cute and smart is better than cute and dumb

My friend Danica has a new book out, and CNN noticed:

Danica McKellar has a message for girls: Cute and smart is better than cute and dumb.

McKellar, who played Winnie on the 1990s television show "The Wonder Years," is coming out with a book, "Math Doesn't Suck," to encourage girls to get into math.

[...]

The book includes tips to avoid mistakes on homework, ways to overcome test-day anxiety and profiles of three beautiful mathematicians. "I want to tell girls that cute and dumb isn't as good as cute and smart," she said.

FTW, Danica! It's awesome that the Mass Media is paying attention to smart cute girls instead of spoiled stupid whores for a change.

I saw Danica at an audition recently, and she was really excited about this book coming out, because she wants girls to know that it's cool to be smart. If any girls are reading this, I'd like to let you all know that there is nothing sexier than a smart girl. The guys who go for stupid girls? They're fucking losers who will just break your heart and will never respect you. Being smart is cool. Being stupid is embarrassing, despite what you see on the MTV and the YouTube. Listen to me, I'm a wise middle-aged old man now. Also, get off my lawn with your big brains and your hot pants and your culture I don't understand (but understood as recently as the day before yesterday).

You can buy Danica's book through this kickbacktacular link to Amazon. My ever-growing science fiction library thanks you.

Inspired by Danica's observations, I feel compelled to close this post by quoting Dean Wormer: "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

Comments

[Tara]

I always loved math and couldn't understand how people didn't get it. I was often the one in class that would help the other girls out. I'm glad Danika put out this book. Girls that are smart think that their brains are their downfall (speaking from experience). But I never tried that cute and dumb thing. Go Danika!
~~TARA~~

[DavePress]

No kidding...that's kind of been my trouble lately. I've only been dating bright girls: one went to Brown, the other Harvard, and I feel like I'm the stupid one. Also? My college girlfriend said her high school nickname was Winnie because she looked just like Danica.

[DPoem]

How can she be so incredibly brilliant when she's so eye-fryingly beautiful?

It... confuses... me...

Her message is damn solid though. And, I hope people listen, and learn that there are much better role models out there for young girls to look up to than the current crop of boozed-up, brain-dead wastes of air who try to skate through life on their good looks.

Good for Danica.

[rmd]

is it safe to assume you've heard ernest cline's "nerd porn auteur" spoken word rant?

http://www.ernestcline.com/spokenword/Nerd_Porn_Auteur-Ernie_Cline.mp3
i couldn't find the text on ernestcline.com, but did on http://www.ubersonic.org/thread/view/id/66

aww yeah.

[Kristin]

Oh I love this!

I was a girl-geek in a coed public school and was not afraid to speak my mind, but I found that I was in the minority. I saw that pattern reinforced when I started teaching in '97; most girls didn't want to stand out.

Now I teach at an all-girls' school here in LA, and one of the things I have loved the most about transitioning from coed to single-sex education is that the girls aren't as afraid to be smart. I spent nine years watching most of my female students keep their mouths shut (with some notable exceptions, of course!), and though I don't claim single-sex fixes everything, I saw a dramatic difference in my new school last year. Not only do the girls excel in the areas that women are "supposed to" excel in (the arts and humanities), girls at this school run the Robotics team, do all of the tech work for their theatre program, compete in national math and science competitions--it's just great to see them young women who are unafraid of their own brains.

I worry a bit about the "cute" thing, though--if there's one thing my students don't need, it's more pressure to be cute. Still, I'll have to pick up a copy of this book for my classroom and check it out. Thanks for the heads-up!

[ExMember]

I had such an incredible crush on Winnie Cooper as a child. I spent those years wanting to pilot a starship and kiss Winnie Cooper.

I guess that was a key moment when I wanted the latter more than the former.

When I found out Danica McKellar majored in Math at UCLA and was published as an undergrad. . . it still makes my heart race.

[Graham Powell]

Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

[Tim Murtaugh]

Following that "cute and smart" is better, ScienceBlogs.com scooped CNN by a good 6 days on this ;)

http://scienceblogs.com/aetiology/2007/07/danica_mckelllars_math_doesnt.php

[alicein1derland]

Wil... you would know a thing or two about cute and smart girls..... you married one, didn't you???

[Mad William]

Long time fan, first time commenter.

Thank you for sharing this.

This whole country needs to go back to school. It could be that I too am a wise middle-aged old man, but good God man. Some days I want to club people like baby seals for being so stupid.

[Liz]

If you're old, I'm ancient. That's all I have to say about that.

Winnie Cooper was (and is) a much better role model than some of the young ladies (using the term loosely) today's teenage girls have to look up to. Good for Danica. Good for the media for picking up the story, too.

[danamongden]

Wow, I had no idea you were friends with Danica McKellar. I had such a crush on her (i.e. Winnie) when I was in college... which, come to think of it, is a little disturbing as I'm eight years older than her.

Still, I did end up marrying the math-major valedictorian who is still both cute and smart.

[Eric]

That's cool, but the little "horoscope inside" part on the corner of the cover is a turn off. :P

[Icelander]

I just found out that my wife and I are having a daughter. I'm going to be buying this book for her.

[Serene]

I am so happy to read about this.

A quick note: many of my friends are sex workers, and your equation of "whores" with spoiled, stupid women insults the sex workers I know. In fact, at least two of the sex workers I'm acquainted with are also mathematicians. :-)

[Tinkerbettie]

I agree wholeheartedly that girls should have smart women role models, but why does "cute" even factor into the equation? What about just "Smart is better than cute and dumb." It's still all about a woman's appearance, no matter what's between her ears.

[Rafe Telsch]

Lets see... I'm a teacher, I loved Danica when she was on Wonder Years (probably one of my first celebrity "crushes") and I want to help Wil get more sci-fi books. This seems like a win-win-win situation for all. :)

Actually, it would be more win if I could get my copy signed and kissed by Danica... but that's probably asking for too much.

[Elizabeth]

Mmmm...math. I love math. I don't understand how people try to get through their life without it. How do they count change? How do they know they're not being overcharged? How do they know how much paint or grass seed to buy? How do they live with themselves not knowing these things?

[Jack's Raging Mommy]

About ten years ago I volunteered with AmeriCorps. Our program was math and science for seventh grade girls, since research at the time showed that it was the typical age/year girls gave up on those subjects as being uncool, or "too hard".
To this day it's still one of the things I'm proudest of in my life.

[head.fairy]

Elisabeth - we get by. The best day of my life was finding a calculator on my mobile phone!

I struggled really hard with math - right through school and out the other side, but to no avail. I think I am just missing that part of my brain. :-(

[RichL]

Ms McKellar's on the money with that one. Not that there's anything wrong with just being cute, but being smart definitely ups the ante.

I remember being very impressed with her acting skills when she showed up in the West Wing as Joshua Malina's sister a few years back, too.

[sarchix]

I am so going to buy this book for my seven year old daughter who is bombarded with the "dumb girl" images. She is currently working on her summer math packet and I didn't tell her to do it at all. She decided to do it by herself!

[AngieZ]

Wil, thanks SO much for sharing this. I am going out today to Chapters to pre-order this book (in Canada it says released Aug 7) for my daughter Danica (named after Ms McKellar, incidentally), who's going into grade 8 and who thinks math is boring (though she's a natural). Sorry I can't order through your Amazon link, but I have no credit cards (amazingly, it IS possible to live without them - barely).

I noticed some negative comments about the 'cute' aspect and the magazine style (like the horoscope), but I personally think that that's is a big selling point. Not that I necessarily want my daughters to feel they have to be 'cute', but it's a 'necessary' sell at this time - my daughters spend a huge portion of their money on teen magazines (despite my disgust), and something about that format obviously appeals to them, so I think it's a perfect way to introduce them to the concept that math is not just a guy thing. Trust me that I have fought the media since my first daughter, Darien, was born (yes, to the point of giving her a "boy's" name and buying her 'hot wheels' and star wars figures along side barbies), and I've role-modeled the confident, independent, intelligent woman for them, but media and peer pressure still had/have a huge effect. If this book format is what it takes to open their eyes to the concept that girls can/should be smart (as well as cute) and can do well at math, then I'm all for it! I hope Ms McKellar is now working on a science book of the same sort! Maybe a spin-off magazine?!

[Ian McKinney]

Wow ... Danica McKellar. I think I'm in love all over again ...

[alikitty619]

I think it's about freakin' time someone stood up and said "Smart is beautiful".