At the time, I didn't think too much of it. Yes, my nieces are normally wearing their princess dresses and "slippers" (high heels for toddlers - crazy!) and singing the Frozen soundtrack with not only the lyrics memorized, but also a choreographed dance, so it was refreshing to see that this was their new favorite show - a show with no princesses.
The premise is a family of space travelers that work for the space transportation system. The lead role is taken by a young boy (Miles), the brother, who seeks adventure and loves to solve space conundrums. He couldn't do it alone, his super smart sister is beside him during their adventures. She can code, and is the programmer for the family using her smarts to help solve the issues they encounter. Their mom is the captain of the ship. The dad is more of a support beam.
This team of problem solvers was not just thought up on a magical whim in the writing room at Disney, it was an intentional move by Disney Junior, Google and NASA to inspire young girls to take interest in science.
Research has shown that we are highly influenced by media, especially at a young age. Despite our approval, we've been influenced by the world of advertising and marketing from before we can remember. From our first moments of life, socializations add the pressure of who we are supposed to be. Without challenging these socializations, they can go unnoticed for an entire lifetime and stereotypes are reinforced. Hence, girly girls and boy-y boys.
I'm reminded of an interview I recently heard on FreshAir with the director of the movie Bridesmaids
This team of problem solvers was not just thought up on a magical whim in the writing room at Disney, it was an intentional move by Disney Junior, Google and NASA to inspire young girls to take interest in science.
Research has shown that we are highly influenced by media, especially at a young age. Despite our approval, we've been influenced by the world of advertising and marketing from before we can remember. From our first moments of life, socializations add the pressure of who we are supposed to be. Without challenging these socializations, they can go unnoticed for an entire lifetime and stereotypes are reinforced. Hence, girly girls and boy-y boys.
I'm reminded of an interview I recently heard on FreshAir with the director of the movie Bridesmaids
and the new Ghostbusters with the all female cast. He talked about the lack of female lead roles in comedies. He saw it as a tragedy in our culture, generating so much wasted talent. We put such funny women in secondary roles and make them the "nagging wife" or "the mean girl."
The same goes for scientists. If these kids are the future of technology and science in the US, why not encourage girls just as much as boys to explore. That gives us twice the odds of having the next big idea! (OK I dunno that for sure, Dr. Winters will have to check my math on that - but you get the point).
I heart this movement that encourages girls to love on some STEM. As teachers, most of us are girls, keep this in mind. And beware of our own biases.
The same goes for scientists. If these kids are the future of technology and science in the US, why not encourage girls just as much as boys to explore. That gives us twice the odds of having the next big idea! (OK I dunno that for sure, Dr. Winters will have to check my math on that - but you get the point).
I heart this movement that encourages girls to love on some STEM. As teachers, most of us are girls, keep this in mind. And beware of our own biases.
Washington Post recently posted this article:
I was thinking that yesterday when Mr. Swoape was saying that he'd like to see more girls interested in science. We talk about girls or children in general losing interest when it gets into just memorizing terms and not enough hands on time. It's true, but the media also has SO much to do with it. My friend's daughter was watching some show a few years ago and I remember one part..the girl was trying to get a boy to like her, so her friend tells her to pretty much keep her mouth shut because she's so opiniated. The girl tries it, and the boy starts paying more attention to her! I couldn't believe it! And this was a show for kids! Due to the media, so many girls grow up idolizing women for what they're wearing, how they look, how famous they are. They grow up thinking that's what being a girl is about..clothes, make up, looking good, and living the life of the rich and famous. Some of the music videos today are almost pornographic! I heard a 3 year old boy singing, "oh my god..look at her butt" from that Anaconda song." This is what kids are watching and mimicking. It's horrible! I get called a tomboy so much and I hate it. People think I'm not "girly." Girly doesn't mean that everything grosses you out, or you don't want to break a nail, or you wear heels and make up and "girly" clothes. Why does fishing, camping, my love for nature and getting dirty make me a tom"boy"?
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