Be a Nerd Girl

[Madison]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

The intended audience may be middle or high school students but who is to say who the actual audience will be? Some of us recently voted in a competition for Barbie's next career. Look at the website. See any similarities? There is a lot of potential with a concept like Nerd Girls. At this point, it is showing some of the sameness that we, the viewing public, are used to. Barbies. Hopefully, the show will be innovative in helping girls and women break out of the Barbie mold that is shaped for them and about them.

Jane

Jane's touched upon the part that most disappoints me about this program.

Instead of demonstrating to young women that there are alternative avenues of success that do NOT rely on unrealistic expectations of beauty, body type or an ability to own designer clothes, these folks are piling those expectations in front of the important stuff -- changing the world -- and sending a confusing message.

What does this concept demonstrate, exactly? Is it that engineers can be normal people, too? Is it that it's possible for women to be intelligent and remain desirable?

Maybe I just don't get it.

[JaneYoung]

When MythBusters came out, it was clear from the start that the show was going to be fun, interesting, and nerdy at its best. Dirty Jobs is a show that you know is going to be dirty and nerdy and eww. There's a trust there built in from me - a woman who doesn't trust what tv is capable of doing with manipulating stereotypes in exaggerated and ridiculous ways. On MythBusters, I typically learn something and I have a respect for the hosts. They present themselves as charming and intelligent nerds, making science, technology and how things work = cool.

It would be incredible to have a trust like that in a show that features women who are nerds. It would be incredible to have a trust like that in a show that features women who are nerds and are role models because of their interest in science, technology, and math for young children watching the program at home. I know a few women/role models like this and the important thing is - so do the students on our team, other students, and the folks that have the opportunity to meet these women.

Jane

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Madison

What does this concept demonstrate, exactly? Is it that engineers can be normal people, too? Is it that it's possible for women to be intelligent and remain desirable?

Maybe I just don't get it.

Wouldn't both goals be desirable? I know that I am constantly fighting the stereotype that you have to be "smart" to be interested in engineering. Showing that engineers are just every day people would be extremely beneficial. As for the second possible goal, have you seen Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs? If you haven't I suggest you do. Either way, in it the lead female character, a weather girl, is actually quite intelligent but acts dumb because that is the only role that is expected of her. I have heard some stories from a friend of mine that during high school another student asked her why she was in a physics class by saying, "Why are you here, girls can't do physics?" I am proud to say that he was smacked, multiple times (and she hits really hard) for his ignorant statement. And for the record, this young lady is currently studying to be an Electrical Engineer at KU, many of you have probably met her if you come by KU's booth in Atlanta.


As for having to submit pictures, I'm sorry, it is the same as submitting a resume to a job. For television work your looks are an asset you posses.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

Hopefully, the show will be innovative in helping girls and women break out of the Barbie mold that is shaped for them and about them.

Originally Posted by Madison

Is it that engineers can be normal people, too? Is it that it's possible for women to be intelligent and remain desirable?

Yes, and yes.

A concept like "Nerd Boys" probably wouldn't fly well (although Mythbusters isn't far from that) simply because of the stereotype that boys can be nerds. Or, said another way, the average Joe thinks of males when associating the term "Nerd". (There are plenty of similar examples)

So, having something against the stereotype automatically generates interest. After all, the idea is to get enough viewers, which causes advertisers to want to advertise, which pays the bills. Interest = viewers.

Now, the directors and writers can spin this several ways - pretty blondes can have fun "making science", or "These females are easily as competent and valuable as any male doing the same things". I'd think something more towards the latter, or risk the rightful wrath of viewers.

So the end result is Engineers get more respect for their profession, Women get more respect for their abilities, and Women Engineers/Scientists get more respect and the opportunity to inspire kids who might never have considered STEM as a career.

As for looks: It's TV. Of course one needs to look reasonably attractive. But I agree with KelliV, the producers are looking for diversity, which increases appeal (and viewers and advertising and...)




(That's why I started this thread. I think engineers are cool. Regardless of gender)

[gren737]

What if you can pass for an 18-23 year old??
we won't discuss the fact that my birthday is in less than two weeks and will make me officially old.


I mean the judges still stop me in the pits to ask me about the robot....

[Akash Rastogi]

Why couldn't they just call it "Intelligent Girls?"

I don't get it.

Also, call me whatever you want, but I am of the opinion that there's a difference between someone who is "intelligent" and someone who is "nerdy." I'd rather just watch a group of intelligent people doing something interesting on TV, instead of somebody branded as a "nerd."

+.02

[RyanCahoon]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Why couldn't they just call it "Intelligent Girls?"

Just saw this on LadyAda... [Smart Girls at the Party]. Starring Amy Poehler, so it's a little overplayed at times, but still gets the point across.

--Ryan

[Akash Rastogi]

Since I wouldn't have been able to write something this eloquently, I found what I wanted to say by someone on Baker's wall. I'll leave it anon.

"This whole website just feels incongruous to me. The words are great... smart is sexy, and brains are beautiful. I'm all in favor of women feeling empowered to change the world. The problem for me is that the pictures don't match the message; there's a lot of sexy on that page, and it is wholly unrelated to smarts. Taking a bunch of women who are doing great work with science and engineering, and dolling them up to appeal to male fantasy, seems so regressive."

.

[Nica F.]

I do understand where everyone on this thread is coming from, but its television and whether or not they're casting based on how smart/talented/good looking you are it seems that their purpose of sending in the video/picture combo is to see how it is "to be you" and how you are balanced into both nerdy and girly at the same time [(which is what is portrayed in their little promo video on their website). In addition to all the things that Kelli has presented in detail that makes complete sense]. Which to me is great because I feel like in a video I would be able to really portray my personality in opposed to an essay explaining why I fit their criteria.

As for all the comments about the name of the show and gender stereotypes and such, I don't know why we're nitpicking because you guys, its a reality television show, they know what they're putting across. Whether you like it or not, its what they feel the target audience is gonna wanna watch (why is it that way, I don't have the answer so DON'T attack me on saying that). Maybe you're not in that audience.

With all that said, I'm going for it for funsies. Don't have anything to lose. I like what they're trying to put across because to me, they're saying pretty girls can be smart too and smart girls can also be attractive (in personality, appearance, or both). *shrug

[Alex.Norton]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Why couldn't they just call it "Intelligent Girls?"

I don't get it.

Also, call me whatever you want, but I am of the opinion that there's a difference between someone who is "intelligent" and someone who is "nerdy." I'd rather just watch a group of intelligent people doing something interesting on TV, instead of somebody branded as a "nerd."

+.02

I always hate it when people choose to use the term "nerd" as a negative. I will say that I'm more that just an intelligent person, and the best way to sum up those aspects of me is as a nerd. I love to read sifi, a significant portion of my free time is spent coding, I regularly engage in table top role playing, I find this hilarious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrfpnbGXL70 ... this list goes on. And yes, I'm proud of how nerdy I am because this is what sets me apart from people who are merely smart.

The problem that I have with this show it that it looks like another show that is trying to be cool and edgy, a format that has been combined with nerdy building shows too much recently. I think what made MythBusters (what seems to be the standard for shows of this type) such a success is that it has never tried to be classically cool. Yes, they have the slightly more than occasional (alright very frequent) gratuitous explosion, but from what I see they never tried to appeal to the masses.

Nerd girls looks like its going to try and appeal to the crowd that hears robot competition and immediately asks the closest nerd to build him a battle bot. Regardless of how smart the girls on the show are, the content will be too watered down by the time I get to see it to be of any interest. While it could get some kids interested in a technical field, it feels like a greasy used car salesman selling a product that is oversimplified and looks much flashier that it actually is.