[Sparker]

I personally talked to Lynn Tilton by request of Dean Kamen. When we spoke, she emphasized her belief that brains and beauty do not have to be separate.

Ms. Tilton is not saying that you need to wear makeup to be beautiful or smart; she is saying that for many women, makeup boosts confidence. And confidence is integral to success in any field, especially STEM fields that are traditionally dominated by men. For Ms. Tilton, confidence came from makeup. She wants to share makeup with girls so that they too may feel more confident; she is sharing her secret ingredient for confidence in the hope that others may find their own secret ingredient for confidence.

Dean wants to get more girls involved in FIRST. He wants to spread the word to these girls, and what better way than by spreading FIRST with makeup, one of the products women use most? By affiliating FIRST with makeup, FIRST can reach out to girls who may be outside of STEM. I think that a makeup partnership will be beneficial, because when girls buy their makeup from Jane, they will discover that Jane sponsors FIRST, and will potentially learn more and join FIRST.

Personally, when I first considered joining Exploding Bacon, I did not think it was for me; I didn't think I was that much of a nerd or a geek. Soon afterwards I realized that FIRST is not just for nerds or geeks, but I went into it thinking that it might very well be. We need to stop this preconceived notion. The first thought that FIRST should produce is not “oh that's just for nerds,” but “oh that looks like fun.” FIRST needs to break the social boundaries that promote the separation of popular from nerdy, and brains from beauty.

As for the makeovers at Championships, I think they're a great idea. They really promote the idea that brains and beauty go together. The girls that wanted makeovers went and got one, and the girls that did not want a makeover did not get one, just like the people that wanted to learn about Monsanto went to the Monsanto booth, and those that did not want to, did not go to the Monsanto booth.

I believe that the goal of the Jane booth and FIRST's partnership with Ms. Tilton is to help girls in FIRST feel more confident—if they need more confidence—as well as to promote FIRST to unconventional audiences (the audiences that we in FIRST also need to focus our efforts on obtaining) because FIRST has two goals: to create well-prepared STEM leaders, and to create a new generation and new culture that reveres STEM and recognizes its importance.