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A contest for the 'worst science stock photo' has taken the internet by storm

“Talk to Us, Dr. Chicken," is a must-see.

Dr Kit Chapman/Twitter

They've blinded us with science.

Stock photos of any job are usually delightful cringey. Sure, sometimes they sort of get the essence of a job, but a lot of the time the interpretation is downright cartoonish. One glance and it becomes abundantly clear that for some careers, we have no freakin’ clue what it is that people do.

Dr. Kit Chapman, an award-winning science journalist and academic at Falmouth University in the U.K., recently held an impromptu contest on Twitter where viewers could vote on which photos were the best of the worst when it came to jobs in scientific fields.

According to Chapman’s entries, a day in the life of a scientist includes poking syringes into chickens, wearing a lab coat (unless you’re a “sexy” scientist, then you wear lingerie) and holding vials of colored liquid. Lots and lots of vials.

Of course, where each image is 100% inaccurate, they are 100% giggle inducing. Take a look below at some of the contenders.

Chapman’s unofficial photo competition received nearly 500,000 votes cast throughout four rounds. The grand prize winner was a photo of a female scientist holding a soldering iron (very much not in the right way) as she is “working” on some kind of electrical board.

It’s titled, “Hold My Soldering Iron.”

Time to vote for the worst science stock photos ever!

1. Hold My Soldering Iron. pic.twitter.com/fc76jz8Bs4
— Dr Kit Chapman (@ChemistryKit) October 12, 2022

“I mean there’s the obvious thing that she'll burn her hand, but nobody ever talks about how she's ‘soldering’ the wrong side of the board," one person quipped.

Of course, “Talk to Us, Dr. Chicken” was also popular.

2. Talk To Us, Dr Chicken. pic.twitter.com/IMh0LsmGcg
— Dr Kit Chapman (@ChemistryKit) October 12, 2022

Clearly using the scientific method to figure out why exactly Dr. Chicken crossed the road.

But not as popular as “Syringe Chicken,” where, for some reason, a scientist covered in a mask and safety goggles inspects a raw, syringe-filled chicken with his teeny tiny magnifying glass. For science!

2. I, too, store half-used syringes inside an uncooked chicken. pic.twitter.com/noEBQKqbO3
— Dr Kit Chapman (@ChemistryKit) October 12, 2022

This one was the winner of the second-to-last batch.

Ever wonder where space is? Don’t worry, leave it to the professionals to point the way.

3. TO SPACE!!!! pic.twitter.com/ae1XzzQSKE
— Dr Kit Chapman (@ChemistryKit) October 12, 2022

“To space!” Chapman captioned.

Speaking of professionals, everyone dresses for research this way, right?

3. Science: It’s a Girl Thing. pic.twitter.com/ogIOrKHWe1
— Dr Kit Chapman (@ChemistryKit) October 12, 2022

Chapman titled this “Science: It's a Girl Thing."

People were quick to chime in with their own contributions, including:

“Woman Brain Surgeon”

My personal favorite https://t.co/MPbQCO5qSF
— MAJ Moe MD 🏝 (@donaldmoe) October 13, 2022

Otherwise known as a jello mechanic.

And some kind of … corn scientist? From the future?

I think you're missing the best of them all pic.twitter.com/MBgEO4fByk
— autoproclamada generala da URSAL (@generaladaursal) October 12, 2022

Why does this seem like it belongs in an Annie Lennox music video?

As well as a group of scientists that belong in a Marvel movie for their ability to manipulate atoms.

Do not forget manipulating atoms by handhttps://t.co/FTRzyUJp7m
— Katie 🎃Boo👻-mah (@nuclearkatie) October 12, 2022

While these are certainly not an accurate depiction of the vast and wondrous world of scientific research, it did cause many a scientist to share a giggle. So no harm, no foul. Not even to chickens.

This article originally appeared on 10.27.22

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The photo industry is changing. These 10 beautiful images show why that's a good thing.

Women of color are incredible. This company is making sure the world knows that too.

When Getty Images saw there wasn't enough positive images of women of color, they put their creativity into action.

Currently, more than 80% of photographers are white. Often criticized as only being accessible to the elite, white, and wealthy, the art community has struggled to make careers in the arts lucrative and sustainable for creatives that come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Getty Images has spent years trying to change that.

"We've always been committed to making sure that the emerging minority photographers have the financial support they need to do their work," says Tristen Norman, head of creative insights and planning at Getty Images. "But beyond that, we're also committed to producing the right content and working with our incredibly large contributor community to do so."

Photo by Naila Ruechel/Getty Images.

Getty Images is amplifying beautiful imagery of diverse communities by working to put women of color both in front of and behind the camera.

To grapple with the very real glass ceiling in the art community — particularly in film and photography — that often impedes artists of color from pursuing the arts full time, Getty created two fellowships to get more women of color behind the camera. The Women Photograph Grant and the Array Grant are designed to foster and elevate female photojournalists from underrepresented communities.

Photo by Naila Ruechel/Getty Images.

"We're acknowledging our issues out loud, and we're taking those steps to correct the issues," Norman explains. "I'm pumped about the grant programs as they represent a more formal step that we're taking to address these challenges, specifically those for underrepresented communities of color that experience a lot of systemic and economic and inequities."

Photo by Rochelle Brock/Refinery29 for Getty Images.

One of the staff photographers currently carrying out the mission toward more inclusive artwork is photographer Naila Ruechel.

Photo by Naila Ruechel/Getty Images.

Ruechel has created stunning, bold, and bright images of women of color — a huge step toward representation and inclusion in the photojournalism industry.

"I think image making is a powerful tool that can really influence society," Ruechel says. "If we don't support diversity, we risk becoming more and more narrow-minded. We need diverse voices to broaden our understanding and acceptance of each other."

Photo by Naila Ruechel/Getty Images.

Ruechel's work serves as a powerful counternarrative to years of women of color being told they don't meet society's standards of beauty and femininity. Unsatisfied with black identity constantly being tied to slavery, she has advocated for photojournalism that shows women of color in beautiful, nuanced ways.

To achieve this goal, she knows that it requires putting women of color in front of and behind the camera to translate those diverse stories to a series of photos.

"I think if we demystify groups that are considered 'different,' we will encourage people to simply look at each other as what we are — humans," Ruechel says. "What I'm trying to achieve with my work is to humanize groups of people whose image have been largely misused, misrepresented, and/or underrepresented."

The industry's pervasive misrepresentations come from a fraught history between white photographers and communities of color.

For decades, women of color have largely been ignored in the high-fashion and high-art industries. Considering them subhuman or lesser-than, many major media companies have often failed to showcase indigenous communities and people of color in normal, human ways, instead catering to stereotypical tropes and problematic typecasts to appeal to antiquated ideas of what it means to be a person of color.

Photo by Caroline Tompkins/Refinery29 for Getty Images.

Most recently, National Geographic became one of the first mainstream media publications to formally apologize for these depictions. In an article titled "For Decades, Our Coverage Was Racist. To Rise Above Our Past, We Must Acknowledge It," editor-in-chief Susan Goldberg called for much-need changes in visual depictions of people of color:

"I want a future editor of National Geographic to look back at our coverage with pride — not only about the stories we decided to tell and how we told them but about the diverse group of writers, editors, and photographers behind the work."

Getty has worked to create an archive of photos of strong, empowered women throughout multiple decades of history, and it wants to take its commitment to inclusion even further.

Photo by Naila Ruechel/Getty Images.

"The very fact someone like me — a black woman with a multitude of other intersecting identities — has joined the creative team at Getty Images is a good indication that things are moving in the right direction within the industry," Norman explains. "That an organization of this size and visibility is so committed to ensuring that diverse talent is shaping their creative both inside and out is an incredible step in the right direction. There's still so much work to do, but the opening and welcoming of my seat and many others at the table is powerful and important."

Photo by Naila Ruechel/Getty Images.

Artwork and photojournalism aren't the only ways to shift the images that people see and the way they think.

A recent British study found that minority groups are represented in less than 20% of brand campaigns.

John Antoniello, a creative director at Sapientrazorfish, thinks that advertising may be one way to continue moving this mission forward. Having worked for various social awareness campaigns, such as HeForShe and Partnership for Drug Free America, Antoniello is aware of just how powerful a role marketing can play in getting society to value diverse imagery.

"I think, at large, the advertising industry is kind of now starting to make this turn, and I think it's going to be interesting to see how these large brands deal with this sort of new world that we live in," Antoniello says. "We have so many new companies and startups that are honing in on not only the kinds of people that they want to talk to but also the values that they stand for."

Photo by Stephanie Nnamani/Digital Vision/Getty Images.

Ruechel, Norman, and Antoniello make one thing very clear: It takes a lot of key players with similar values to make real progress.

When creating diverse imagery is both a priority and a value, we get closer to normalizing this type of imagery for mass audiences.

Photo by Renell Medrano/Refinery29 for Getty Images.

When organizations challenge themselves to increase diversity in front of and behind the camera, they signal that our ideas of beauty, culture, and everyday life need to include the experiences of all people.

When we do this, not only do we get beautiful art, we also create media that is representative of our full, incredible society.

We weren't paid to write this post. (We would tell you if we were!) We just think the work that Getty Images is doing is important and very cool.

When I searched for "Women of color in tech" on a popular stock photo website, this is the first image that popped up.

Photo by iStock.

If you can get past the lens flare, you'll quickly notice these women are sketching, playing on their cellphones, and possibly painting their nails at a cafe. And from a cursory glance, they don't appear to be women of color.

But surely the next photo won't be something ridiculous like a woman holding hair extensions and offering a thumbs up...

Photo by iStock.

Internet, we have a problem.

Women and non-binary people of color are up against it in the tech industry.

Black women fill a mere 3% of computing jobs in the U.S.

Black people, male or female, make up just 1% of the tech employees at Twitter, Facebook, and Google.

And while women make up 12% of all computer science graduates, in 2006, just .03% of Latina freshmen sought degrees in the major.

While the number of women of color (WOC) in the tech community may be small, they are talented, powerful, and making moves at every level. From fearless founders of tech start-ups to crafty coders and information analysts, these individuals are changing the face of an industry long dominated by white men. But when you look around, they receive little to no representation, positive or otherwise.

Photo via #WOCInTech Chat/Flickr (cropped).

That's why Stephanie Morillo and Christina Morillo founded #WOCInTechChat.

Stephanie, a copywriter at a cloud computing company, and Christina, an information security/identity access management architect for a financial company, live and work in New York City.

They started #WOCInTechChat as a hashtag for Twitter chats and conversation. It quickly developed into a resource for women and non-binary people of color to share knowledge, network, and connect with their peers in the industry.

Christina Morillo (left) and Stephanie Morillo. Photo via #WOCInTech Chat/Flickr (cropped).

But as the co-founders put the group's website together, they had a difficult time finding stock photos that felt true to their experience.

"When building the wocintechchat.com site, I noticed that there were no stock images of women who looked like both Stephanie and I," Christina told Upworthy. "I have been in the industry for over 17 years and suffice to say that this really frustrated me, and I wanted us to do something about it. I guess you can say anger activates."

The fact that this group exists ... that's what we're most proud of.

Finding nothing that fit their needs, members of #WOCInTechChat decided to create their own stock photos.

Christina and Stephanie recruited their colleagues and fellow #WOCInTech members to participate in the project. They've completed three separate photo shoots.

"We had over 60 applicants sign up per shoot," Christina said.

Shot at Trello and Microsoft NYC, the images capture a true day-in-the-life of women and non-binary people of color in the booming tech industry.

There are women of color writing code.

Image via #WOCInTech Chat/Flickr.

Image via #WOCInTech Chat/Flickr (cropped).

There are women of color leading meetings.

Image via #WOCInTech Chat/Flickr (cropped).

There are women of color reading, researching, and working independently.

Image via #WOCInTech Chat/Flickr (cropped).

And there are women of color brainstorming and working with their colleagues who — get this — ARE ALSO WOMEN OF COLOR.

Image via #WOCInTech Chat/Flickr (cropped).

Photos from the first two photo shoots are free and available now.

The pictures are free to use under a Creative Commons Attribution License, so anyone is free to display, distribute, or use the images so long as #WOCInTechChat receives proper credit. A batch of photos from the third shoot will be added to the collection in late March.

Image via #WOCInTech Chat/Flickr (cropped).

In addition to the photos, Stephanie and Christina continue to support and encourage other women of color in tech.

Less than a year after they founded the organization, Stephanie and Christina have truly made a name for themselves in the community. They developed a newsletter that features job listings from top companies looking for talent, covered the registration fees for women of color to attend six tech conferences, co-sponsored a workshop on data science, and spoke at the inaugural Women's Freedom Conference.

Image via #WOCInTech Chat/Flickr (cropped).

But for Christina and Stephanie, there's much more to the work than accolades and engagements.

"The fact that this group exists and we were able to rely on each other to do this work, that's what we're most proud of," Stephanie said.

Representation matters.

It's important for everyone, but especially children and young adults of all backgrounds, to see women and non-binary people of color excelling in a variety of fields and disciplines. Finding real-world role models and examples of success in the community expands the limits of what's possible.

As the saying goes, "You can't be what you can't see, " and these images ensure children see the dynamic, challenging, collaborative field they can be a part of.

Image via #WOCInTech Chat/Flickr (cropped).

How we celebrate Thanksgiving, as told by 12 absurd stock photos.

Haven't you heard? It's Thanksgiving stock photo season.

It's November. And, in America, of course that means ... Thanksgiving.

All photos via iStock.

And if anything perfectly illustrates America's love for turkey, family, and people with super white teeth, it's Thanksgiving stock photos.

But there is one issue I have with Thanksgiving stock photos.

Like a lot of stock imagery, they're not always an accurate reflection of reality. Nor do they always ... make sense.

Like this woman, who appears to be napping on a pumpkin.

Has anyone ever napped on a pumpkin to commemorate Thanksgiving? Has anyone ever napped on a pumpkin period? Did I miss something in class about pilgrims napping on pumpkins?

In honor of Turkey Day, I skimmed through an array of stock photos to report what they get right — and what they get wrong — when it comes to Thanksgiving.

Just so you wouldn't have to. (You're welcome.)

Let's get started.

1. The "Angry Man with Knife vs. Innocent Turkey" Photo

What it gets right: Cooking and carving a Thanksgiving turkey can be a taxing responsibility — especially when your entire family is expecting the best meal ever. (Here are some tips to get the job done.)

What it gets wrong: Cooking and carving a Thanksgiving turkey is never so taxing that you need to murder the bird again. (If this is you, put the knife down and walk away.)

2. The "Family Sitting Way Too Close to One Another" Photo

What it gets right: Assuming you don't live in a mansion, sure, it can be a big task to find comfortable seating for every aunt, uncle, and grandparent this side of the Mississippi. If you're feeling overwhelmed, there are helpful ways to find the perfect spot for everyone to enjoy the grub and conversation.

What it gets wrong: Families probably won't double up in their seats when, clearly, the whole other end of the table is empty.

However, if the whole other end of your table is empty, consider inviting people in need to share your meal. It might sound like an awkward scenario, but there must be a rewarding reason why plenty of people and groups — including Humans of New York — do it for the holidays each year.

3. The "First Thanksgiving Reenactment" Photo

What it gets right: Yes, historians are confident pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians feasted together at some point in 1621. Hooray!

What it gets wrong: This classic throwback implies the first Thanksgiving was just the start of a blossoming BFF relationship between colonists and Native Americans. Of course, that is offensively wack. Not to mention, these outfits are less than historically accurate.

And while we're on the topics of pilgrims and outfits...

4. The "Prototype Pilgrim" Photo

What it gets right: Pilgrims were, in fact, humans. (One point for Gryffindor!)

What it gets wrong: They did not wear those simple black and white get-ups you see on everything. The colonists actually wore an assortment of colors — just like we do today (except with maybe fewer band logo T-shirts). And as far as those buckles on their shoes? Nope — wasn't a thing. I'm not sure how that became a trend, but let it be known the pilgrims' shoes were buckle-free.

It should also be noted that Native Americans are frequently depicted wearing absurd (not to mention offensive) clothing nowadays — especially around Thanksgiving. That "First Thanksgiving Reenactment" photo above? Yeah, pretty sure the Wampanoag Indians didn't wear khakis.

5. The "Cats Apparently Love Gourds" Photos

Oh, you didn't know that's a thing? It's definitely a thing.

What it gets right: We'll find any excuse to take pictures of our cats. This is a fact. And hey, if becoming a crazy cat lady/man makes you happier and healthier, you certainly shouldn't feel badly about it.

What it gets wrong:Nothing could have less to do with Thanksgiving than cats. (Maybe ... NASA? I don't know.)

6. The "Turkey Inception" Photo

What it gets right: Speaking of cats ... we'll also find any excuse to take pictures of our food — even if it means taking a picture of someone else taking a picture of their turkey. And that's OK! Capturing memories (of delicious food or otherwise) is a great way to remember the holidays for years to come. So take that camera phone out, snap away, and don't apologize for it.

What it gets wrong: Where are the filter options? It's 2015. An Instagram filter is mandatory when it comes to sharing pics of your turkey dinner because — let's be honest — dining rooms don't always have the perfect amount of natural light.

7. The "Smile and Stare Maniacally at the Turkey" Photo

What it gets right: We all do this. We stare at the turkey, salivating, as our mom/aunt/dad/cousin brings the bird to the table...

...except for this kid.

No one knows what he's looking at. (And it's probably for the best.)

If the facts don't lie (they typically don't), Americans love their Thanksgiving turkeys. Like, love it enough to go out and buy 40-something million birds every year to feast on for the special day. So it's safe to say the maniacal stares above are completely accurate.

What it gets wrong: Let's face it — far too many turkey stock photos, this one especially, look waaay too perfectly golden brown to be relatable. It's probably plastic.

And yes, plastic might be better for the turkeys than free-range (as no actual turkeys are harmed in the making of a plastic turkey), but if you can afford it and don't like eating plastic turkey, consider opting for a free-range turkey this year. Learn the facts and decide if free-range is right for your family here.

8. The "I Overate and Now I'm About to Vomit" Photo

What it gets right: Americans may have big appetites, but — believe it or not — Thanksgiving still produces tons of food waste. In 2013, about 204 million pounds of turkey (including that leg above, I'm guessing) was thrown away over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. But it doesn't have to be like this! There are plenty of ways you can both curb food waste and help feed those in need this Turkey Day.

What it gets wrong: There's no way that plate would be that clean. Does anyone believe someone would take out a fresh plate only to serve one turkey leg to the man who's already passed out in a Thanksgiving food coma on the couch? I didn't think so.

9. The "Random Pumpkin" Photo

What it gets right: Like cats and snapping food pics, once October hits, we are obsessed with pumpkins and pumpkin-flavored anything. Seriously —obsessed! So it makes sense that a pumpkin is the star of just about every Thanksgiving photo we take.

What it gets wrong: Pumpkins don't usually chill out on sandy beaches or hang with a bunch of cold, hard cash (like ... what?). It's all about the context, people.

10. The "Is This What the Pilgrims Ate?" Photo

What it gets right: Pumpkin was a food available to the pilgrims, and it very well could have been at the first Thanksgiving.

What it gets wrong: BUT. At Thanksgiving numero uno, it certainly wasn't in the deliciously smooth, perfect pie form synonymous with modern Thanksgiving. As Alton Brown demonstrated in an episode of "Good Eats," if they did feast on pumpkin, it probably would have been more of a soup than a pie.

Come to think of it, many of the foods associated with Thanksgiving today weren't at the first feast way back when (or, if they were, they took drastically different forms). Turkey? That's a big maybe — historians believe seafood would have been more prevalent on the table. And potatoes? Meh, not so much. Pilgrims didn't even know they were a thing.

11. The "Jealous Dog" Photo

What it gets right: Dogs will sit there and stare with jealousy until every last ounce of that turkey is gone.

What it gets wrong: Actually ... most dog lovers will back me up here: This one pretty much nails it. Dogs are the biggest losers on Thanksgiving, the poor things. (Remember: Even though it's tempting to cave in while they beg near the table, don't! Lots of traditional Thanksgiving foods can be harmful — and even deadly — to your pet.)

And last, but definitely not least...

12. The totally necessary "Flashdance Turkey" Photo

Yes, as in, a photo featuring a turkey in that iconic scene from the movie "Flashdance."

One Flashdance turkey not enough for you? Here's another:

What it gets right: We try very hard to keep our turkeys moist (here are a few pointers to do it). At least ... I think that's what this super handy, relevant, and totally necessary stock photo is going for.

What it gets wrong: Everything. I really wish I hadn't ever seen these photos.

There you have it. Do you feel like a Thanksgiving stock photo expert?

Because you should.

Now you have all the tools to navigate November's endless newsfeed of Thanksgiving stock photos with the comfort of knowing not every pic gets every detail right about the holiday.

And that comfort is certainly something to be thankful for.

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