It's a good day for stereotypes, a bad day for women
First the "Bionic Woman" is back. If you aren't old enough to have watched the original series you must have watched the reruns and the rereruns and the… well you get the picture. I was curious to see how they would remake her 30 years later and to see the progress we have made. I haven't gotten around to seeing it yet (things have been busy over here at FairerScience; but FairerScience friend Annalee Newtiz has and she is not happy:
"Now ultimate women's lib heroine Sommers is back, all spruced up for the 2000s, and the results are rather strange. Thirty years have passed, and time seems to have gone backwards -- except the bionics, which have been updated to a nanopseudoscience involving something called anthrocites. This time around, Jaime isn't an independent career jock: she's a 23-year-old bartender and college dropout who has just gotten pregnant and is about to marry her surgeon boyfriend. When she asks said boyfriend why he likes her, despite her lack of professional success, he replies, "You're the one thing my father didn't plan for me."
You can read the whole thing here.
And if that is not enough to depress you, FairerScience friend David Mortman sent this one on and it is a pip
This month Ubisoft's Imagine™ series of video games targeted at girls ages 6 to 14 years old is coming out. They say "The Imagine line allows girls to explore their favorite interests and hobbies - as indicated in extensive lifestyle research on this audience." Come on guess what based on their "extensive lifestyle research" they picked.
If you thought scientist, president, engineering, world leader even powerful rich person you would be so wrong: They are releasing "Imagine™ Fashion Designer, Imagine™ Animal Doctor, Imagine Babyz® and Imagine™ Master Chef." And you will be pleased to know even they decided this wasn't enough . Imagine™ Figure Skater will follow in early 2008.
And even Tom, FairerScience's technical guru weighed in. Tom wanted us to know about "Barbie Girls" where a girl "can create a virtual character, design her own room, shop with B Bucks (virtual “money”) she earns, play games, watch videos featuring her favorite Barbie™ movies and products….." In the first 60 days, over 3 million users registered!
Ok I can't take any more. Hey FairerScience friends – how about some good news!