Hey Girls! Geek is the new “HOT”

For as long as I can recall, I wanted glasses. I even wanted braces. I was a weird kid really.

I used to take paperclips and unbend them into the shape of a retainer and I am pretty sure I invested my weekly allowance into a hip little pair of faux glasses. I know what you are thinking…GEEEEEEK!

And yes I was.

This was me at age 8. Fast forwarding about 10 years and you will see me yawning with my arms stretched across a long black lab table in my high school biology class. The one thing I enjoyed about this class was how all of girls would play with each other’s hair during lecture. It’s a girl thing okay?

So what happened in that formidable decade?

According to Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, “What we know, is a lot of girls in third and fourth grade are interested in science, about the same number as boys at that age,” she explained. “Then about fifth and sixth grade, those wonderful middle school years, we start to lose girls, but not for reasons of aptitude. The reasons are often more societal” (Happy News). It is believed that many girls begin to shy away from science and technology interests because of stereotypes and false perceptions. These girls see crazy-haired Einstein as their role model. How many girls want that image? Do they see this as being a fun career or a popular choice when everything that matters at this age group is in fact acceptance. It’s hard enough at this point in a young girl’s life to wear her hair differently, so choosing an interest that society sees as a man’s field, or worse – a GEEK’s field, really puts the brakes on quick.

Isn’t he cute?

I was thrilled to hear that Mattel recently conducted an online survey about the next Barbie, asking young girl’s to choose her next occupation. Though the occupation most popular by the girl’s was for news anchor – the outcry from adults in social media networks and the Blogosphere was overwhelming for Computer Engineer Barbie! Woo Hoo!

Our voices may seem small in this vast world of blogging – but we can be heard! It’s reminds me of “Whoville” when all of the little Who people cry out together to be heard!

When so many college graduates are no sooner leaving campus and applying for 100′s of jobs, many entering the STEM professions (science, technology, engineering, math) have offers already on the table before even getting their diplomas. There is a real need for women in these fields. It is great to see many out-reach programs for girl’s of this age. Just last week, many companies across the country took part in “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” – how cool!

“There’s a movement to reclaim the notion of ‘geek’ “, said Amanda Stent, a researcher at AT&T Labs and co author of “The Princess at the Keyboard: Why Girls Should Become Computer Scientists”. The goals of many are now trying to encourage and empower and educate young girls by getting rid of the stereotypes. Girls can make a difference in this field. They can do more than wear a lab coat, they can be a part of a community that creates change, benefits society and makes a difference.

No longer is Mr. Einstein the lone science hero – there’s a new chic in town, boys. Now if we could just get Mattel to put a little meat on her bones…

I would love to hear your thoughts! What do you do to encourage your daughter to be “unique” and to not worry about following the crowd?