I just got my daily email from The Scientist.com with the top story about researchers and rockers. Seems GQ gussied up a bunch of scientists and posed them with rock stars for a spread in the current issue.
Now I am glad to see a magazine like GQ bringing the world of rock and roll
together with the world of science. It's the kind of mainstream media coverage that may help those of us doing research seem less like mad scientists in sci-fi or horror flicks, or those geeky ivory tower types in romantic movies. You know, the straight-laced guy with glasses who needs to be rescued by a madcap heiress, a la Bringing Up Baby. Who new Fauci and Varmus would clean up so well (photo at right from the story)?
My gripe? NO FEMALE SCIENTISTS! Now, the story explains this as a requirement of the sponsor, Geoffrey Beene Gives Back Alzheimer's Initiative, the philanthropic wing of the Beene clothing label. Since the company only makes men's clothing, only males scientists were chosen for this round. So why was a female musician chosen? Sheryl Crow, I suspect, is not wearing Geoffrey Beene in the photo.
Meryl Comer, president of the Initiative, said, "next round I'd love to do women." You can nominate Rock Stars of Science on the associated website, which is scheduled to launch June 1. The full GQ story can be seen here. Let's make sure that the face of science looks more like ALL the faces of science next time.
Or do we have to wait for a "women's magazine" to do this for us?
Movie poster for Bringing Up Baby from imdb.com
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Oh no!!! Where are the women!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI, for one, am both a mad scientist and a bad-ass rock n'roll bass guitarist.
ReplyDeleteThey need a photoshoot of Dr. Isis and Heart, though, stat!
Since they state the reason for the campaign as correcting the fact that most Americans cannot name a living scientist, it doesn't make any sense to not include women because of the kind of clothing sold by Geoffrey Beene. While the concept is great, they missed a huge opportunity to do more.
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