Science: It's a Girl Thing! video

[octarineoboe]

The European Commission has released a video supposedly meant to encourage girls and women to pursue science. I found it via a friend's post to this article, which has the video at the bottom: http://news.discovery.com/human/sexy-girls-in-science-video-uproar-dnews-nuggets.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1

The video basically has club music pumping and intermixes shots of women walking around in short skirts and high heels, science imagery like a bubbling beaker, and something I don't quite understand going on with lipstick and a makeup brush. It's caused a lot of uproar, I think rightly so. For one thing, it doesn't actually show women doing science. Quite the opposite - the women walk toward a man in a lab coat who is looking into a microscope, and he looks up. The women are, if anything, distractions from science, not participants. One woman seems to be working out some equations, but that's it.

Moreover, I don't like the implication that women scientists ought to be these hyperfeminine, sexualized creatures. Of course women of all femininities can do science. It's insulting both to women who look like models - we have to have an ad campaign before you'd be interested in something intellectual! - and women already in science who dress however they want - you're not feminine enough to be a real, sexy scientist! And this may be a minor quibble, but I know many of the labs at my school required long pants, closed-toed shoes, and lab coats, so it just seems silly to me to try and associate science with "sexy" clothes.


What do you guys think? Could this campaign get any girls into science? If so, does that balance out the tired stereotypes it uses?

[spacefem]

What do you guys think? Could this campaign get any girls into science?

i'm gonna vote "no", mostly because I think we've already tried the whole "we can get girls into science/math/gaming if we just make it PINK" and girls see straight through the bullshit. that sort of messaging just tells girls that they need their own segregated brand of science separate from men, a sugar-coated world where scientists hang out all day mixing lip balms.

The best messaging, I think, involves enabling language combined with examples of normal cool women just doing what they do, and serving as examples of what life as a scientist is like.

[androkguz]

What do you guys think? Could this campaign get any girls into science? If so, does that balance out the tired stereotypes it uses?

As a physics student and science fan, I know a handful of girls that are into basic science. I don't think anyone of them would support this video or feel identified, and I know one of them that actually looks just like one of the girls from the video (with the pretty and styled clothing and the supermodel attitude). But, just to be sure, I tagged them on facebook to this video, so I'll be back with the response.

I think it could get some girls into science because among the many women there is in the world there is a chance that there is one that was thinking "Science is kind of interesting, I just wish I could dress in Gouchy (or whatever) and walk all hyperfeminine while I do it". But I'm sure that would not balance out the stereotypes. If anything, a campaing like this might have made life for scientist girls harder.

Also, this video is so stupid it made me laught. I'm guessing they feel that women choose their career the same way they choose what purse to buy. The goal is pretty honorable, but they better get back to the blackboard and start from the top. Geez, there is so many ways of making fun of this.

[edit the sad parts]

They have since taken down the video and replaced it with an actual woman scientist doing science-y things. However, I do not believe any statement was made, nor any apology.

This video was extremely misguided and I would like to hit the ad execs who thought it was an acceptable campaign. I am less offended that the girls are dressed in a stereotypically "feminine" way, and more offended that they are not in fact doing any science at all, but dancing, posing and distracting the male scientist from his work. As well, what is with the make-up? This was a terribly executed advertisement. Sexist tripe. Shame on them.

[Aum]

It's so painful to see this tripe. How hard is it to make a video showing women doing intelligent things? Are people THIS hardwired to lack such imagination? Arghhh...!

[androkguz]

Against my predictions, a scientist girl I know liked this. She said that "it tells girls that they can do science and still be coquetas (that kind of translates to feminine and full of makeup). A lot of girls don't do science because they think that it is a boy's thing and the women that do it are all careless about their hair and cloth. Sexism in this areas are a serious thing".









o.o ?

[octarineoboe]

androkugz - I originally found this because my friend who has a bachelor's in chemical engineering and is working on a master's in materials science posted it with the note "I think this is funny and I don't have any problem with it if it gets girls into science."

So...yeah, it's clear not all women scientists are offended, but I also share your surprise.

It's true that there's a stereotype of women scientists - or women intellectuals of any kind really - as being careless with their appearance, so I see where your friend is coming from. I just don't understand how a video that doesn't show women doing science is supposed to go anywhere toward changing that. Why not show actual, well-groomed women scientists in their labs, or talking about their work? Or even better, care about a woman's achievements instead of her looks? I can dream, right?

edit the sad parts - I hope it was clear from my original post that I agree with you, the clothing itself isn't offensive, it's the way that the clothing is used to supposedly sell science without actual science entering the picture.

[rowan]

the women walk toward a man in a lab coat who is looking into a microscope, and he looks up.

Oh god that was so awful....yeah, let's just say objectifying women, eh. *shudder*

Of course women of all femininities can do science.

I will say that I have seen women who dress "pretty" as having a harder time of it, culturally, within my particular discipline. I'm glad to say that some of them do persevere. Totally agree with the rest of your statement though.

I know many of the labs at my school required long pants, closed-toed shoes, and lab coats, so it just seems silly to me to try and associate science with "sexy" clothes.

For sure. Although there are many aspects of doing science that don't require that, so I think that's fine too. I don't think that's a big deal unless you're going into that particular kind of lab (though certainly some of the images suggested that kind of lab).

What do you guys think? Could this campaign get any girls into science? If so, does that balance out the tired stereotypes it uses?[/quote]

The makeup thing *shrug* idk, a lot of cosmetic development does involve some heavy-hitting chemistry.

they are not in fact doing any science at all, but dancing, posing and distracting the male scientist from his work

This is totally what I don't like about it. I didn't mind the pop-y music and the happy giggly-ness, and I certainly think the clothes and the style were fine. TBH I think I would have not had any problem with it - they do show the one girl doing equations a couple of times - if it had not been for that stupid male scientist crap.

Do I think it would work? Like spacefem says: probably not. Could it help (slightly) against a stereotype that you can't be pretty/feminine and do science (despite many actual women scientists not fitting that stereotype)? I actually think not, since people will look at it and be like HAHAHA THAT IS SO RIDICULOUS. As opposed to showing actual awesome women doing science, which does help.

[androkguz]

Rowan: I guess I don't yet get the definition of objectification of women. I mean, the guy looks up because he is surprised. Or curious, I'm not sure. Or do you feel he looks up because the women are sexy or something? His expression is not that of "Oh, mama! that's what daddy likes!". Well, I guess this stuff is subjective.

[Mathmo]

I believe they've now removed that video. And some of their other stuff is quite cool e.g. this profile of an astrophysicist: http://science-girl-thing.eu/profiles-o ... /yael-naze (which shows her actually doing science ...). But yes, that was a terrible teaser video.

[rowan]

Rowan: I guess I don't yet get the definition of objectification of women. I mean, the guy looks up because he is surprised. Or curious, I'm not sure. Or do you feel he looks up because the women are sexy or something? His expression is not that of "Oh, mama! that's what daddy likes!". Well, I guess this stuff is subjective.

Yeah, I got more of a he looked up - his expression looking at them - because the women were sexy.

[edit the sad parts]

Rowan: I guess I don't yet get the definition of objectification of women. I mean, the guy looks up because he is surprised. Or curious, I'm not sure. Or do you feel he looks up because the women are sexy or something? His expression is not that of "Oh, mama! that's what daddy likes!". Well, I guess this stuff is subjective.

He looked away from his work and the women proceeded to dance and pose. Enough said.

[rowan]

This will make all y'all feel better.

http://youtu.be/9BI2m3QoaS8

[Sh BRK]

I wish it was obvious from my unique publish that I acknowledge with you, the outfits itself isn't unpleasant, it's the way that the outfits is used to apparently offer technology without real technology coming into the image.