New Pink Power – WOMEN EMPOWERING WOMEN

WOW!  I haven’t been so excited to read an article on a magazine in a very long time… The article is called "Revenge of the Nerdette" and it’s on the June16 th,2008 issue of Newsweek magazine.  See the whole article at  http://www.newsweek.com/id/140457.

Here we have a whole new generation of girls being proud to call themselves "Nerds" but also claiming their femininity. Until very recently, girls were not allowed to be smart and pretty at the same time.  You were either "smart" or "geeky" and then of course that also meant you were ugly!  or you were a sexy kitten but your brain left a lot to be desired.  Women of my generation (born in the 60s) have had to deal with that stereotype.  So, if you were smart and pretty, people just did not know how to handle it.  Well…. here is to the new generations of girls engineers, and nerd girls, who are enjoying their "smartness" while also why not say it? enjoying their "sexiness".  My hat is off to you girls!!! you will write your own paradigms, and you will change culture!! you will let the world know that this time "literally" you will be able to do "whatever you want" and be "whatever you want to be".

I read the article to my 6-year old girl and my 8-year old son and you would not believe their faces.  First, because they could not understand what was the big deal. After all, they are being raised in a world where they get to see girls in many roles my generation did not get to see.  But then, when my daughter looked at the picture of the girls pictured on the magazine, she said "those girls don’t look like nerds" which gave me a great opportunity to go into the "you can be smart and pretty at the same time" conversation. And then, my 8-year old son said he thought some girls did not like to be smart, and preferred to be seen as just "pretty" and that really got me!! of course that gave me a great opportunity to go into the "you are surrounded by smart and pretty girls so don’t act so shocked!! conversation

So, my hat goes to the girls of this generation that keep striving to "own" their space in the world!!  and to be who they are…. smart!!  strong!! and why not?  also beautiful and "feminine"!!