PHOTO: Lainie Paterson
“You’re a Woman, Go Clean”: Young Aussie Plumber Exposes the Ugly Truth Behind the Tools 💥👩🔧
Meet the 22-year-old female tradie breaking stereotypes—and calling out sexism—in Australia’s plumbing industry.
Lainie Paterson, a 22-year-old licensed plumber from Phillip Island, Victoria, is going viral for exposing the real challenges faced by women in male-dominated trades. Known online as “Plumber Gal”, Lainie has amassed a massive social following for sharing her life as a female tradie—highlighting both the wins and the ugly reality behind the worksite banter.
Despite being one of Australia’s rising young influencers in trades, Lainie says she’s still regularly hit with oversexualised comments, catcalls, and dismissive remarks simply for being a woman in hi-vis.
“I’ve had customers shocked that a blonde young woman shows up. Some say things like ‘you should be sweeping, not plumbing.’ One even secretly took a photo of me while I was working,” she revealed in an exclusive interview.
While many male clients and coworkers are supportive, Lainie says a “toxic minority” still make the job unnecessarily hard.
Lainie Paterson, 22, (above) first starting plumbing with her dad when she was eight-years-old
The 22-year-old has almost 42,000 followers on TikTok and over 24,000 followers on Instagram where she goes by the moniker ‘Plumber Gal’ (pictured)
💡 From Helping Dad to Running Her Own Business
Lainie first picked up a wrench at just eight years old, working alongside her father—a qualified plumber. That early exposure sparked a passion that’s now turned into a successful plumbing business. Today, she’s earning up to $150 an hour in Melbourne and using her platform to inspire the next generation of women tradies.
Her TikTok and Instagram accounts, both under “Plumber Gal”, now boast over 60,000 combined followers, with videos that give an inside look at the realities of being a female tradie in Australia.
“I post to empower other young women who want to join the trades. But when people leave sexualised comments, it’s a slap in the face,” she said. “I’m not doing this for attention—I’m doing this to show what women are capable of.”
Lainie admitted that as she’s got older the catcalling and inappropriate behaviour has ‘slowed down a bit’ but there’s ‘still a handful doing it’
Lainie said she can earn up to $150 an hour as a plumber (pictured)
👷♀️ Still Facing Backlash for Being Herself
While Lainie openly shares her plumbing work online, she says she hesitates to post about other interests like fashion and beauty, fearing people will accuse her of being “fake.”
“It sucks that I can’t show my full self. I love my job and I love looking good too—that shouldn’t be controversial.”
Even her father, proud of her accomplishments, struggles with the rude comments posted on her content.
“I’m his little girl, so it’s hard for him to see,” she said.
Still, Lainie remains unfazed and determined to change the face of plumbing in Australia.
“Every time someone tells me I’m not good enough, it just makes me work harder. I’m not going anywhere.”
SOURCE: THE DAILY MAIL