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"Science, it's a girl thing!" says EU Commission, holding lipstick and bunsen burner

If we cut between them really fast, they look like the same thing!

By Martha Gill Published 22 June 2012 12:09

Science, it's a girl thing! Photograph: Getty Images

Three women march towards the camera, immaculate in high heels and mini dresses. They pause to smoulder in an end-of-the-catwalk way at a man in a lab coat, who looks up from his microscope (startled? In awe?) at these confident young minxes. The camera focuses in on one of their shoes.

The video continues, cutting between a fashion shoot and "science things" (which include a big letter H with the word 'hydrogen' next to it) really really fast. Look girls, they're basically the same thing!

Believe it or not, this is a video from the EU Commission which is trying to overcome stereotypes about women. It's trying to get women into science. The guy in the lab coat is actually supposed to be thinking "oh no, these women are going to take my job". He's supposed to be thinking "wow, I never thought of women being scientists before, but now I see them in the lab, doing catwalking, I can really visualise it".

The EU Commission may as well have put a lipstick on a string, and filmed 18 year old models doing a belly crawl after it from the nail parlour (or wherever they would normally be) to the lab bench. But that's not what they think they're doing:

“We want to overturn clichés and show women and girls, and boys too, that science is not about old men in white coats," said Geoghegan-Quinn, European Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels yesterday.

She said that the "Science, it's a girl thing!" video is a taster for a campaign to get more girls into science, and that the campaign will cover 27 EU member states for the next three years. Cover them with pink, sparkly, make-up related science.

To be fair to the EU Commission, flagrant hypocritical misogyny is something gender-targeted campaigns have always had to skirt around.

It's like this: "We're trying to overcome stereotypes. Yet we're targeting a whole gender - women in general. We need to find a way to appeal to the whole of womenkind. Yet we don't want to use stereotypes. Yet we need to appeal to a whole gender. Yet we don't want to use stereotypes."

It's difficult. Solution? Don't do it. This kind of campaign insults women who are interested in science already and can more than hold their own with the boys. They're the ones we need to think about.

UPDATE: Great summary from James Monk:

UPDATE 23.06.2012 13.10: The original video has been made private on YouTube, but you can still watch it as part of (female) astronomer Dr Meghan Grey's reaction vlog here:

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31 comments

Fri, 2012-07-06 10:03 — Priya (not verified)

The video fails to challenge the stereotype of women generally, but does challenge the stereotype of women in science. This video doesn't work for women already in science, but might it get girls, and I think the emphasis is on girls, who arent interested in science slightly curious.

A video to encourage girls into science should really focus on what science is about, that would be honest marketing.

What's cool about science is the question, and how can we encourage more girls into science (and by the way I think biology is doing fine, and the focus is on physics and chemistry).

Wed, 2012-07-18 12:42 — Ely4080 (not verified)

As a 18 year old girl who's already interested in science this is a big turn-off.

And seriously, science is a complex profession; do scientists really need vapid woman who only got in it because of the glitter and the glamour? I'm not saying that you can't be girly and a scientist; I'm quite girly. But girls surely are going to be disappointed when they see science it's not exactly the msot glamurous pofession there is, especially when i imagine you can't even use blush in a lab for fear of contaminating samples or that using heels in a Chemistry lab is just a disaster waiting to happen.

I did a small (and quite unscientific if I do say so myself) survey in school amongs the GCSE years since it was such a big controversy that even several, and although I got surprisingly smart and eloquent answers amongst both girls and boys about the meaning of this ad, one boy summed it up pretty well: "This is f*cking stupid.

I think that if you're not even reaching your marketing audiences, it's a FAIL. Not to mention vapid and patronising.

Mon, 2012-07-02 01:05 — TRDF (not verified)

Here in Australia there's been a huge push to engage kids with Science all the way through from Pre-Primary. The Australian Academy of Science has developed a fantastic teacher resource that makes it really easy to teach Science. The lessons are very different from the old days!

reading problems

Fri, 2012-06-29 07:24 — Lover of intelligent women (not verified)

That Meghan Grey is hot!!!!!

Fri, 2012-06-29 07:23 — Lover of intelligent women (not verified)

That Meghan Grey is hot!!!!!

Thu, 2012-06-28 13:49 — Doly (not verified)

I gather that this video was meant to get young girls into science. I used to teach science at secondary school, and I kind of see where they're coming from. There is a rather common type of girly girl that believes that (a) Fashion is the most important thing in the world and (b) Science isn't fashionable. Therefore, (c) No reason to try to do well at science.

I mean, you may think that this video patronizes women, but that by implication indicates that you patronize to hell women who are into fashion. Which keeps the stereotype that if you are into fashion, you can't be into science (and possibly, you couldn't be intelligent). Not many men care for fashion, but a lot of women do. So that potentially reduces the scope of girls that get into science for no good reason, which is what this video probably tries to address.

A friend of mine, who is an engineer, makes a point of wearing long skirts and Indian clothes, which are her fashion choice. I personally think that long skirts and machines don't go well together, but I assume that she doesn't wear them when there's any sort of health & safety issue. But I know she's taking a risk, because certain people's stereotypes are that somebody who cares too much for their looks can't possibly do good science.

Thu, 2012-06-28 10:50 — hugh markey (not verified)

The perfect role-model - Angela Merkel.
Former East German chemist who makes it big in Greater Germany ending up as Chancellor.
What a career! Can you better it? Just so long as Angela did not work in the cosmetics industry. Hardly likely. East Germany was not into beauty products.
By the by, Narcissus was male, ladies. It seems women have a sense of perspective - men just don't.

Self-Centred

Wed, 2012-06-27 15:05 — Dustsister (not verified)

Science is dead.

Wed, 2012-06-27 15:05 — Dustsister (not verified)

Science is dead.

Tue, 2012-06-26 11:27 — Appalled (not verified)

Insulting and patronising on so many levels.

It appears that insulting women is not a new thing for the agency that made the film. They are equal-opportunity insulters.

Here they are pissing off women athletes everywhere: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=n_RgFa9LXik

Sat, 2012-06-23 20:14 — Callahan Adrian (not verified)

my buddy's half-sister brought home $14471 past month. she been making cash on the computer and bought a $414500 condo. All she did was get lucky and work up the clues laid out on this web page Http://lazycash24.com

Mon, 2012-07-16 16:53 — SoupWaiter (not verified)

is she a scientist? are you? bugger off and take your crap website with you

Sun, 2012-06-24 01:20 — Spondulicks (not verified)

Fuck off.

Sat, 2012-06-23 19:35 — Tim Holt (not verified)

My response: http://holtthink.tumblr.com/post/25727828303
Perhaps you are looking at it incorrectly. Besides, aren't scientists supposed to collect all the data before making a decision?

Sat, 2012-06-23 09:39 — @weenwee (not verified)

The response videos have already begun: http://youtu.be/5vyAWyAUHpI

It could have been such an amazing opportunity to really talk about women in science. Well, at least we're talking...

Sat, 2012-06-23 09:37 — @weenwee (not verified)

The response videos have already begun: http://youtu.be/5vyAWyAUHpI

It could have been such an amazing opportunity to really talk about women in science. Well, at least we're talking...

Fri, 2012-06-22 19:20 — McMac

Fantastic diagram!

One thing. Not all 'MORE than hold their own with the boys'

I've worked with many women engineers and scientists and some have been very good, some very bad, and some in the middle...you know...just like real people. Why do women have to be portrayed as some sort of super-being who can do anything "at least as well as any man". Science and engineering make for challenging careers, and anyone entering will be up against the brightest slice of the population.

I've seen first hand the problems and disappointments that can be caused when groups of young up and coming engineers get indoctrinated into believing they're going to do better than all the boys.

Sun, 2012-07-01 06:33 — Mercury (not verified)

I think the idea is that women are equal to men. That means, yeah, they are at least as capable as a man of doing anything, even science. It doesn't mean they're super beings. It means a women has as good a chance as a man does of succeeding. Some women will be awesome at science--I'd say Marie Curie "more than held her own with the boys"--and some will not. Some men will be awesome at science, and some will not. The point is that the gender isn't the issue, it's the science aptitude, which will naturally vary from individual to individual.

Fri, 2012-06-22 19:37 — GiantRolo (not verified)

If this thread had a 'like' button, I would be liking the sh*t out of your comment right now.

Fri, 2012-06-22 18:37 — laurence (not verified)

Oh, yes. Of course. If I was a woman this would definitely convince me to pursue a career in science.
Good god, I hate the world we live in, sometimes.
What I'm failing to understand is what the hell those dresses, or heels or any of that stupid display had to do with science. No, wait. What I'm really failing to understand is who they are trying to appeal to. It really amazes me how stupid the people in charge of campaigns can be. The people who are supposed to be the professionals at this kind of thing. Honestly, I don't think any women were involved in creating this idea. If there were, then they must have been sleeping throughout the whole meeting.

Fri, 2012-06-22 18:12 — Research Associate (not verified)

I know that I had a really hard time finding cutesie outfits and putting on lipstick before I got my Master's in Biotechnology.

I still can't walk in shoes like that, I guess that's part of the Doctoral program.

I'm sure those ladies would look just as fab in laboratory appropriate PPE.

Fri, 2012-06-22 17:10 — Suzanne (not verified)

Are they telling me that unless I wear high heels and make up that science is not for me? Damn, I thought I was safe here!

Sun, 2012-06-24 22:02 — Lee Ann (not verified)

Seriously! All this time I thought the lack of a "high heels" requirement in engineering was a plus!

Fri, 2012-06-22 17:10 — Suzanne (not verified)

Are they telling me that unless I wear high heels and make up that science is not for me? Damn, I thought I was safe here!

Fri, 2012-06-22 16:09 — Alex Baldwin

This campaign is pitched strangely. There are already an equal (or greater) number of women as there are men studying PhDs in many areas in science. The gender gap that motivates this campaign must therefore be one that appears at a senior level. The way to deal with that is to support female scientists at those later stages (and hopefully also try to rearrange the many career obstacles at that stage that trip up both genders), rather than to try to make science more appealing to young people in this patronising fashion.

At least they weren't rapping.

Fri, 2012-06-22 16:01 — Jaime6575NS (not verified)

The EU commission seem to have a very old fashioned attitude toward women, lipstick and high heels? If you wore strappy heels in my lab you'd be kicked out due to health and safety regulations... This is so patronising! If they are trying to appeal to all of women kind then show that women can make a difference and be successful in a mainly male-driven field, not show women as shallow make-up and shoe- obsessed eye candy!

Fri, 2012-06-22 16:01 — Jaime6575 (not verified)

Fri, 2012-06-22 15:26 — Jeffrey Baumgartner (not verified)

It is a pity. There are so many (though there could be many more) women doing really interesting work in science in Europe. Surely clips of a few of them talking about what they are doing, with confidence and pride, would have far more impact than that silly video.

Fri, 2012-06-22 15:40 — L (not verified)

Surely clips of a few of them talking about what they are doing, with confidence and pride, would have far more impact than that silly video.

You mean just like the other dozen videos on their Youtube channel? http://www.youtube.com/user/sciencegirlthing

Fri, 2012-06-22 14:01 — Jon Hanna (not verified)

Maybe it was done by someone who literally believes in the story of Eve coming from Adam's rib. It would explain the way both science and women are being represented.