Honestly, most of my initial heroes in academia were men. A lot of them still are, much as my current role models are mostly women.

The thing about historical male academics is they generally fall into a specific pattern: short weeks with a lot of time for drinks with the boys, active hobbies, and a tiny, attractive partner who's less successful (by an academic metric) than they are.

I....... fit that pattern. I want to fit that pattern. That is the life that I want. My choice of partner earns a lot of raised eyebrows in academic circles because it's as if I'm "settling". I might be, but not for those reasons.