Science: It’s A Girl Thing Video Just Doesn’t Get It
It’s been an ongoing talking point for a while now that we don’t have enough women pursuing careers in scientific or technical fields. Every talking head you’ll come across has a theory. Maybe it’s because our society, in spite of our advances toward equality, still sometimes thinks of those fields as “man’s work,” and instills that thought — consciously or otherwise — in little girls as they grow up. Or maybe it’s simply the fact that our public education system has devolved into an assembly line of rote memorization and standardized testing. Either way, it’s obviously a problem not limited to here in the States, because the European Commission decided to remedy the problem by creating a new video to try and convince young girls that science can be a “girl thing.” The results: the stomach-wrenchingly terrible video below.
Now, never having been a female myself, I can’t categorically say that this video would never convince any young ladies to pursue a career in the sciences. But as an outside observer with a Y chromosome, the only science this video inspires me to pursue is that of ballistics, so that I can shoot a hole in my monitor. Who exactly is this for? Why does it look like a makeup commercial with random science terms dropped in? Is it suggesting that girls should go into science, but only if they’ve first mastered the art of walking like a supermodel? Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that with a little judicious editing this could easily be converted into an ad for a late-night naughty chat line? “Call us now. We’ve got plenty of hot, sexy women just waiting to recite the periodic table for you…”
Look, I’m sure the EC’s heart was in the right place, but this is just god-awful. Maybe next time enlist the services of some women who are actually involved in science or math. There are plenty of crazy-smart, talented ladies who are passionate not just about science, but about reaching girls and teaching them that they can excel in the field just as well as men can. But this video? No. Just no. Scientific testing has determined that it makes me want to punch the screen.
