Female scientists: They’re super effective!


Exciting breaking news, everybody! This is a monumental step for female scientists everywhere. I just found out that we have the first female professor in a scientific field long dominated by men. I’d like to introduce Professor Araragi…the new Pokemon Professor!

Yes, I’m excited for Pokemon Black & White to be released. Don’t judge me for hanging on to a piece of my childhood – the games are addictive and fun! I did geek out about the Professor being a woman, though. Hey, when popular culture starts recognizing that scientists can be female – especially an attractive female instead of a frumpy stereotype – that’s a step in the right direction.

Comments

  1. says

    Oh yeah, I definitely would have been disappointed if the female scientist looked like me too. ;-PBut yeah, I’m still addicted to the Pokemon games and it’s been quite a few years since I got my first taste of Pokemon madness. First blood… ;-P

  2. says

    Glad to see a female professor as anyone, but … sheesh, that hair. Looks like a cross between a beehive and a turd. Are female scientists supposed to have no taste in hairstyles? =/Okay, stupid nitpicking done. I lost interest in Pokémon eons ago, but a bit of geeky nostalgia’s always fun.

  3. says

    AWWWWW Lookit the cute little critter next to the kewt professor!!!! X3*ahem* I mean, I highly look forward to another pleasant gaming experience.

  4. Dae says

    I have only two things to say about this: YAY!I CHOOSE YOU, CYNDAQUIL!*goes back to Soul Silver*

  5. says

    What about all those women on Star Trek? Seven of Nine, as played by Jerri Ryan, was a sex-symbol for geeks AND something like an astro-location specialist or something, I’m not quite sure what her job was, I just know she had to be really smart to do it.

  6. Dae says

    I thought Seven of Nine was pretty badass myself (I wanted to BE her for a while when I was in my pre-teens…), but wasn’t happy with the fact that it was painfully obvious (even to me, at that age – and everyone else I’ve spoken to about the show, at any rate) that she was put on the show simply for the sex appeal. There have certainly been many intelligent, powerful women in media in the last decade or so, but I think Jen’s point was that the central authoritative figures in the Pokemon world, specifically, have up to this point been male.

  7. says

    I’m going to end up preordering both games, and when I play through them I’m going to slowly come to the sad realization, once again, that all the pokemon games are the same. I haven’t heard much about the new ones, but I hope they either didn’t come up with another hundred pokemon or got more creative with the names this time.Also, is Araragi a tree, or have they ended a perfectly entertaining naming convention?

  8. jimmyboy99 says

    Isn’t the issue that what they look like actually seems to matter? You might not like the frumpy stereotype. But promoting the other end of the spectrum hardly seems likely to be helpful either, right?

  9. says

    This is my shameful secret as well. I love the Pokemon games. Instead of playing them as a child and weening off them as I grew steadily older and more ‘mature’, my only thoughts were ‘now I can buy them with my own money straight away!’ when I got a job.

  10. Svlad Cjelli says

    The other characters have huge ponytails and mullets. It’s obviously the current fashion trends in the land of Isshu.

  11. Svlad Cjelli says

    Up close, the critter looks like Rolf Harris. You cannot unsee it. But I still think it’s cute.

  12. the_Siliconopolitan says

    Beyblade had drs Judy and K. almost a decade ago. Two of the few characters that weren’t bumbling fool.errrrr … I mean … I have no idea what you’re talking about.

  13. chicagodyke says

    i didn’t even know it was a game. i thought it was a cartoon show. how is it played? nevermind, i probably wouldn’t get into it. i’m too old to have been part of the craze and frankly, i don’t care for that style of animation/drawing. but ymmv.

  14. Supallcomm says

    Yes, Ema Skye was a character in the Ace Attorney series of games put out by Capcom over some number of years.

  15. says

    Very cool! I added female scientist gifts to my Girls Can’t WHAT? shop a few years back and the design has been pretty popular. I’ve even had requests from universities to use it in presentations and handouts. Nice to see some other places catching up with women in science. Have to agree about the hair, tho – looks a little outdated.

  16. Teahound says

    I think she means in regards to video game canon though, since the storylines for the show vs the games are very different. (The main character in the game is more serious and is named Red, and the tv show was only loosely based on the games. Ash in the show acts more how the main character in Gold and Silver is portrayed, very silly with serious moments.)Short version is while Professor Ivy is canon to the show, she does not exist in the games so you’re both right in a sense. =)

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