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

[Colonel Dave]

My best friend, Jackie, made my wife a T-shirt that says:
Stupid Girls Are Ugly

I agree wholeheartedly.

Tangentially, I'm right to be afraid that my friend of 30 years gets along so well with my wife of 3 years (depending on whom you ask), aren't I? I mean, my 40th birthday is less than two years away...

[AT]

Go Danica!
I've been impressed by her for years since I first learned that she was a math major and then that she proved a new math theorem. I've heard snippets of updates since. A woman who proves theorems and is published in academic journals and also appears in Maxim (?) is a role model. Amazing.

I was never into math but not because I didn't think it was cool or a girl thing. My mind didn't seem to work that way. Tutors tried. I still run screaming from numbers- except the number 3 because it's the magic number (just listened to Schoolhouse Rocks). Maybe the book would have helped me. Sadly it's about 20 years too late, but I'll still check it out.

However, I can talk computers and blow guys' minds when I mention Linux.

Good job plugging the book!

[Omaru]

Winnie and yourself are a rare breed of Child actor/atress respectively who grew up to become such great role models Wil. It's a shame to watch so many of them try and grow up so fast, and sadly my money is Shia Lebouf and possibly Emma Watson to become the next Party types. I went to Danicas site a year or two ago and i was surprised that she was allowing people with methmatical problems to forward them for her to assisit them with, and wven with the book out I'm sure even now she'll still help people when she gets the time. I have a question though Wil, they say people who tend to excel in English are poor Mathematicians, and vice versa. So, with you being a writer, I wanted to ask if Maths was ever a subject you felt you were lacking in?

[Omaru]

Note: I just realised I started off my previous comment with "Winnie" and not "Danica." So while being inept at english, I can sadly confirm my maths is much worse, and so throug hstupidity have answered my own question.

[Icelander]

I was thinking about this on my way home from work. I don't think you should compare idiots like Paris Hilton to whores.

Whores have jobs.

[Thomas Nixon]

And how cool is it that this unusual (read: odd) book is #59 on Amazon right now. Very cool!

[Kirsten]

I was also impressed that Danica had do so much work in math theory. I have a bachelor's degree in math, but I do applied math, not theoretical. When I hear her talk about her work it goes WAY over my head.

Thanks for bringing up this book. I have a niece who is 3 - this will be a good thing to have for her in a few years.

[angie k]

What an awesome book! I was a math and science geek in middle school (I made the school develop a science club just because I wanted to say I was in one.:)).

I have to say it goes the other way, too. If there are any geeky boys reading this please know that smart is attractive, too. I watched an episode of "Beauty and the Geek" last night and was disgusted. All the guys kept saying things like, "Yeah, I've spent too many years playing D&D -- I don't know how to talk to girls." Hey -- I love D&D so just wrangle up a couple of d20 jokes and we're good to go. Guys don't be fooled by the stupid MTV girls -- hold out for the smart, geeky girls who love science, science fiction, and geeky stuff as much as you do (Or are smart and don't participate but understand your geeky ways.).

Thanks for posting about this book, Wil! And thank you, Danica!

[Thane9]

I was so excited to hear about this book. It's about time. Teen-aged girls (and boys for that matter) need more of this, and less of the high school drop outs like Paris et al.

The interesting (and not very surprising) issue around this is we can open EVERY magazine at the grocery store check out and turn on a myriad of tv to see the latest on Lindsey, Paris, Brittney, but this book hasn't been mentioned once.

She should be on the cover of People this week. It would be a better world.

[gbina]

Dude! I saw this on CNN yesterday. Weird. It kind of freaks me out that you can claim Danica as a friend. Yes, I realize you are a famous actor and author and therefore have connections in that universe, but still...I've come to think of you as somewhat normal and it is weird when normal people know people on CNN.

[Ian Varley]

Did you see the post on God Plays Dice about how Danica is one of the 18 or so people on Earth with a finite Erdos-Bacon number? Now THAT is what I pay you internet people for.

[AmandaB]

I'm relatively cute and definitely smart, but never in math. Despite the best efforts of teachers and tutors, I just never "got" it. My brain is wired to words, not numbers, and I've never looked at that as a shortcoming - I now make a living writing ads for a global software company. Balancing my checkbook is the most extensive use of math I've ever needed in day-to-day life.

I think Danica's book is awesome, and needed as girls typically aren't encouraged or expected to do as well in math and science. But a part of me still feels raw about having to take calculus for a communications major, and performing poorly with an otherwise 4.0 average. I'm all for a liberal, comprehensive education - I just don't understand the scholastic expectation that all people should be able to perform at the same level for certain subjects. Nor do my British English major friends who brag about their focused areas of study.

[ProudTexasWoman]

Gonna brag on my husband a minute now, so have patience, y'all -- A few weeks back we had gone for a walk through a park and were resting afterward when I started whining again about how much I hate that I've gained 90 pounds in the time I've known him; back then, people used to compliment him on his hot girlfriend! He's gorgeous and sweet, and sometimes I feel like people must just be thinking, "Wow, what does this sharp guy see in that dumpy woman?"

So, being in the frame of mind I was in, I shared that with him. Now, the first thing you have to know is that he's as good as any man can be about (a) encouraging me to live in a healthy way and make choices I'll be glad about while (b) not falling into the "Am I fat?" agreement trap. He learned that one fast.

But what he said to me was, "There are dozens of women out there with nice figures and absolutely nothing in their heads. I can't stand them. You've got smarts, you can carry on an interesting conversation, you care about people, and you think the same things are important that I do" -- at which point he did say something encouraging about how if we'd just go walking like that a little more often, the other problem will work itself out, too.

So keep encouraging the girls to believe that, and the boys to remember that, and we'll all be good.

P.S. After reading the blog, I zipped over and e-mailed the book info to a former colleague who's an 8th-grade-math teacher ... the word is spreading!

[Eydie]

While it's great to see support for Danica's book in these comments, I'm troubled that some people think that "cute" and "smart" are either-or options that can't be combined. Not that I'm remotely in Danica's league, but I noticed that in certain circles in SF, where I used to live, I'd get treated like an idiot just because I had on a miniskirt and some lipstick--even though I had just as much to say about Linux or digital media platforms as the ponytailed manatee next to me. At the same time, "smart" is still undervalued--in Beauty And The Geek we're supposed to cheer that the "geek" got the "pretty but dumb" girl. How about the geek (no matter how cute himself) getting the "pretty and smart" chick? Danica proves that a woman can be well-rounded, both desireable and smart. Perhaps that's the first step to eliminate the veiled (and perhaps, in certain cases, unconscious) misogyny that's rampant in the tech and media worlds.