Girls in Science

Targeted as a way to get girls interested in science, the European Commission decided to create a commercial to inspire women to get careers in science. It got pulled shortly after it was released and the European Commission has received a great deal of criticism about it.

I recently stumbled across this, and felt very disappointed. As a women currently studying Bioengineering, and looking forward in studying it more, this seems like a very strange way to encourage women into science. For me, personally, I just always enjoyed science more so than any other subject in school. Science feels so optimistic all the time, and I wish the European Commission had tapped into that.

A couple of blogs and news sources explored the commercial in detail:

• Scientific American: "Science it's a Girl Thing (Insert Facepalm Here)"
• Huffington Post Women: "Is 'Science, it's a Girl Thing' Sexist?"
• Jezebel: "Female Neuroscientists Parody That Embarassing 'Science, it's a Girl Thing' Video 
• European Commission's Home Page for 'Science it's a Girl Thing'

What are your thoughts on this commercial?