'a phantom to be slain, a rock to be dashed against'

There has been some excellent discussion of women in science around the science blogs recently, in which Zuska and a few others are setting out to try to kill another Angel in the House. As Zuska says (in the post below):

The problem, you see, is that women aren't really allowed to be ANYTHING in science. If you are a hot goddess then you are Not Serious and Not A Real Scientist and you are Ruining Science For Other Women Who Are More Serious and so on. If you are just a regular goddess (like Zuska) then you are an ugly hairy-legged man-hating feminazi who needs to get laid and Not A Real Scientist and Ruining Science For Other Women Who Are More Reasonable. The mythical More Serious, More Reasonable, non-hairy-legged, non-high heels-wearing Real Scientist woman has, alas, rarely, if ever, been seen. Because women can't be Real Scientists, no matter how Reasonable and Serious they are.

Notable posts:

On the Need for Women to Defend Women in Science.... (On Becoming a Domestic and Laboratory Goddess)
The Proper Way to be a Woman in Science (Thus Spake Zuska)
Women, Scientists, and Ordinary Human Beings (Adventures in Ethics and Science)