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“Let’s take this Barbie to the moon,” my twin whispered, her eyes gleaming, cradling our doll like an astronaut prepared for journey. “However what’s going to she put on?” I cried, realizing we had forgotten to outfit her for this lunar journey. Unfazed, my twin confidently declared, “She could be a surgeon.”
Barbie was a trailblazer. She went into area 4 years earlier than the moon touchdown, saved lives at a time when solely 5% of ladies dared to grow to be surgeons, and assumed the very best workplace within the land when America has but to see a lady within the White Home.
Nevertheless, as I replicate on these playtime moments, Barbie additionally epitomized the only picture of success that we have been inspired to aspire to. Greta Gerwig’s extremely anticipated movie “Barbie” is a referendum on the doll’s legacy: What’s the affect of empowering younger ladies to pursue science, know-how, engineering and math careers whereas additionally perpetuating stereotypes?
Undoubtedly, astronaut Barbie empowered me to ascertain myself in STEM and
shattered the notion that these fields have been reserved for males. However, her give attention to appears to be like bolstered the concept an immaculate facade was a prerequisite for fulfillment in STEM for girls.
Now, as a Black girl finding out engineering at Stanford College, I’m compelled to confront the Barbie paradox, which places strain on people to adapt to a strict and unrealistic commonplace of perfection, and in some circumstances, endure for reaching it.
In design engineering discussions throughout an internship at a outstanding know-how firm, I used to be subjected to inquiries about my “toned physique.” In brainstorming classes with a former co-founder, my concepts have been generally met with dismissive chuckles, belittled as a string of buzzwords relatively than tangible contributions. In team-based lessons, I used to be typically assigned the position of note-taker, whereas my male counterparts took the lead in producing concepts. My experiences are usually not distinctive. Feminine associates have shared related encounters: They’ve been requested by managers whether or not they’re taken severely due to their face; they’ve obtained specific hard-copy images of their male co-workers as parting presents. It’s no marvel these conditions come up, given girls make up 14% of the engineering workforce.
Barbie is a co-conspirator on this drawback. She paved a slim path for feminine success contingent on an ideal exterior. This expectation throws us right into a perplexing predicament. If we don’t conform to society’s obsession with look, our skilled contributions are brushed apart. But, if we do play the sweetness recreation, instantly our competence is questioned. In desperation, many ladies who stay embrace a extra masculine facade as a protect.
Their armor takes the type of conservative clothes, or a deeper voice, a la Elizabeth Holmes. But, on this dance between self-preservation and conformity, they instantiate the stereotypes they’re making an attempt to flee. The message turns into clear: There exists one sanctioned mould for profitable girls. And, it really works. Analysis has proven that engaging girls are sometimes perceived as much less appropriate for jobs in male-dominated domains, akin to engineering.
Nevertheless, the affect of this archetype reaches past superficial expectations, giving rise to an anxiety-induced want for perfection. It fuels a burning want to have all of the solutions and a deep ache to unravel each drawback flawlessly. However, engineering doesn’t work that means; in any other case, we might have flying vehicles, or at the least flying skateboards, by now.
Sadly, this strain drives some girls to desert STEM altogether.
Barbie taught me to dream massive but in addition ingrained in me the notion that my value was measured by a flawless exterior. The film, with all its totally different characters, presents a chance for technologists to interrupt free from the slim definition of success imposed on girls, enabling us to thrive with out sacrificing femininity or pretending to have all of the solutions. To appreciate Barbie’s potential, she should really embrace the variety of ladies and the complete spectrum of femininity, creating a number of photographs of success. Solely then can she grow to be an actual image of empowerment and foster a future the place ladies may be genuine and pursue their passions fearlessly.
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