The video was no worse then any makeup ad on TV. Actually, it looks more like an ad for a makeup/ chemist company then a science serious video.

A for effort though.

Um, I think maybe those weren't really models but just young girls, like, teenagers or even pre-teens. Thus, pretty toned down in the way of sex and all.

Looks to me like the video's targeting an audience of teenage girls or younger, trying to lure them in with the shiny colorful makeup stuff to give science an anti-nerd look? Trying to say "you can be a girly-girl and still scientific."

Then they throw in a cute science-guy for added appeal.

Those girls look pretty young to me.

Weeeellllllll, Alan, I think I have to agree with Ted on this one. I didn't see anything overtly sexual or demeaning about the short musical clip. I think it's just trying to expose girls to science using pop culture techniques and if it works, it's a good thing.

Geeez, after reading the story I was expecting something a little more salacious. Imagine my disappointment.

Now, I'm all for women's rights and equality and all that stuff and I was all ready to get righteously outraged, but I just didn't see anything to be offended by. Nothing wrong with being a girly-girl while splitting that atom or finding a cure for the common cold. It's cool, girlfriend.

Chill out Dude, don't go all stodgy-fuddy-duddy-grandpa on us bro! Science: It's a girl THANG! Get it?

I made it 15 seconds. The only mark of realism was the girl writing formulas on the dry erase. Where they went off the rails was the heels, lipstick and eyeshadow. Because the only way you can interest girls and women to choose science is to dangle high-fashion in front of them? No.
They really should be able to do better than that.

They enjoy the Morgan Freeman Science Channel episodes greatly.

Who cares about Morgan Freeman? Amy Mainzer on the Universe series, yowza!

I care about Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman because it's a great science series and because Morgan Freeman has a great voice. ;-)

If I hadn't read the article or heard the "science is a girl thing" at the end..... I wouldn't have known this was meant to get girls interested in the science field. I felt like I was watching a makeup commercial. This is the most misleading video I have watched in a while. It's sad how our society keeps treating girls as if the only thing we are interested in is how we look.

I feel like they could have created a better, more realistic, video and still get the target audience interested.

socraticFun: I agree with you about the bimbos in training thing. It's a sad thing but true.

Actually I like him too but the universe series has some damn hot female astronomers and physicists.

I could not watch it. Just the idea of it. Hey women have minds and they are 1/2 the human race. To see a real cool young female scientist Google 'ERV abbie'. You learn a lot from her.

from the article "Now I'm waiting for the parody video, "Science: It's a Guy Thing," which will have Chippendale male dancers"

The video would be of men working in near isolation late at night, on weekends for their entire career.

Actually I like him too but the universe series has some damn hot female astronomers and physicists.

Ok, I admit it. I love to look at Michio Kaku. The man is gorgeous and soo brilliant.

Hahahah..... drying the tears from my eyes.... Alan... I have to agree with most of the posts... This is the real deal with the video... This is what happens when a respectable science group (who knows nothing about marketing) hires a "famous" advertising group (who knows nothing about science) and ask them to create a spot. This "professional advertising" group then make a "television" worthy spot with the blessing of their client and .... TADA you get Lipstick = MC2 over Heels. It just completely fails at so many levels and is desperately in need of a redeux.

It portrays all of the stereotypical views of women and somehow says that those stereotypical women would make good scientists. If I'd have seen this without set up I'd have thought this was a high-school geek's dream video not promoting women in science.

We found an interesting science/math show on Netflix. Between the Folds, about oragami and the genius behind it. Check it out. It's beautiful and amazing.
Around our home we're big on the nature documentaries, Through the Wormhole, history channel and the like.

What about The Big Bang Theory TV series? I've only watched about 5 min. and I couldn't take it anymore. I do know that a blond bimbo hangs out with immature guys who act as if they're still in high school. I hope that's a stereotype or is it meant to be some sort of humor about getting rid of the stereotype? It reminds me of the movie Weird Science. Smart men aren't so great if they act like teenagers. IMO, a geek doesn't have to be silly.

As far as Michio Kaku being gorgeous, a lot of women would be attracted to a man who looks like a dog as look as he's super brilliant and mature. A Mr. Spock would be a good example.

I hope most realize I'm joking about some of this but not Mr Spock. I would never joke about him. He's sacred.

Alan - thanks for bringing attention to this.

There's definitely something wrong with this type of video. It's glorifying the same stereotypes that women face in other professional realms and perpetuating them into the realm of science - where those stereotypes generally don't make a difference. Interesting, reproducible results make good science - glamour and aesthetics most certainly do not.

Here's the problem: Encouraging women to become involved in science by deifying some superficial model-version of a woman only places value on that superficial aesthetic - not the very real need for greater diversity in the scientific community. Science needs more women who are driven by the endeavor and results that scientific careers offer - not people who are driven by the "image" of what they are told a scientist can/should look like.

If a man or a woman wants to dress up, be glamorous, or whatever, that's fine. And if they want to engage in science, that's great too; the two desires are not mutually exclusive. The issue is that this type of advertisement says "hey, women! Being a scientist can make you sexy! You should be a scientist!" and thus promulgates the societal pressures upon women to look or behave a certain way.

Somebody above unintentionally made this point by comparing this ad to what you see in makeup ads. Makeup ads are meant to sell an image of ideal beauty to customers, and transitively promote a cosmetic product. This ad is doing the same thing by promoting an irrelevant and potentially dangerous image of women in science instead of promoting the value of the work done by all scientists (women and men). That inherent value should be the motivating factor, not some posh montage.

The scientific community certainly has gender inequality that needs to be addressed. But the trend won't be reversed in a meaningful way by selling images. The community will more likely exhibit greater gender equality as more women from around the world receive quality educations in math and science, and a more even ratio of men:women are brought up valuing scientific inquiry. Did it ever occur to these ad-gurus that the very reason for a gender gap might be that, for years, idealized images of women have been championed as prerequisites for success instead of the education, skills, and intellectual curiosity necessary to actually succeed in science?

Meh, I feel it's on the same playing field with watching The Big Bang Theory.

...which is one of my favorite shows.

Except that show could have a serious reduction in the amount of time spent towards sex talk - something that this video didn't fall victim to.

Uh...the video makes absolutely no sense.

"Where's the science?" Sure cute babe's acting sexy are a dime a dozen. . So what. . For that matter, where's the beef?

You know your 50 when: you are looking at a new Harley, with a scantily clad babe draped on it and you say "...loose the babe so I can see the bike..."

...

I have to agree Darrah .... ; )

...

Are you kidding me? Science IS hip and stylish-think of all of the advances we've made over the last sixty years in every scientific field of study that has made us more aware of our planet and of the space beyond our solar systems, and to the very depths of the ocean, understanding how exactly our exact existence came into being. In a few short years we're going to be able to cure the diseases that killed our ancestors. I would personally like to see a cure for Alzheimers. I agree that it's okay to have different interests, that's totally fine, we're not all the same person, but why would you not want to interest women in science, even if the particular pitch is cheesy and overrated? Someone female might have a different approach to something and see something that everyone has been staring at for years and not have quite noticed. Why can't a fresh pair of eyes and a different thought pattern come from a woman?

Most people never look stylish in a lab coat, closed toed shoes, and goggles...but lab regulations (in labs working with biologicals or chemicals as in the video) require them. After work, they can dress however they want but why create a false image that actually does not exist in science because if people are drawn in because of this video, they will be disappointed to find out that this video is fantasy and not reality.

My issue with this video is that it shows more of the makeup and high heels than it does of the science. Have the girls sit down at the table, actually look into the microscope, a bit more of those writing-equations shots, and perhaps put on a lab coat over their cute dress and THEN I will take it seriously as a "getting-girls-involved-in-science" schtick.
(BTW, I am a girl studying science, and all it took to get me psyched was a rocket launch :) )

LOL

Yeah, because a video showing long hours in the lab, writing technical papers and piles of books on tables is really going to get them interested in science.

The main problem is that the schools and parents themselves have little regard or respect for the benefits of science and are incapable of passing it's value down to our children. Better to send them to another country for their schooling where they are not constantly immersed in such a trashy culture in the first place.

By the way, I'm a scientist too, and it's unfortunate but true that very few females can break into the culture and be treated with respect, much less as equals.

Well, the main focus of the video I suggested was not the long hours nor writing (though that is a big part of it) but in the rewards for doing science...in discovery and in finding something new to humanity that will stand for all of humanity now and in the future.

I think the bottom line is that ultimately, it does come down to culture and a culture that puts emphasis on celebrity rather than knowledge and education. So, then the question is if other countries can excel in science and math with making a video like that because their culture puts high value on science and math and in the culture of the United States, we do not, why try to bring science down to the level of the culture instead of raise the culture up to the level of science?

Look at me writing comments when there is science to do...I have to get back to writing on my own.

JRS is right. Many girls that have no intention of leading the life of a chemical or software engineer are pushed into pursuing such a degree because they were able to complete some science coursework. The truth is that most great engineers and scientists were already immersed in their specialty before puberty. Why put out a huge effort to interest girls in science when a smaller effort would help more boys get into science? Don't universities now have a gender balance problem with 60% of degrees collected by girls?

Science is hard, and you can't draw people into it. It's just not as sexy as being on Survivor. Either you have an insatiable appetite to discover the truth of the universe, or you don't.

Anyone who's drawn into science by a video isn't going to give us good science. They'll give us more conflicting reports on whether knuckle-cracking causes arthritis. ("It does!" "It doesn't!" "It does!" "It doesn't!" "Wait ... it really doesn't.") They'll give us more science on whether or not cigarettes shorten your lifespan (Guess what? They DO.)

We have enough crap science already. Don't draw more losers into the field. Send them into law or business where they belong.

Yet, Science itself is not considered sexy in the other countries you refer to yet they excel at science and math because of the culture there putting a high value on knowledge and education.

Making science try to adapt to our culture is not the solution because making science sexy is not why we would want to attract someone to science. In science, making it look good does not matter if you got it wrong. Instead, the culture should adapt to science and focus on placing a higher value on education and knowledge rather than sex. Otherwise, you are just trying to bring down science to the level of the culture instead of raising the culture to the level of science.

Think about it...science is elegant and has a beauty in it all by itself through the idea that humans have the ability to study the world and describe it mathematically and use science to create all sorts of things that are derived from otherwise hidden mysteries of the universe. Science is for all of humanity, above cultures or politics...after all, Einstein said "A mathematical equation stands forever." so why not "sell science" for what it is, something to strive for and make a difference not just in your lifetime but in all generations of human existence that follows, and not bring it down to the level of the culture which one is trying to escape.

Mjolner-889746 wrote "America's unhealthy attraction to entertainers and sports figures is making our youth incredibly stupid."

That's what the European Commission thought when it made a science recruiting video for girls. They forgot the kick to the crotch with a pink high heel for humor.

You're right, it shouldn't need to be made up to be made attractive. Science should be viewed as the tools of investigative research, potentially leading to the improvement of the human condition.

Unfortunately in this country, presenting it in this light, and getting our kids to see the value it represents is an uphill battle. The problem is the selfish, entertainment-based and instant satisfaction culture pumped into our youth non-stop, not science itself.

But, I still believe that science can be made extremely interesting, can demonstrate how all of our lives can be improved by it and how the advancement of science is undeniably mankind's greatest gift to the future. This may not be the definition of "sexy" but it's certainly seductive, at least to those with an inquiring intellect.

I checked again and was able to watch it. Pink, pink, pink.

It was worse than I thought.

Really, all they need to show the girls to get them excited about science are the cute scientist guys :)
In all seriousness though, I'm one of very few girls in my engineering classes, and also one of the even fewer girls who aren't Asian. Most of the other girls in my classes are international students from China or India. Meanwhile, all the other white girls fill up the liberal arts classes with nary a guy in sight.

That's not me.

I get plenty of male attention, sometimes a little more than I want. But I've also learned a very important life skill: how to deal with guys. Trust me, guys are in awe of a girl who will simply speak to them, with no BS about flirting or any sort of deference to their manliness. Guys seem to like me more when I come up with the ideas, when I take charge, and when I challenge them and engage with them. They sure as hell respect me - I make certain of that. I don't take any crap from them, and in return, they don't get it from me.

I actually think that its the fear of taking classes where they won't be surrounded by their girlfriends that makes some girls so afraid of science. We've created such a gender-divided society where the only interaction between male and female should be sexual, that it really limits the possibilities for co-education. This video is part of the problem - the "sexiness" may have been toned down for a younger audience, but the message was still there: the appearance matters more. That is exactly the WRONG message to send if the intent is to get girls to actually use their brains. It's entirely counterproductive.

Science has to seek and express truth, and it's a truth that concern about one's appearance is at least a bit more valued in females than in males, generally. If this is the reverse of many species, where the males engage in more displaying behavior than females, it might represent a kind of compensation: if the female is to be the passive recipient of DNA during mating, it behooves her to attract the activity of her mate. The culture of feminine beauty would correspond with the human trait of self-awareness, whereby we intentionally do things to amplify behaviors which, in other creatures, are instinctual and automatic, so to speak.

rjh4509 wrote "I actually think that its the fear of taking classes where they won't be surrounded by their girlfriends that makes some girls so afraid of science."

No, most girls are scared of pursuing a difficult major, which is why the # of degrees awarded in Psychology, Sociology, Education and general Humanities has exploded over the last 30 years. I've never heard of anyone dropping out of psychology and switching majors to engineering.

In addition, male narcissism is more apt to be expressed by pride in what they can DO, such as master a "difficult" subject, and female narcissism is more often satisfied by how they can BE beautiful and attractive as objects. (Not that there isn't plenty of room for both, in both genders.)

If you take science classes like chem, organic chem, biochem, physics etc you'll often find at many major universities that they are made up of 55 to 65% women these days. However, the majority of smart women are going into medicine and are not going into the core sciences. Why should they be a physicist or engineer when they can be a surgeon and make half a million dollars plus a year?

If you look at the video advertisers perspective of creativity ....

It's kind of cool ....

I know I couldn't have made a better video ....

It was creative and a bit artistic ....

But did they get their message across the best way they could have .... ??

Whaat? lol

Check into "The Cosmic Log" a bit more often and you'll see how diverse Alan's articles really are ....

Funny how this article may have cut into your possible billion things to worry about and allowed you to stop here for a bit and make that negative type comment ....

Go to "The Cosmic Log" home page and check out some of the articles Alan has posted ....

And that "get a life comment" was uncalled for ....

Ben ... Alan's a big boy, he can take a bit of joshing, and yes on balance this blog spot is well worth visiting.

reterry

Alan Boyle ... jeez, buddy, get a life!

There are like at least 1 billion more important things to worry about than this charming bit o' whimsy.

At first I thought you were serious and was going to ask if you were taking a 5min. break at your important job at the Pentagon. Then I thought maybe you were kidding.

We long timers like to defend Alan and the Cosmic Log.

Then I clearly missed the joshing around in your post , reterry ....

I'm glad to see you say ....

"and yes on balance this blog spot is well worth visiting"

"The Cosmic Log" , is always a must stop by when browsing ....

Take care , have fun ....

Yeah, Ben. It was hard to tell because the comment came out swinging. I was a couple of seconds away from posting last night when I first saw Terry's comment. I had to read it several times and am still wondering... KD, I suppose. lol

I don't want to brag, but I think the two of us are Alan's biggest fans in the universe. If he were about to fall from the Space Needle, I would use my super power to save him (unless you wanted to.) But I would sweep him out of your arms when y'all got on solid ground.

reterry's reply to my comment was very civilized and clear ....

We do enjoy this spot on the web quite a bit ....

You longer than myself ....

It's allot of pleasure keeping up with so many diverse science type articles that Alan posts ....

If you ever injure yourself saving Alan , and need "Aleve" , just let me know .... "LOL"

better yet, show actual women scientists and engineers on video as SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, has done here: spie.org/x84512.xml

peterh-6252063, that has been tried for more than 30 years and does not work at all.

Well SheProf a lass after me own heart ye are. We need more women in physics because you think a little differently and choose paths of analysis differently. And, if you want to make your approach into a "girl thing", that's cool too.

Ultimately the work gets tested by Mother (nature, that renowned bitch) anyway and logic is logic, but the creativity to spawn progress should never be forced into a gender paradigm. I think that is at the root of the self proclaimed "stodgy-ness" admitted by Alan Boyle.

Well , that sounds like a nice compliment to the teens of today Darrah ....

Then maybe the producers of that video are much older than teens and didn't consult teens or didn't have them critique their video before they released it ....

It is what it is ....

Good or bad ....

Or better luck on their next one .... "LOL"

The girl teens I've seen aren't as into the "pink" attitude as they use to be. Of course there are some who hang out at the mall and run around making fun of anybody in their 20s and older. Guys do it too. There are quite a few mean girls and bullies of both sexes. That doesn't mean that the science minded shouldn't be at the mall either and it doesn't mean that geeks can't be mean. They definitely can.

For a long time, the boys in science wanted to push girls off to the side and treat them either as sex symbols or female geeks with thick glasses and no makeup. Whatever made the guys feel safe. So some men in society have been responsible for the "No girls allowed" attitude. It's no wonder that some girls and women feel that maybe they shouldn't even try. That's how I felt all through school, that science was only for guys. I would have loved being in the lab and not because of they guys but because I wanted to learn about science. So it's not that girls aren't interested. Society and men are to blame as well as this stupid video.

Boys and men who love science: stop treating girls and women if they don't belong in science labs unless they're sexy and good looking or if the girls are going to be boring as hell if they don't surround themselves by pink. Pink is a great color and makes for good cotton candy but it's an attitude too. Think Barbie pink plastic.

I like that one too , Darrah ....

And I have to say that for the most part , you are right ....

Funny how I always liked to sign up for art classes because there were always lots of girls in them ....

Whoooooops ........ ; )

So that was you sitting near me in art class. You probably saw that I couldn't even draw a vase. lol

When the male teacher looked at mine, he put his right hand on his chin and stuck his nose a little higher up in the air and coughed.

I never went back. lol

That's deep ....

LOL

That's knee deep.

Or knee slapping deep .... "LOL"

Never heard of that one but I've heard of "slap dab in the middle."

Hopefully Alan will give us more articles like this. "Great Tits" was interesting too. Do you see a pattern here? lol

Darrah ..... "LOL"

That one had me go back to see the video again .... "LOL"

I got your pun , I'm still smiling big ....

For those who don't get Darrah's pun , here's the link to see "The Great Tit" , I hope it works ....

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/12/12189300-scientists-map-facebook-for-birds?__utma=154396583.1048961825.1337485155.1340496156.1340501106.168&__utmb=154396583.4.10.1340501106&__utmc=154396583&__utmx=-&__utmz=154396583.1340501106.168.102.utmcsr=msnbc.msn.com|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/id/47934760/ns/us_news-christian_science_monitor/&__utmv=154396583.|8=Earned%20By=newsvine%7Cworld%20news=1^12=Landing%20Content=Original=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=world-news.newsvine.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Internal%20to%20Original=1&__utmk=56297195