What does a vet look like? You might be one, but it’s
still a worthwhile exercise to close your eyes and consider what comes into
your head: a male? A female? James Herriot? Chris Brown or Katrina Warren?
Or according the Google image I did, someone wearing either
a lab coat or scrubs, accessorised with an occasionally used stethoscope,
concerned about mostly cute dogs and looking impeccably groomed (obviously the
photos were taken during the first minute of the first consult of the day!).
But are these stereotypes limiting? Veterinarians are
trying to break the mould, challenging the stereotype that every veterinarian
is a clinician, belongs to a particular race or gender or class or does not
have any disabilities, and looks like they could just hop onto the cat walk.
It started with an article about sexism in our
profession, published in The Guardian.
The hashtag #looklikeavet was born, appearing on twitter,
facebook and Instagram, challenging stereotypes about veterinarians. You can
read the background here.
If you want to join in, use the hashtag #looklikeavet.