SciLifeLab Course Sparked International Art and Inclusion Project
What does belonging in STEM look like – and who gets to decide? This question sparked Code Couture: Breaking the STEM Dress Code, a visual arts project that explores how gender, appearance, and clothing intersect with perceptions of credibility and inclusion in science and tech.
Initiated during the “Train the Trainer” course offered by the SciLifeLab Training Hub, the project initiated by Anabella Aguilera, Project Coordinator at SciLifeLab, has grown into a cross-cultural initiative that invites reflection, dialogue, and action around persistent stereotypes in STEM fields.
Anabella, how did the project start?
The idea behind Code couture: Breaking the STEM dress code emerged in April, during the “Train the Trainer” course offered by the SciLifeLab Training Hub. As part of my role as Site Coordinator at SciLifeLab Lund, I supported the Training Hub in organizing and hosting the course locally – one of several efforts to align SciLifeLab training initiatives with educational activities at Lund University.
The project idea took shape during the course module focusing on the importance of creating a sense of belonging in training environments. One question in particular resonated deeply with me: “What do personal interactions, cultural features, and structures in the setting convey about what kinds of people belong here?”.
To spark discussion, the instructors showed an image of a group of young, white men casually dressed, surrounded by computers. When asked what we saw, many attendees immediately responded: “Programmers!” That moment stayed with me. I remember thinking – Really? Is this still how we perceive people in tech? It made me reflect on the powerful role that appearance, clothing, and stereotypes continue to play in shaping who is seen as belonging in STEM.
That same week, I came across a call for artists for the FemTech + Feminist Tech Exhibition at KTH. The exhibition promised to bring together interdisciplinary artworks that critically engage with intimate health, data, and care from feminist and decolonial perspectives. It sparked an idea: What if I created a visual art series of collages challenging stereotypes around who belongs in tech and science – and what they are “supposed” to look like? I reached out to the organizers to see if the project might be a good fit, and to my excitement, they said yes!
How did you build the project?
From the start, I knew I wanted to use collage as the medium. Collage art holds a unique power to raise awareness of social and political issues, combining fragments of images and ideas to provoke thought and encourage dialogue. It has long been used to highlight the experiences of underrepresented groups, serving as a tool to challenge stereotypes, break down barriers, and encourage diversity and inclusion.
But I didn’t want the project to be just about my own perspective. I wanted to explore how dress, appearance, and gender expression intersect with how competence, credibility, and belonging are perceived in STEM. To do that, I invited women and non-binary people in STEM to share their reflections anonymously through a short form. I shared the form with the Pink Programming community – Sweden’s largest community for women and non-binary people in tech, where I volunteer – as well as with colleagues working in life sciences. They contributed personal experiences, quotes, and thoughts related to appearance-based stereotypes in STEM fields.
The responses I received came from AI developers, Java backend engineers, molecular biologists, and researchers in biology, among others. Many revealed the subtle but pervasive ways in which they feel pressured to hide parts of themselves in order to blend in. A recurring theme was the need to tone down self-expression in new professional environments – especially when entering male-dominated spaces – not only in terms of what to wear (colors, makeup, clothing selection) but also in how much to smile or appear cheerful.
These voices became both the inspiration for the collages and, with permission, part of the exhibition themselves, displayed next to the artworks to give viewers a deeper emotional and social context.
How was the exhibition?
The exhibition was incredible! It took place at KTH’s iconic Reactor Hall – the former site of Sweden’s first nuclear reactor. The reactor was dismantled decades ago and today it serves as a museum, cultural venue, and creative space.
During the exhibition I had the chance to connect with inspiring artists and researchers showcasing projects on topics ranging from intimate health, the vaginal microbiome, and menstrual care to fertility tracking, consent, climate crisis, synthetic voice, and data ethics. The diversity of work was powerful and thought-provoking.
Many attendees came up to me to say that the theme of appearance-based stereotypes in STEM deeply resonated with them. People thanked me for bringing visibility to the issue, shared personal stories, and emphasized how real and widespread these experiences are.
All of this reaffirmed one thing: this conversation is not only relevant, it’s urgent. I left the exhibition feeling more committed than ever to continue this work, expand the project, and keep pushing the dialogue forward.
What’s next for the project?
Since the exhibition, the project has continued to grow in exciting directions. I shared the anonymous quote form with the Pink Programming community, and I’m thrilled to have been invited to present the pieces at the Pink Programming Festival in Malmö this November, which will celebrate the organization’s 10-year anniversary.
I also reached out to friends and former colleagues in STEM in Argentina, from where I am from originally, and the project quickly caught the attention of the Office for the Promotion of Equity and Gender at the University of Buenos Aires. We’re now exploring the possibility of organizing a similar initiative there!
This opens up a unique opportunity: to connect experiences across two countries with very different socio-economic contexts – Sweden and Argentina – yet facing the same issue when it comes to gender stereotypes in science and tech. I’m currently looking into ways to develop a cross-cultural version of the project that highlights these shared challenges, fosters dialogue, and brings visibility to the global nature of this problem.
Top image: Georgios Andrikopoulos (Assistant Professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology)
