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Yesterday, the Globe ran a feature on MIT's "cool" side--the one where students participate in sports and theatre, and study things other than math and science. That seems all right--even engineers can be (and often are) well-rounded. We certainly know a large contingent of hard-drinkin', uber-athletic engineers (men and women). But then the article unfortunately equates the wide-ranging opportunities at MIT with the phenomenon of MIT girls posing for fundraising calendars self-described as "a thinly veiled excuse to ogle hot engineering and science chicks."
Excuse us a little rancor, but why does stepping out of the lab every once in a while have to be associated with taking off one's clothes? When did being brainy start to require justification by being sexy as well? What happened to just being smart, dorky, and totally okay with it?
Maybe we wouldn't be so annoyed by this if it didn't seem to be part of a trend. Tufts' "Nerd Girls" proclaim, "Brains are beautiful, geek is chic, smart is sexy, not either/or"--subtly suggesting that if you're smart but not sexy you're not actually smart. That strikes us as pretty problematic. The club was supposedly created to "empower" female engineers, but slapping on some makeup and a halter top is not necessarily empowering--it's just a way to dress, nothing more.
The Nerd Girls recognize only attractive, skinny women as "chic geeks," recreating exactly the type of exclusionary social structure they're pretending to subvert. They laud a cheerleader and aerospace engineer as though there's something wrong with just being a plain ol' aerospace engineer, and praise Natalie Portman for her "intelligent hotness," as if intelligence alone isn't worthy of note. By paying attention solely to traditionally beautiful women, the Nerd Girls are saying there's something wrong with being a straight-up, sans-lipstick nerd--and that's simply not okay.
HTTPanties from thinkgeek.
Of course smart and sexy aren't mutually exclusive. But nor are they the same thing. Putting on a skimpy top doesn't give you brains--and knowing the answer in math class doesn't make you unattractive. Smarts should be appealing, and all women (and men) should be able to flaunt their sexuality (without being labeled stupid) if they so choose. But being sexualized is not a required part of being smart. It's okay to be dumpy and dowdy at times. Self-worth should come from personality and intelligence, not appearance. By overemphasizing the physical, the Nerd Girls are de-emphasizing the intellectual and undermining their own stated mission.
"Most people [at MIT] are so happy in their free, oversized math and science T-shirts," MIT political science major Christine Yu (who writes the Tech's "Talk Nerdy to Me" sex column) told the Globe. "They like wearing the periodic table to class." That's totally reasonable--so why make them feel bad about it? If MIT can't be a safe haven from social expectations to wear fashionable clothes, put on makeup, and be athletic, where can we get away from these requirements?
Here's hoping MIT remains a hacker-friendly, fashion-oblivious (or fashion-conscious, for those who so choose), nerd-embracing place. Sure, you can hack in heels--but you can also hack in Chucks, barefoot, on stilts, or any other way you please. It should be your choice, and no one should judge you on appearance alone--not even if they call themselves nerds.
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If MIT can't be a safe haven from social expectations to wear fashionable clothes, put on makeup, and be athletic, where can we get away from these requirements?
My alma mater.
I need those panties! I have a pair that says "Whats in the Box" :-)
I used to hang at MIT all of the time - free computer access and the assassin's guild - who could want more? I even helped set up mini-golf in the infinite corridor (which is not infinite by the way)
Hot engineering chicks and fundraising is a perfect marriage. Why didn't I think of that?
When I heard about Green Fundraising, I thought that was pretty cool. You know...raise money, save the planet.
But this is far cooler.
Plus, guys are suckers for this stuff and are far more likely to cough up money for cute babes than the environment.
Sorry, but my link didn't work in the previous post. My bad.
Here it is again: Green Fundraising