"You, a windblaster and an idea, repurposed for a larger purpose, to support those who believe that it's not what covers your cranium that counts, but what's in it," a voiceover says in a since-deleted IBM video showing a number of hairdryer-oriented experiments. "So hack heat, re-reoute airflow, reinvent sound, and imagine a future where the most brilliant minds are solving the world's biggest problems regardless of your gender."
The campaign launched in October, but sparked backlash online when the company sent out tweets to promote it Friday.
The critics included female STEM professionals who tweeted about their actual jobs.
I leave hairdryer fixing to the men, I'm too busy making nanotech and treating cancer. https://t.co/fX7tDPsJXr
— Upulie Divisekera (@upulie) December 7, 2015"I leave hairdryer fixing to the men, I'm too busy making nanotech and treating cancer," @upulie tweeted.
That's ok @IBM, I'd rather build satellites instead, but good luck with that whole #HackAHairDryer thing. https://t.co/n3vp0grbEP
— Stephanie Evans (@StephEvz43) December 7, 2015"That's ok @IBM, I'd rather build satellites instead, but good luck with that whole #HackAHairDryer thing," Twitter user @StephEvz43 wrote.
A Monday tweet by IBM said the campaign is being discontinued.
@HuffPostUKTech This was part of a larger campaign to promote STEM careers. It missed the mark and we apologize. It is being discontinued.
— IBM (@IBM) December 7, 2015"The videos were part of a larger campaign to promote STEM careers. It missed the mark and we apologize. It is being discontinued," the tweet said.
The London Fire Brigade used the controversy to teach a safety lesson:
We're staying out of the sexism debate, however we'd suggest that it's generally a bad idea, & possibly a bit dangerous to #HackAHairDryer
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) December 7, 2015"We're staying out of the sexism debate, however we'd suggest that it's generally a bad idea, & possibly a bit dangerous to #HackAHairDryer," the brigade tweeted.
