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Monday, April 25, 2005
scIenCE Princess
Posted by Lance
My daughters saw the movie Ice Princess over the weekend. Based on what they told me here is the basic story: Casey decides to do a science project on figure skating and uses physics and computers to help some skaters improve their routines. Casey's mom is really pushing her to science and sets up an interview for an academic scholarship to Harvard (Note to Hollywood: Ivy League rules prohibit academic scholarships). But Casey falls in love with figure skating and goes against her mother, says no to Harvard and follows her new dream of skating.I have nothing against "follow your dream" movies and Ice Princess does put science and computers in a good light, at least in the early part of the movie. But just once can't we have a movie where a young woman whose parents want her to be a great figure skater, gymnast or tennis player but instead she follows her dream of becoming a scientist.
3:08 PM #
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Quick answer: not in hollywood. This is not what the masses want to hear!
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The irony of course is that the number of controlling mothers pushing their daughters to be figure skaters must outnumber the number of controlling mothers pushing their daughters to be scientists by a ratio of at least 10 to 1.
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There was a recent article in salon magazine about Hollywood selling a "princess" message to girls. To me the article sounded a bit far fetched... until a few days later, when letters from grown up female readers starting arriving confirming the take of the writer. Sounds like this movie continues this tradition, down to the title.
Something to think about before letting your daughter watch "The little mermaid", "Pocahontas" or "Aladdin" one more time...
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Of course there is no movie where the parents push their daughter to be a scientist; isn't it known that women can't do science? Haven't you heard Larry Summers?
--A Woman doing Science
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There's the Gillian Anderson character on X-Files, who is the rational one (scientist, M.D.). Unfortunately, she's always shown to be wrong.
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October Sky is a great movie which shows kids going for (rocket) science rather than mining which their parents want. Maybe the reason is that it is supposed to be based on real life.
Doesn't have a girl as the main character though.
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It is weird that suddenly a feminist issue pops out of no where. And you feminists please note, I am a woman myself. But there is a limit to how convoluted one can think!!! Relax. Nobody is undermining women here when this movie is being discussed.
Woman
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In 50's B-movies about space aliens or general monsters there would often be a female scientist. She'd twist her ankle in a dire situation to be saved by the male lead (who's smoking a cigarette and drinking a martini at the same time). She'd also have a theory about the terror's origin, and, more importantly, sexually attract the monster (and marry the guy later).
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Don't forget about "Contact"...
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