As geeks become chic in all levels of society, an unlikely subset is starting to roar. Meet the Nerd Girls: they're smart, they're techie and they're hot.
Comment: Wow, so being a geek really doesn't mean smart! I already figured that out about the males, who though being able to process information, much like a stupid computer, still seem to feel real men don't have to care about attracting anyone or being kind, just getting their penis in someone, and now it turns out the female version still doesn't realize that wearing high heels attracts men because they're painful and unhealthy for women!
Comment: Congratulations to Dr. Panetta and the Nerd Girls! Having been a scientist, Founder of IEEE Woemn in Engineering, and active promoter of women in engineering, science and math for the past 30 years, I find the NERD Girls quite refreshing. Looks have nothing to do with brains -- It is marvelous that these young women can and do pursue all their interests one of which just happens to be technology intensive. What fantastic role models!
Dr. Jan Brown
JanBrown Consulting
Comment: Way to go! Having been a scientist, actively involved in IEEE and promoting women in science, math, and engineering for the last 30 years it is so refreshing to see the the nerd girls -- young women actively pursuing all of their interests which just happen to include technology focused career options. Dr. Panetta and the Nerd Girls are here to stay. What marvelous role models!
Dr. Jan Brown
Comment: I like the idea of "Nerd Girls." Being intelligent and successful does not mean that you must sacrifice your personal style or popularity. I wish that girls who are interested in math and science were not the exception. As a psychologist, I believe vehemently that combatting these stereotypes early on is important. Go Nerd Girls!
Dr. Patton
www.girlslikemath.com
Comment: what the hell are you (Eckm) talking about? your own feeble attempt to show off by writing something so profoundly ridiculous is equally insidious. Stay on point! This is merely an attempt to turn a gender stereotype into a dollar by sexually exploiting hot, sexy (debatable from the video), as well as mildly intelligent women (because there are so few apparently) without reluctance from the participants. I would; however, strongly impugn the authenticity of the authorship to the technical questions being asked to those women. They look like they wouldn't even know how to change a tire, let alone wire together the electrical components to a solar powered car. Please send support. I'm only $25,000 in debt and need public support. Here's a crazy notion. Stop paying off Hilary Clinton's debt of irresponsibility and help me with mine. Donations can be sent to: digital_velocity@hotmail.com (paypal account).
Comment: Read from the standpoint of an analysis of conventionality, this article is insidious. On the one hand, it appeals to that particularly "american" fetish for maverick individualism - the notion that it's always "cool" not to conform to social stereotypes. On the other hand, it not so tacitly accepts one of the most widespread of social conventions, namely that to be gendered female means to necessarily be concerned by one's public physical appearance. In other words, the article's frisson, and its allure, surely, to its audience, lies in the breaking down of a timeworn social stereotype. There's always a nervous giddiness when we witness that phenomenon, because it reinforces other, more deeply (and mostly unconsciously) held values: the notion that american society is fluid and that individuals are "free" to pick and choose in the vast marketplace of lifestyle choices, the notion that with all that turmoil in the wild world of the lifestyle choice marketplace, there are certain constant immutables which happen to be based on biology. The current ideology of choice is that everything - even individual identity - is subject to the laws of consumer capitalism, where, as "free" agents, we can pick and choose even our own personal identities. Underpinning the potential chaos of this social order is a safe home base of biologically based destiny, which just so happens to express itself in the one traditional gender role which, according to the ideology, will never disappear, namely that of appearance-valuation.
Comment: http://www.quazen.com/Kids-and-Teens/People-and-Society/Mean-Girls-Societys-Creation.119493
Comment: I appreciate what this article is attempting to do - break the stereotype of nerdy women, saying that not all of them are as unattractive as we were all formerly lead to believe. But in highlighting their physical appearance, all it does is give men and young girls alike a new stereotype: women must be young, beautiful, and highly intelligent. All it has done is put more pressure on girls and given men higher expectations. The use of "girls" throughout this article, as another commenter has pointed out, is also a bit demeaning. These women are at least 18 years of age and therefore should be referred to as women. The entire article focuses on the positives of these nerdy women being attractive, but fails to mention the negatives. Women already face hardships going into "nerdy" fields (not just science, math, and engineering, but other male-dominated ones also, like history and philosophy), but attractive women in such fields (and in general) face a bit more. Personally, I've only completed one year of undergraduate studies in computer science thus far, and wouldn't classify myself as either ugly nor hot, and have already received comments of how I'm "not going to make it" with people not even knowing my grades are abilities, but based on my looks and girly personality. I've had a professor say at least one inappropriate comment to me, whom I promptly reported. The written version of this article mentions that young girls find no contradiction between being feminine and being nerdy. Which is why, in a computer science lecture class of 100, only roughly 8 are female, correct?
Comment: Why do you assume that girls are 'unlikely' nerds? I gather from your use of "coed" in the first sentence that you feel school is primarily men's business but women can join in. The 'traditional' role of woman as fashion crazed airheads is only a recent wish by marketers willing to slash girls self-esteem to sell shoes. But girls' real capabilities are not so easily squashed; don't be so surprised about it.
Comment: Comment: These female engineers from Tufts University appeared on IEEE.tv in 2008 April documenting their task of building a solar car. Check out Nerd Girls on IEEE.tv public access! http://www.ieee.tv
Comment: These female engineers from Tufts University appeared on IEEE.tv in 2008 April documenting their task of building a solar car. Check out Nerd Girls on IEEE.tv public access area! http://www.ieee.tv
Comment: This is great! I'm a junior Computer Science major at my school, but also a cheerleader and it gets tiring when people give you a blank stare when you put the two in a sentence! Glad to see I'm not the only one. I think in my year there are only 2 or 3 other women in the program.
Comment: The complaints about too much emphasis on sexuality in the article are merited. But it helps to keep in mind the purpose of the article, which is essentially a blast on the dumb blonde stereotype (i.e. that "blonde," really meaning "beautiful," does not imply "dumb").
Comment: Being a "nerd girl" myself, I was a little disappointed to see that this article put such emphasis on the seeming triumph that geeky girls can now be fashionable, too. It seems to me that being geeky is now becoming just another way to make a fashion statement. Even though getting over stereotypes is a good thing and I'm glad that things are changing, it also looks like being a geek is loosing some of its individualism. Our culture is far too fashion-consumed these days, and I'm sad to see that some smart, geeky girls are spending fussing over their clothes instead of coding.
Comment: The framing of the article is most unfortunate. It reinforces the dominant cultural paradigm that women's value is in their sexuality, not their brain power. The message comes across here loud and clear that women can be smart, but only if they are attractive. It also seems to imply that it is unusual for women to be smart and technologically savvy. I am disappointed by this coverage.
Comment: The framing of the article is most unfortunate. It reinforces the dominant cultural paradigm that women's value is in their sexuality, not their brain power. The message comes across here loud and clear that women can be smart, but only if they are attractive. It also seems to imply that it is unusual for women to be smart and technologically savvy. I am disappointed by this coverage.
Comment: Kudos to Newsweek for doing an article on women in technology but I have a few problems with this story. 1. Why did you feel compelled to throw "the Barbie" coin into the article? 2. Why did you have to sexualize women in the article - were their accomplishments just not good enough for the article. Would you have focused on men's sexuality if you were writing an article featuring men? Why is this article under "Culture" instead of "Technology?"
Comment: I need to point out how freakish it is to now-- yes, "allow" women to be smart but then still insist they be the conventional definition of hot. I suppose it is progress. Baby steps, but steps nonetheless. -amp
Comment: This article is taking 10 steps backward's just by calling these women "girls".
Comment: I hate that being geeky is cool now...It makes me not want to be a geek anymore. It's not like that's possible, but still...
Comment: Meet the Nerd Girls: they're smart, they're techie, they're hot, they're unbearable!
Comment: Great comment about the glasses. Does this mean I, too, can wear my black horn-rimmed eyeglasses without impunity? LOL
http://delawarewomen.tripod.com
Comment: Interesting article--I am a general pediatrician who has been in practice now for twenty years, and it has become more interesting over the years to ask my patients what they wanted to do when they grew up. Increasingly, it has been the girls who are set on pursuing a "learned profession" (such as law, medicine or dentistry) or some other career requiring extended post-secondary education. The boys, on the other hand, seem more interested in NASCAR or professional sports, if they have any plans at all. It is wonderful that girls and young women have such aspirations, but it is disheartening that progressively fewer boys and young men can say the same. Perhaps young males in our society lack the strong role models that would sustain them in the demanding courses of study required. We need the best brains possible to deal with today's challenges, no matter what their gender, and find ways to encourage them.
As far as intelligence and physical attractiveness are concerned--There is an old saying that 95% of sex appeal occurs above the level of the shoulders. Hallelujah, amen.
Comment: Great article. But may I add: it's not only in science and technology that this has been a problem, and continues to be.
During my undergraduate studies in Philosophy, I was typically the only girl in the class, or one of two to three. Often males in these classes would naturally assume that I needed help--all the while unaware that I set the curve on the last exam.
Now I work in the book selling world, which is also male-dominated. I have had to start wearing glasses whenever I am at work because--and I have tested this extensively--I get less condescending looks and amused reactions from people (especially males 40 and older) when I have glasses on.
I have developed a fierce attitude because of these kinds of circumstances, and it is entirely in keeping with this article. Let's try to encourage this trend, shall we?
Comment: Great article. But may I add: it's not only in science and technology that this has been a problem, and continues to be.
During my undergraduate studies in Philosophy, I was typically the only girl in the class, or one of two to three. Often males in these classes would naturally assume that I needed help--all the while unaware that I set the curve on the last exam.
Now I work in the book selling world, which is also male-dominated. I have had to start wearing glasses whenever I am at work because--and I have tested this extensively--I get less condescending looks and amused reactions from people (especially males 40 and older) when I have glasses on.
I have developed a fierce attitude because of these kinds of circumstances, and it is entirely in keeping with this article. Let's try to encourage this trend, shall we?
Comment: I'm a 30 something year old computer engineer. While I was never harrassed and only encouraged in college and my first job, I felt the need to "fit in." So I supressed my girly side. Now I run my own software consulting business. I dress professionally, but in a way that makes me happy. I have my nails painted, my hair down and my heels polished. I like to wear bright colors and makeup. If anything, I've had a great response to this. The business women that I work with can relate to me better than a male nerd. Some tech guys give me crap for about ten seconds until the realize I know what I am talking about. It's a brave new world and I'm glad young women today don't feel the same pressures we tech women felt 15 years ago. You go girl!
Comment: I would like to present a challenge to the nerd girls. My work includes the decoding of the chaldean oracles and other such estoteric texts. The results - http://www.web3.ez1020.com
Comment: I've been a "Geeky Nerdy Girl" for 30 years. About time we get some recognition. Most of the recognition we've always got has been of the negative variety--we're ugly, unstylish, square, etc. My husband says quite the contrary--geek women know how to do practically everything, and we teach our children to do the same.
I remember I attended a high-tech computer convention about 20 years ago. There were only a handful of women attending. I got into an animated conversation with another female Geek and the guy behind us said (in admiring tones) -- "there's aren't a lot of women in computers, but the ones that are, are brilliant." That acknowledgment has stayed with me ever since.
For all you high-school level geeky girls out there--my message to you is--don't give up on yourself. The empty-headed, Barbie-body fashion plate gossips may make fun of you or shun you now, but one day you'll be the one laughing all the way to the bank--and those mean chicks will be the ones begging YOU for a job!
Comment: I'm proud of these young women. Too many people are mis-interpreting this article. Women are pushed towards more traditionally feminine occupations. My sister is a model in LA and is an electrical engineer in her third year at USC. I am a doctoral student in Texas and am studying brain development and correlations between language and science and mathematics. I was second place Miss New Mexico two years ago and was Miss America Teen Washington six years ago. Women are not afraid to show they are smart anymore. Oh and by the way, guy nerds are so cute and little hotties. I met my fiance in a class and he plays WOW and Magic the Gathering.
Comment: I'm proud of these young women. Too many people are mis-interpreting this article. Women are pushed towards more traditionally feminine occupations. My sister is a model in LA and is an electrical engineer in her third year at USC. I am a doctoral student in Texas and am studying brain development and correlations between language and science and mathematics. I was second place Miss New Mexico two years ago and was Miss America Teen Washington six years ago. Women are not afraid to show they are smart anymore. Oh and by the way, guy nerds are so cute and little hotties. I met my fiance in a class and he plays WOW and Magic the Gathering.
Comment: Why is it when a woman is a nerd she's smart, cool and sexy. When it's a guy the same label's don't apply. I'm sick of this sexist crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment: Why is it when a woman is a nerd she's smart, sexy and cool. When it's a guy the same label's don't apply. I'm sick and tired of this sexist crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment: As a female geek I don't really see this as being something new and awesome. Women and men should feel that they can pursue any career regardless of their gender, this article just makes me feel like we're talking about tech barbie, ie too much emphasis on how these women are staying girls in a male industry.
Comment: I have the utmost respect for any female or male for that matter willing to break barriers enforced by stereotypes and comfortability of conformity. The best thing our culture has going for it is progress in compassion, wether it be of a person, or a way of life. The support people are showing in comments to the artickle and the article itself are a prime example of this. It really put a smile on my face to read this.
Comment: "Forty years ago women made up just 3 percent of science and engineering jobs; now they make up about 20 percent. That sounds promising, until you consider that women earn 56 percent of the degrees in those fields"
If tomorrow women started earning 100% of all degrees in a field where before they had none, it would take about 20 years to reach parity with men in terms of the number of positions that they had in the field (assuming that the field was not growing but instead merely was replacing existing jobs). Thus, we should not be surprised that women do not have as many jobs as men nor should it be considered an issue. The issue is that women leave the field -- but to what extent do MEN leave the field? That's the real unanswered question that would go a lot further in helping us to understand trends.
Comment: As much as I appreciate intelligence, I cannot help but be offended by the fact that, for starters, our culture stills sees women as less intelligent than men.
Secondly, I do not appreciate the fact that this article refers to grown women as "girls". They are not prepubescent teens; they are mature females who have attended college, and who have committed their lives to research and application. Glossing over these facts makes them appear to be some "lucky chicks" who happen to have escaped the genetic predisposition for baby-making and bleaching their hair.
Comment: As much as I appreciate intelligence, I cannot help but be offended by the fact that, for starters, our culture stills sees women as less intelligent than men.
Secondly, I do not appreciate the fact that this article refers to grown women as "girls". They are not prepubescent teens; they are mature females who have attended college, and who have committed their lives to research and application. Glossing over these facts makes them appear to be some "lucky chicks" who happen to have escaped the genetic predisposition for baby-making and bleaching their hair.
Comment: WELL! MY HOMY/BEST FRIEND MICHAEL, TOLD ME BACK IN 2001: "BROTHER MANNY! YOU
TAKE ONE OF THEM GEEKY, NERDY SCHOOL GIRLS AND LET THEM TAKE THEIR HAIR DOWN
AND TAKE-OFF THEIR GLASSES, AND THEY LOOK FINE LIKE A MOTHER******!! HE WAS NOT
KIDDING ME! I'VE DATED SOME FINE GEEKY, NERDY WOMEN, CAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES MOST
MEN REFUSE TO ASK OUT ON DATES, GET INTO RELATIONSHIPS WITH, AND SO ON! THEY ARE
JUST AS FREAKY AS THEM HOOCHIE-MAMAS!! TRUST ME! EVEN MORE! I SUGGEST TO ALL YOU
GENTLEMEN OUT THERE: GET YOURSELF A GEEKY GIRL! THEY WILL LOVE YOU!! XOXO. MANNY.
Comment: WELL! MY HOMY/BEST FRIEND MICHAEL, TOLD ME BACK IN 2001: "BROTHER MANNY! YOU
TAKE ONE OF THEM GEEKY, NERDY SCHOOL GIRLS AND LET THEM TAKE THEIR HAIR DOWN
AND TAKE-OFF THEIR GLASSES, AND THEY LOOK FINE LIKE A MOTHER******!! HE WAS NOT
KIDDING ME! I'VE DATED SOME FINE GEEKY, NERDY WOMEN, CAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES MOST
MEN REFUSE TO ASK OUT ON DATES, GET INTO RELATIONSHIPS WITH, AND SO ON! THEY ARE
JUST AS FREAKY AS THEM HOOCHIE-MAMAS!! TRUST ME! EVEN MORE! I SUGGEST TO ALL YOU
GENTLEMEN OUT THERE: GET YOURSELF A GEEKY GIRL! THEY WILL LOVE YOU!! XOXO. MANNY.
Comment: WELL! MY HOMY/BEST FRIEND MICHAEL, TOLD ME BACK IN 2001: "BROTHER MANNY! YOU
TAKE ONE OF THEM GEEKY, NERDY SCHOOL GIRLS AND LET THEM TAKE THEIR HAIR DOWN
AND TAKE-OFF THEIR GLASSES, AND THEY LOOK FINE LIKE A MOTHER******!! HE WAS NOT
KIDDING ME! I'VE DATED SOME FINE GEEKY, NERDY WOMEN, CAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES MOST
MEN REFUSE TO ASK OUT ON DATES, GET INTO RELATIONSHIPS WITH, AND SO ON! THEY ARE
JUST AS FREAKY AS THEM HOOCHIE-MAMAS!! TRUST ME! EVEN MORE! I SUGGEST TO ALL YOU
GENTLEMEN OUT THERE: GET YOURSELF A GEEKY GIRL! THEY WILL LOVE YOU!! XOXO. MANNY.
Comment: Too all the jealous comments: what is wrong with ALL YOU JEALOUS WOMEN" do you really see yourselves as beautiful, smart and SEXY!!!, or are you all full of ugly inside and out? lighten up, and get Intelligent, Beautiful, Hott , and Sexy in your lives~ Live Longer and Happier... GO Nerd Girl's!!! ;)
Comment: Your grandmother sounds like an exceptional person in the sense of superior, and very rare. The truth is, I went to engineering school, and it was 85% male. Most of my classes had no women in them and no women professors. It is not new for women to be intelligent I agree, but it is changing the perception of career roles and this article is specific to engineering and tech fields. It is a very good thing, but it is something that is changing so therefore newsworthy.
msc, don't you think that these girls are attractive, or would you rather have a pretty little thing that doesn't talk? You seem to be the one who is spewing hate so get a life.
Comment: LechoZX, I feel your opinion that the subject of this article is newsworthy is debatable. The writers of the article, and the video which accompanies it, are not simply stating that the fields of science, math and technology are not fields traditionally pursued by women; they are saying that they are fields that are not traditionally pursued by "hot" women. The extreme, overarching emphasis of the entire article is that these women are very attractive and feminine....oh, and happen to be pursuing fields that are traditionally not only male-dominated, but also have only been pursued by "unattractive" and "unfeminine" women in the past. Why else would the article bother to mention the woman who still feels she needs to carry a copy of her computer science degree in her purse at all times?
Comment: I like the coment posted by "MAMO" many Kudo's for your Grandmother ;) Women being highly intelligent and beautiful is nothing new. So go ahead girl's "Bank on it"
Comment: Is everything have to be sexy in your warped, narcissistic liberal minds? Newsweek is just an arm of a totally hate-filled anti-american network MSNBC, filled with "Do anything, Say Anything(Except what I don't like, what I don't want, or What I don't believe")" narcissist, like Olbermann, and Mathews.
Comment: Is everything sexy in your narcissistic warped liberal minds?
Comment: My grandmother, who's almost 90 years old and from the South, was her high school's valedictorian, earned a degree in chemistry from Ole Miss and worked in the chem lab of one of the country's top companys during the 1940s (where she met my grandfather who was an engineer at said company; he having attended the University of Tennessee's engineering program). Women being highly intelligent is nothing new. Newsweek is just jumping on the bandwagon that being a geek is trendy, and that intelligent women are fashionable and--gasp!--attractive. I would think that my grandmother was an attractive young intelligent women...I mean, my grandfather married her. It's just been for centuries here in good old patriarchal culture that being intelligent meant being less than feminine, so I guess I can understand the overemphasis on the women of this article being attractive and girly. But how is that really anything new as well? Does no one remember Gloria Steinem? And before anyone screams she's before his/her time, I'm a Gen-Xer.
Comment: z
Comment: Meh, to me the article shows a side of humanity most don't even see in themselves, Im currently dating a guy who is was smarter then the average adult, he is seventeen and practically better then most of the people Iv come to know on this planet. ~Shrugs~ Girls can be great, that is what the article gets out......that is their main objective, all this article wants is for others to follow in their footsteps and create more jobs.
Comment: Meh, to me the article shows a side of humanity most don't even see in themselves, Im currently dating a guy who is was smarter then the average adult, he is seventeen and practically better then most of the people Iv come to know on this planet. ~Shrugs~ Girls can be great, that is what the article gets out......that is their main objective, all this article wants is for others to follow in their footsteps and create more jobs. Computergeek01, I feel strongly that I agree with you........they need to focus on what the girls really are.....
Comment: Brains up the "it" factor.
But does anyone know the name of the song from the first 1/4th of the accompanying video?
Comment: I'm really disappointed by this article. The nerd girls have worked hard and have achieved so much and this article makes it seem as though all they care about is their looks. The nerd girls are so much more than that and the article barely mentioned any of their accomplishments. What about the whole computer simulations to test for aerodynamics and configuring a suspension system aspect of being a nerd girl?
Comment: women are smart and can get the job done that all that matters.
May they live long and prosper.
Comment: I apologize for the poorly written piece, cut the wrong part out.
Comment: For anybody that comes into contact with the terms nerd and geek regularly on college campuses in boston, you soon realize that nerd and geek are often used interchangeable. At MIT i hear them both all the time, nerd is percieved by the college crowd as merely a smart individual. I hear both terms all the time and rarely, very rarely is nerd used to mean unattractive.
Comment: You are spot on with your comments iamabug and it???s apparent from not only traditional published media but from nontraditional user generated media such as Facebook that the allure of the ego, narcissism, notoriety and whatever power comes from it is an irresistible force to many and is definitely a two-way street. Perhaps the idea of intelligence as being sexy is not such a bad thing provided that the ideal of what defines sexy isn???t limited to cultural stereotypes, allowing for individual uniqueness, confidence, compassion, sense of humor, and communication.
Comment: I am confused by this article title "Meet the Nerd Girls: they're smart, they're techie and they're hot"....if they are hot, then they are not true nerds. Also, aren't they women not girls?
Comment: It is great to see that more women are getting into the tech field, but why does this article have to play up that these girls are 'hot'?
Comment: According to the dictionary the definition of nerd is: nerd: ???noun Slang. 1. a stupid, irritating, ineffectual, or unattractive person.
2. an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit: a computer nerd.
These girls are by definition not nerds as they are not unattractive and are not social misfits as the article states. I for one am a bit irritated by the underlying assumption that girls that are attractive are stupid. Just because these girls are smart and also happen to be attractive they are calling themselves nerds? It also seems stupid that they don't know the definition of nerd.
Comment: According to the dictionary the definition of nerd is: nerd: ???noun Slang. 1. a stupid, irritating, ineffectual, or unattractive person.
2. an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit: a computer nerd.
These girls are by definition not nerds as they are not unattractive and are not social misfits as the article states. I for one am a bit irritated by the underlying assumption that girls that are attractive are stupid. Just because these girls are smart and also happen to be attractive they are calling themselves nerds? It also seems stupid that they don't know the definition of nerd.
Comment: It's either going to be the 'preppy cute girl' or the 'hot spelling bee chic' and lets not forget the 'sexy basketball champion'. When will there be a day when women are appreciated for their intelligence, athletic abilities and creativity without attaching the ever present hotness factor. Can't you see the trend? It's acceptable for men to be smart and not entirely 'good looking' and still be considered worthy, but a girl on the other hand must encompass a pair of long legs and a perfect face to be mentioned at all. This article is just another example of the media and commercial industry's campaign to sell women the image that you are undeserving unless you have sex appeal to go along with the newest trend.
Comment: It???s either going to be the "preppy cute girl" or the "hot spelling bee chic" and lets not forget the ???sexy basketball champion???. When will there be a day when women are appreciated for their intelligence, athletic abilities and creativity without attaching the ever present hotness factor. Can't you see the trend? It???s acceptable for men to be smart and not entirely ???good looking??? and still be considered worthy, but a girl on the other hand must encompass a pair of long legs and a perfect face to be mentioned at all. This article is just another example of the media and commercial industry's campaign to sell women the image that you are undeserving unless you have sex appeal to go along with the newest trend.
Comment: After reading some of the responses on the article I have only a few comments.
1. How are we defining "Feminine"? For the women in my family its not feminine to look or act like Paris Hilton or any of the many others like her.
2. Science and Math are not the only subjects that should qualify you for "geek" status. For that matter why label yourself as anything. 5 sisters in my family- all of us have a area that we loved enough to really study, but that just makes us us, not anything else but that.
3. To the posters who feel that these girls are somehow damaging the "nerd" reputation, maybe you should think of mentoring them yourselves instead of complaining.
And yes just so you know all of my sisters and I are considered attractive, but we get more comments on our minds than that once they get past staring and start to listen.
Comment: I am all in favor of any efforts taken to enlighten, encourage, and all-around promote girls in the areas of science and math. However, for all the encouragement I see and all the statistics saying that we have made strides, this article and, I believe, industry in general, are largely still failing to acknowledge the big, pregnant elephant in the room. What would you bet that workplace harassment and ???act like a man??? mentalities stem in part from the reality of these women wanting to start a family someday? Industry, from my experience as a female engineer, has still failed to show to me that they can be flexible enough to employ me as a mother working an engineering job without suffering the consequences of hitting some kind of glass ceiling or brick wall.
Half of the people earning technical degrees are women, and half of them leave those jobs!? That is depressing. I read an article that said work visas for technical fields in the US have waiting lists a mile long every year. Industry, you have the talent HERE! They are living in your homes, taking care of your families, and you can???t ???engineer??? a way to utilize their skills?
Comment: jw8681 yes your knowledge is pointless. All the $ is in math and science. Please find me some size 10 shoes when you get back to work.
Comment: I rarely make commentary on any postings online, but as a PhD student in HISTORY, not engineering or any of the applied sciences I wonder are we not creating an even greater stereotype for ourselves, by assuming that intelligence is only measured by a knowledge of science? Being a PhD in History and having the desire to become a teacher, does not mean I don???t know how to put a computer together or change the oil in my car. I can, and do. It also doesn???t mean that I don???t read a fashion magazine now and then. I agree with the women on here who speak about smart women as the norm, not as unique. When are we going to stop identifying ourselves as different and just except that it is ok to be beautiful and smart, for its own sake, regardless of what field a women is in? Shouldn???t intelligence in any field be commended? I find it offensive that a CEO of a company would belittle elementary education as an 'acceptable" line of work for women and that she desired to get out of it. Why can't we accept that education, in ANY field for ANY person is important? What we struggle with in this country is a immense amount of ignorance, about everything, not just the fact that women CAN and will be successful in this world. It is offense as well because men struggle too with these types of stereotypes. My boyfriend, an incredibly attractive young man has a degree in soil science and at age 26 is the VP of his company, a million dollar agricultural firm. Yet he still gets discriminated against because he is young and attractive. When are we going to accept that yes, looks matter, but what matters more is that we all need to educate ourselves, no matter what we look like?
Comment: Forget about the long winded article. Just show us some pictures of the hotties!
Comment: Forget the long winded article. Just show us some pictures of the hotties!
Comment: I think most of you think much higher of yourself than others think of you. Get over yourselves.
Comment: I recently started a blog called: Nerdelicious.org
This is a group blog for all the females out there who are intelligent and fabulous. The gals who refuse to be boxed into any kind of stereotype, we can be experts in our fields and look amazing in our heels. Just because we are smart doesn???t mean we can???t look good, just because we look good doesn???t mean we are ???bimbos???. We kick ass while wearing great looking shoes.
We are here to tell you that you are not alone. We are beautiful, smart, and proud of it.
Currently seeking blog partners and contributing writers. If you have an interesting topic, feel free to contact me.
here is the link to our facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16444649723&ref=nf
Comment: ok, guys. Thank you, Podchicks, for recognizing your older 'sexy nerd' generation. I am now 36, and hold a MS in fluvial geomorpholgy within a Biosystems Engineering field. I also think I am still pretty hot, even after having my firstborn. I have spent 20 years training horses and studying physics, yet I loved to glam up every weekend ang go out with my friends. You don't have to be dumb to be glam, and you certainly don't have to be glam to be gorgeous. CraigC, do you think Heidi Klum and Giselle run around at home in bikinis, stilettos and makeup? Moreover, the TWO girls that you saw that were conclusively attractive probably dolled themselves up at school, or wherever you encountered them. Lastly, I never judge my sexy, glam or style based on the American standard anyway, as it tends to tacky, cheap and trendy. All you have to be is somewhat tall, really skinny and have a tan- oh, and dress like Paris Hilton. I bet alot of those other girls you have known would be considered sophisticated and lovely on the worldly scale.
Comment: 4 years undergrad, 3 years grad school, 3 years working, I have seen TWO, yes TWO women engineers that would be considered attractive by non-engineer standards.
Most of the rest were very natural, somewhat plain-looking, girl-next-door types. I imagine that if they paid attention to their appearance, they could look really good.
Nerds, male or female, look ugly because we don't give a damn how we look. It's just not important to us.
Comment: Well, it takes a lot of energy to look "hot", trust me, I try everyday, but with my mind on my work, it is hard to be cute and very competitive in my field (engineering Prof).
Comment: Beautiful, nerdy women have been around for a long long time and we have looked hot while networking computers for a Saturday night video gaming fest or discussing the latest nanotechnology developments over Goose cosmos. Sometimes it just takes the media a while to catch up. And of course, when they do report on it, they act as if it is a new discovery. See you all the New Media Expo in Vegas, Baby! Namaste.
Comment: We geeky women have been around for a long long time and have always looked hot, whether we're networking computers for a Saturday night video gaming blow-out or discussing the latest nanotechnology developments over Goose Cosmos. Sometimes it just takes the media a while to catch up. Namaste.
The PodChicks
Comment: They are just now writing an article about us?? I've been getting stares and cat calls for years, yet I'm two years away from my Masters in Accounting and contantly shock the boys with my nerdy comedy references and love for all things geek. After I achieve my Masters in Accounting, I'll be going back to school for degrees in Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, and Computer Engineering... is it that unheard of for me to be attractive as well?
Comment: SHOCKER... There are no pictures with this article... No I take that back, there was a SUPER close up at the beginning, just like those bogus online personal photos women take; and we all know what THOSE mean~
Don't pan out, you might be disappointed.
I'm a 29yr old Motorcycle riding Prototyping Engineer with Masters Degree in case you were wondering...
Comment: how can live in the world and have the desire of what i do see
Comment: In the bygone days, be they boy or a girl, the word "nerd" meant only the "extreme" variety, rather than the mere "normal" variety that referred to regular interest in math, science or technical fields. In the case of girls as well as boys, more so for girls, perhaps, it seems to be designated a nerd; one just needs to be the "garden" variety. Am I missing anything?
Comment: Way to break the stereotypes, but one thing I like about the sciences and engineering is that looks don't matter as much as in other careers. You don't have to dress up or be hot or act sexy to be successful. I agree that being feminine shouldn't hinder your progress in a scientific career, but neither should the opposite.
Comment: I love it! I learned how to take my computer apart on my own when I was 46. I am proud of my technical knowledge. I teach digital media at the college level. It is my female students that are the more inquisitive of my students. The male students tend to sit there with their headphones on. Watch out, you guys!
Comment: My daughter and I had quite a discussion about the "Nerdette's". She is a mechanical engineer who spent grad school doing research and has been in the work force for two years. We spend a great amount of time planning strategy for her to deal with the issues she faces in this male dominated industry. Yes, she is a young attractive woman, but she also must earn credibility with her co-workers and those she depends on to get her projects done. I think that the engineering fields are really lacking in leadership training in general and would certainly benefit from a cirriculum designed specifically for women to guide them through the specific issues that they face. If that were in place there would be less attrition to more female friendly vocations. These women face huge credibility issues, not because of their knowledge, skills, and ability, but because they are attractive and young. I would call out to those women who are in the fields to actively mentor those coming in, perhaps at the university level. And just as the men in my ultra conservative company would wear wild ties to express themselves, I see nothing wrong with wearing really cool high heels with your Ann Taylor suit!
Comment: To begin with, intelligent women aren't nerds. All women need to be skilled and sharpen their minds in whatever field they choose to be in or sometimes fall into. Never be codependent on a man for his income or status, women can make it on their own though we still have barriers to deal with. Go girls, get into math and science and medicine, that is where the money is. I know many women who are very smart and attractive, it's wonderful to be both. Too bad so many of my male bosses still feel threatened if I'm too good at my job or my ideas are preferred over theirs, that at times, I have to pretend that I didn't come up with an idea first or already thought of something far superior to their concept. That fragile male ego in the workplace will always exist...
Comment: My god, it's amazing how vicious some woman are here in these comments. So many woman have this unconscious vicious envy that spits out when they see woman that are beautiful and intelligent. And for all those woman saying that looking good is "buying into superfificiality"need to get a reality check. Taking care of one's appearance is extremely important in any type of job, because face it, as much as Oprah and chick flicks like to deny, the fact is looks matter. A LOT. therefore it's EXTREMELY important to look good, and as much as people might say that that type of thought is a media warped image, I'll ask you this one question, what's your first (usually lasting) impression of someone you meet? THEIR APPEARANCE. I myself am an honor student, extremely into fashion, and consider myself very worldly and kind. There's nothing wrong with caring about other things besides intelligence, it's what normal human beings are drawn to do.
Comment: Kudos to giving young women intellectual empowerment, proving they can be themselves, and still be successful in an engineering field. Yet it's also disgusting that the only time you hear of women advancing themselves in math and sciences, its accompanied by a culture that is obsessed with looks and material goods. This TV show sounds like the Hills or some other MTV garbage transplanted into an engineering college. Why not just sellout every female instead of the intelligent ones?
Comment: Great article! As a female mechanical engineer with a master's degree (also in a male dominated industry), I am so glad to see that women engineers don't have to fit the stereotypes - and we all know what those are. During my career, I wish I had a dollar for everytime I heard comments like, "Honey, you'll get your finger nails dirty!" as I walk out on a manufacturing floor, or "YOU have an engineering degree?!?" It's about time that we let young women know that you can be whoever you are and still think that science and math is cool. I think it is fantastic that these young women in your article are proud of their intelligence and accomplishments in a technical field. Such confidence is needed in order to help other younger women/girls know that being technical isn't just for the boys!
Comment: Some of these comments are hysterical. Newsflash people, looks do matter. Sorry, but true. Research abounds on the subject. Kudos to these women who are unafraid to flaunt their brains and looks. Boos to those of you (obviously not very good looking) who feel it necessary to put them down. I'm married to a brilliant and very attractive woman...a lawyer who plays WoW, AOC and just built me a top-line computer. It's amusing to see people's reaction when they first meet her, especially after they had previously communicated to her via email or phone. It's a shame that intelligent females are assumed to be less
attractive. Oddly enough, the most negative reactions usually come from other women. Perhaps, women need to be a little less competitive with one another and focus on the bigger picture? Look in the mirror ladies.
Comment: I think it is great to have attractive femail scientists and engineers. But the reality is that there are very few female Profs that fit in the "Hollywood Style" and truth be told that once you are in the field, deeply engaged in one's work (competing for research funding and all), there is no time to "look beautful everyday". Beauty requires time and effort, and so do good work and good science. Naturally, it is a conflict at all times, to choose to be "hot" or "excel in a men's field". Just my two cents....
Comment: more women will move to tech just as india did those not able to compete physically ALWAYS look for a technological fix to compete socially .....india has never had an olympic champon in any sport yet they produce thousands of soft ware engineers yearly.
in the coming century look for all areas of math and tech to dominated by those who are weak physically regardless of sex
Comment: It's about time, says this 50+ UC Berkeley math grad Black nerd with an engineering master's degree, and a job in a male dominated industry. Thanks Prof. Panetta for starting the Girl Nerd group at Tufts. You are an inspiration! I think I will start a club in my town for teen and 'tween girl geeks and nerds. Female Nerds of the world U-N-I-T-E! Kudos also to NPR for publicizing this article.
Comment: Great...now we have to be smart and effortlessly hot in the "fashion, makeup and high heels"= feminine paradigm. Where specifically will we get the time for all this?
I just hope that we don't end up with average "girl geeks" when we could have female Einsteins, Mozarts, and Bertrand Russells if we reconfigured the "femininity" constraint...our society needs all the talent it can get!
Comment: Yeah, because OBVIOUSLY "fashion, makeup and high heels" are the definition of "feminine" *eyeroll*. Way to buy into that stereotype, ladies, and make yourselves look like airheads even when you're studying difficult theorems and being brainy. News flash: The rest of us "geek" girls don't love you for it. Because now we're EXPECTED to not only be smart, but look like we just walked out of the pages of Vogue. Those of us not blessed with super-model good looks are just as smart and competent as you, we just don't get the recognition because we don't fit in with society's views of what a woman MUST look like to be considered attractive and successful. The whole point of being a geek is to be admired for your mind, not your "assets". It's sad that once again, the media focuses on these girl's "beauty" as amazing and unique (because they're *gasp* brainy), as if it's the only thing to aspire to. Your worth should not be not based on your physical appearance.
Comment: I was surprised to read a couple of negative comments on these "sexy nerds". I'm confronted every day with the manifestations of my fears that young girls today have nothing between their ears but text message shorthand, cellular airwaves, shopping and reality tv details. The girls in this article give me hope for the future of our society. I don't care what they look like! If they want to sex up their image, fine. Just so I can rest easy knowing that there are brilliant minds at work trying to solve our nation's, society's and world's problems. It's just more proof that you can't judge a book by it's cover.
Comment: A word to these girls: stop trying so hard to look like models. A lot of us engineering guys got spat upon by flashy, arrogant ditzes earlier in life, and the distaste from that hasn't worn off yet. The most attractive thing about you is your intelligence, and conformity to gender "norms" will not endear you to us in the slightest, nor will it help you get a free pass into a career that often has people's lives in the balance.
Comment: Good point. The voice of this article was rather contrived.
Comment: This article seems to imply that in order to be part of this new, attractive subset of female geeks, one has to look and dress like a Valley Girl. "Math Doesn't Suck"? That is a book title for 5 year olds, not adult women.
Comment: Great Article! As a recent female PhD in the field of biomedical sciences, I can't tell you how many times I got strange looks at parties when I was asked my major (one guy actually thought I was joking, he asked where my glasses were!). I almost did not enter my field of choice when a college adviser my first week on Campus freshman year tried to convince me that the major I had picked was a "boys club" (his quotes). I was stubborn enough that I felt I needed to prove him wrong. Would be better if they had links in the article for the mentoring websites. Go female science Nerds!
Comment: You've got to love how female nerds who don't embrace the idea of femininity with their whole hearts are immediately demoted to second-class nerd status as soon as society has a choice. Now what does that say about the vanity and shallowness of this nation?
Comment: Gotta love how female nerds who don't embrace the idea of femininity with their whole hearts are demoted to second-class nerds as soon as there's an option. Now what does that say about the vanity of society?
Comment: Great story. Go the nerdettes. As a woman in the software developement field, it's been a great place to be - your brain really matters more than your looks. One of the great things about science, engineering and technology - is that it often doesn't matter how you look or what you wear - it really is about the work you can produce. As more and more women go into and stay in the field, hopefully those last vestiges of "sexual harassment" will disappear. Check out GirlMogul's Computer Geek shirt http://www.girlmogul.com/computer-geek.html for your own Girl Geek apparel
Comment: I am happy to see that the Nerdette group featured here are having fun with this "looks vs brains" culture that we still live in today. Women have been working on breaking through the glass ceiling for many years, not only in business but in all realms deemed "Men's" by society.. When I was a young teen I was told that since I was pretty, I should focus on trying to marry a rich man. I didn't, instead I married the class clown that used to call me a geek and cheat off me in class. I am turning 40 this summer, have been married for 19 years, have a beautiful & smart daughter, have a sucessful job typically held by a Man and up until 7 years ago I modeled once in a while for a beach boutique. Why model? Because I could. My husband still calls me a "Geek" but with a smile and usually when I am working on the computer, programming some new gadget that he has purchased or enthusiastically trying to explain the wonders of the universe to my 7 year old.
Keep it up girls!
Comment: What a sad commentary, that even WOMEN (Girls? come on! They are all grown up, dearies!) this "smart" are still equating "feminine" with being a sex objects. No matter how smart we may be, in this society our worth as human beings always comes down to how much we are willing to conform to media expectations of "femaleness": being eye candy to please men. I think they need to balance their Diffy Qs classes with a few women's studies and critical theory classes. This breaks my heart.
As a 37-year-old nerd woman raised on Kristy McNIcol instead of Brittany spears, I scream from the mountain tops: I hate this retro-generation. i hope they all get syphilis and have body parts fall off. Over and over, they think they are breaking boundaries, but they really take us right back to 1950s stereotypes of "feminine" and "masculine." And yes, there were she-geeks in the 50s and earlier. Look up Grace Murray Hopper. She didn't need to pose in a bikini to be cool.
Comment: I completely agree with you. The article mentions that this is the first generation of women that embraces "hotness and brains" but, really, women engineering students have been doing for at least 10 years (when I was in undergrad, all my chem. eng. girlfriends were just as feminine was early education majors). As a chemical engineer (almost) Ph.D. I am all about having more women in sciences and engineering, but I still don't like that we need to be both hot and smart. Men never had to meet both standards. Also, the article mentions that although the number of women in sci/eng majors is increasing, almost half of them don't stick with it in the work force. I wonder what is going to happen to "Nerd Girls" when they leave the shelter of Tuffts University and meet the real world.
I do agree with a comment of one of the students in the video that men that are intimidated by smart women are not worth thinking about. (Again, not the breakthrough of the century).
Go Nerd Girls if they can get more women to stick with engineering and sciences.
Comment: Jeez, no matter how much you disagree with someone on their choice of clothing and attitude, what kind of person wishes others a sickness as severe as syphillis and hopes for innocents loss of appendages. I think you may have some internal demons to slay before hurling curses and judgement on others.
Comment: Sounds to me like someone is a little sour that they have the brains and not the body. If someone gave you
the time of the day and attention that you obviously crave i bet you would have a whole new look at your
little tiny life. And by the way if you are such a genius you should know that syphilis does not make body
parts fall off it affects the brain She-man!!!
Comment: I agree with Isis. I'm educated and attractive but it still irritates me when people seem shocked that I can be both. It's not a new thing! Millions of women all over the world, currently and in the past, have been both attractive and brainy. It's not always one or the other. It hasn't been for men, so why women? This article is like, "Surprise! Hot women can be smart!" Duh. What a stupid article.
Comment: Amen, Summer.
I'm in the same boat with many of these other intellegent women. I nearly bowled over a friend once when I was able to follow along with a desciption on exactly how a hard drive works and rough out how the code for a program should go. I found it pretty frustrating when I was constantly receiveing comments during my undergrad about how they couldn't believe I was in a technical field, since I looked like I should be in business/liberal arts/etc. He're to all the other ladies who find themselves educated, attractive and single since all the guys that are enchanted by our looks are intimidated by our intellects. So sad, but their loss. ;) Incidentally, what was so bad about the 1950's? Bring on the Soda shops and the poodle skirts, says I!
Comment: danica mckellar: http://danicamckellar.net/danica_mckellar_31.jpg
ellen spertus: http://www.chaseclub.com/sexiest_geek500x335.jpg (this is sexy in ANY context??)
DO NOT WANT ANYTHING MODELED AFTER THIS
