Stereotypes of physical appearance for women in medicine

By Olivia Charles, MS4

“Do you play basketball?”

“What are you doing here?? You should be modeling!”

“You’re wasting your height.”

If I had a penny for every time someone said one of those lines to me during my journey through medical school, I could probably pay off my student loans entirely.

I was always slightly taller than my peers since I was a kid, but I really had my growth spurt in high school. Being 6’ as a woman tends to attract a lot of attention–attention that for me was unwanted for a long time, particularly during my time in medical school. There has not been a single day where someone hasn’t asked me how tall I am, if I played sports, or what I’m doing in a hospital when I should be on a runway. While coming from a sincere place, these “compliments” always felt backhanded to me. Of course I always give them a little smile, say thank you, and carry on, but to go through years of rigorous academic and clinical training just for someone to question you based on your physical appearance kind of stings a little.

My dream has always been to be a surgeon. I never questioned myself in that regard, and worked hard, just as countless other women have, in order to one day reach that goal. I didn’t fully appreciate how my appearance would have an apparent role in that journey. While it should not determine what career path you choose in life, as women, we are often unfortunately judged based on our appearance, and I often find myself thinking  “Would they have said the same thing to a man?” I never like the answer.

Reflection over the years taught me that the most important thing is to remain confident and true to yourself. People are going to keep making their comments, and I am going to keep smiling through it. At the end of the day, I know I’m where I’m meant to be. No matter what you look like, your life is what you make of it. So here I am, a future 6’ women surgeon, and no, I never played basketball.

Olivia Charles is a 4th year medical student at St. George’s University School of Medicine, and is pursuing a career in General Surgery. Being Haitian, her passion is to serve underserved communities with an emphasis on global health and expanding access to surgical care in developing countries such as Haiti.