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Danica MCKellar ("The Wonder Years") from San Diego, helps young women
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San Diego Magazine; Dec. 2008
Not very long ago, as you may recall, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin got into a public dispute with David Letterman. The cause: Mr. Letterman implicating Gov. Palin’s daughter in a tasteless joke; of the daughter getting “knocked up” by a Yankee player.
The tit-for-tat was well publicized and Mr. Letterman eventually apologized. Gov. Palin hoped, not for a personal apology to her, but to all young women who, in her view, tend to devalue themselves all too often because of this culturally-accepted and prevalent sexualizing and degradation of women.
Women are beautiful and attractive. Men love that. Sex is part of nature. Viewing women only through this lens, however, is socio-culturally damaging to all involved.
This could not be more evident than the absurd, despicable, intentionally-melodramatic behavior young men and women engage in during shows like MTV’s “The Real World.” In such shows, women get drunk, sleep with men and other women freely, and cuss like drunken sailors. Even more ridiculous, they seem to be proud of this behavior. The young people watching this seem to love it. The vicious cycle continues. Women lose their dignity and self-respect. Everyone loses.
For this reason, the work of local San Diegan, Danica MCKellar (most commonly known for her role in “The Wonder Years,” opposite Fred Savage, as Winnie) is even more important.
In the December 2008 issue of San Diego Magazine, Danica, among other local athletes and celebrities, took a moment to express her great desire to reach out to the community and make a difference.
“Girls need more encouragement – they need someone to tell them it’s cool to be smart, it’s sexy to be smart,” she says.
“I firmly believe that girls make better decision about everything in life when they have the confidence that comes with feeling smart…”
“I’ve devoted the past few years of my life to writing books [the bestsellers “Math Doesn’t Suck” and “Kiss My Math”] that teach girls math.”
Having been out of the spotlight for years, Danica has been working hard behind the scenes. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Danica’s body of work earned her an invitation to speak before Congress in 2000; helping girls nationwide receive more scholarship money. She was also hoping to get more girls to lean more towards the math and sciences.
“But studies have shown that in middle school, that’s when girl’s confidence starts to go down,” she says. This is where she feels her books will entertain young girls while encouraging them to follow that path.
“My real goal with the books is to empower girls to know they can be smart, and to take those smarts to do whatever they want to follow their dreams.”
More young women like Danica are needed and less of the MTV bologna. Through it all, if you’re a young woman and are still interested in being smart, but classy and sexy as well, then look no further than Danica MCKellar of La Jolla. It’s elementary.
Enjoy the following links: http://danicamckellar.com/
http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/media/San-Diego-Magazine/December-2008/The-Munificent-Seven/
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