Looking back on her career, she says her more conventionally feminine appearance, which has made her more likely to be on TV today, caused many of her peers in graduate school to assume she was stupid. For Biberdorf, this stigma simply reflects the frustrating hurdles women in the sciences have to deal with.
“When I was actually in the academic world trying to prove myself, it was incredibly challenging,” she says. “Because I’ve made a name for myself now, it’s OK, and I’ve been able to reap the benefits of being feminine. But this is who I am. I didn’t ask to look this way; this is completely natural. I’m going to be myself, and I refuse to knock myself down a level because of the way you perceive me.”
