A Woman Meteorologist Completely Schools a Sexist Jerk

When a man told a female scientist on Facebook this week that she should stop smiling so much because she was ugly, she responded — appropriately — with a smile.

The man, Brian Rice, had mistakenly called her a "weather girl," a term ostensibly referring to some of the first female scientists who succeeded in pushing past decades of sexism to earn a place in one of the most sacred spaces across America — nightly television. But Ginger Zee, who works for ABC News, is no weather girl, as she was quick to point out her Facebook response to Rice.

Zee is a meteorologist, a scientist who studies the envelope of gases that sustain life on our planet. And as she cheerfully reminded Rice, she attended years of school — not to mention working as an environmental reporter and meteorologist across Indiana, Illinois and Michigan — before earning the degree in physics and thermodynamics that allows her to work in a position of authority at one of the nation's top news agencies. 

Zee was absolutely right not to back down and instead share the sexist comment with the world. As she writes on her Facebook page, Zee grew up knowing that math and science were her favorite subjects in school. She also knew, however, that although an equal number of girls and boys enjoy math and science, far fewer girls actually go on to work in those fields. 

Zee is one of them. And she continues to struggle with the sexism that keeps many women from pursuing degrees in the field in the first place.

Yet you can find her on ABC News every weeknight, standing in front of millions of Americans and helping us prepare for the days ahead — rain or shine.