There is a much-loved aphorism used by parents of all generations that says “you are what you eat.” I would also suggest that a similar phenomenon holds true for career choices: “You become what you see.”
By that I mean that most of us go on to careers or lifelong passions that are rooted in who inspired us as impressionable teenagers. Perhaps it was an amazing teacher, an impressive family member or a particularly appealing film or television character.
Unfortunately, cinema often does society a disservice in that very few strong, independent women present compelling career choices for our young girls. That few dwindles to almost none when you look at female leads that show a career path for girls interested in science and math.
That is why I was particularly excited for the release of Hidden Figures, a film that depicts the true story of the African-American mathematician Katherine Johnson and her two colleagues, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. These women, and many others, worked in the segregated West Area Computers, a division of Langley Research Center, as part of NASA during the Space Race against Russia. Their work directly contributed to John Glenn becoming the first American astronaut to make three complete orbits of the Earth.
If you have seen or heard me speak, you know that I believe the way the media portrays careers in the tech industry and the way society views smart women are two of the primary reasons so few girls pursue careers in STEM-related fields. I have even been known to harp on the Big Bang Theory character Sheldon Cooper as an example of the media’s steadfast resolution to portray the STEM professions — and technology in particular — as populated by anti-social, hoodie wearing (or poorly dressed) white males.
So I was also a bit nervous when our volunteers and girls were invited to a special screening of Hidden Figures. I was eager for a feature-length film that profiled women as important historical figures because of their intelligence and STEM-related contributions. But I also noted that Jim Parsons, the actor who portrays the aforementioned Sheldon Cooper, was in the film. Was this destined to be another Hollywood version that undermined its potentially strong message by pandering to society’s common misperceptions?
Well, I am pleased to report the movie is all I could have hoped for.
