The Scientist Princess—Your Daughter Doesn’t Have to Choose
Who said princesses can’t wear lab coats?
There has been a recent effort to push our daughters away from the stereotypical princess archetype in the parenting spheres which is hard to do when Disney releases one hit princess movie after another (we’re looking at you, Frozen and Moana).
However, not all Disney heroines are damsels in distress, and recently, they have embodied the personality traits of courage, persistence, and intelligence.
Princess Anna in Frozen isn’t afraid to set a rolled blanket on fire and chuck it at a pack of wolves, hop on the back of a reindeer to leap over a canyon or cut her safety rope while dangling off a cliff. Who wouldn’t want to be that type of princess? She’s daring, brave, and quick on her feet.
Moana, the chief’s daughter (technically not a princess according to her own definition), takes to the open seas to convince a demigod to battle a lava monster and restore the heart of humanity. She jumps into a seemingly bottomless pit into the Realm of Monsters, outsmarts an oversized crab whose ego is larger than his shell, and saves her people when battling the lava monster herself. She rights someone else’s wrong and restores humanity.
With strong and determined heroines like Moana and Anna, it’s no wonder that our daughters aspire to be like these princesses. They are awesome.
But parents know the princess dream isn’t reflective of reality, and our daughters, to their great disappointment, will not grow up with magical superpowers. But all of that is okay because they don’t need magic to be successful in the real world. They’ll need the personality traits of critical thinking, bravery, and perseverance. The best news is that they already have all of those qualities.
How can parents reveal these important personality traits they know are hidden within their kids? It’s all about role models.
Exposing our children to real scientists and mathematicians is the best way to show them that a career in science isn’t a fairy tale dream — it’s real, and it can be their future.
What about a STEM princess?
In fact, there is a STEM princess role model who shows young girls that yes, you can be both smart and beautiful—the two are not mutually exclusive. Dr. Erika Angle, founder of the nonprofit Science From Scientists a STEM enrichment program for elementary and middle school students, entered the Miss America contest on a dare and became Miss Massachusetts.
Dr. Erika advocates for young women in STEM and believes that more female STEM leaders need to be featured prominently on the covers of Time and Vogue magazines. You can read more about this real-life STEM princess in the book STEM Gems by Stephanie Espy.
But how can parents help their daughters bridge the gap between the princesses they idolize and the realities of choosing a study and profession in their immediate future?
Role Models
Introducing children to real-life role models is so crucial in blending the love and adoration that kids naturally feel toward Disney characters with concrete examples of real professions. Besides, isn’t science kind of like magic?
One book is doing exactly that by introducing kids aged 5–9 years to historical scientist role models using the power of storytelling in superhero format.
Marie Curie and the Power of Persistence brings Marie’s remarkable story to life for young children who may have never heard of her before. By learning Marie’s history, young girls and boys will learn the strength required for young women to pursue higher education when women were forbidden from attending local universities.
Overturning classical gender stereotypes that women are capable of amazing discoveries just like men at a young age will help make STEM fields more inviting to both boys and girls.
Help us encourage more young girls and boys to understand that they don’t need to have magical powers to live an amazing life — they already have all of the superpowers they need.
Pre-order Marie Curie and the Power of Persistence today on IndieGoGo and get the hands-on experiments (“magic” you can do at home) and create your own STEM princess today.
