“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.”
Women have been under-represented in STEM for decades, be it at school, university or in the workforce.
According to the federal government’s 2025 STEM Equity Monitor, girls are more likely than boys to end their formal STEM education at school. Just under a third of girls in year 11 and 12 said they would pursue STEM elective subjects in the future, while just under half of boys said they would.
The monitor found the proportion of women enrolled in STEM subjects at university had failed to lift since 2020, sitting at 37 per cent. However, completion rates had improved, rising from 14,500 in 2015 to 18,100 in 2023.
Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea, who co-founded Women in STEMM Australia – which also advocates for women in medicine – said the T-shirt’s slogan was outdated and suggested a girl’s appearance was more important than her intelligence.
“Beauty versus brains is a false choice from a bygone era. With AI increasingly influencing every sector, mathematics is the language of our future,” she said.
Evans-Galea, a deputy director at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, said more than half the staff and students at the institute were women.
“Promoting outdated stereotypes actively discourages girls from gaining the skills they’ll need in their future careers,” she said. “Girls belong at the forefront of STEMM, and we need their intellect and drive to solve the complex challenges of tomorrow.”
The T-shirt remained on sale on the Lioness, Myer and The Iconic websites on Wednesday evening.
Myer was approached for comment but declined.
Lioness describes itself as a fashion house which “delivers sexy, luxury-inspired product designed for headstrong, fearless women who love to dress the way they feel”. The company’s website says the label is stocked in more than 15 countries.
Bridie Smith is an education reporter at The Age. A former desk editor, she has also reported on science and consumer affairs.Connect via X, Facebook or email.From our partners
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