By WYSK
Girls don’t need to choose between being a scientist and being a princess… because being brilliant in STEM and wearing lipstick are not mutually exclusive. This is the message Reinvented Magazine and Beauty and the Bolt, two nonprofits on a mission to make science, technology, engineering and math more accessible and engaging to girls, are aiming to deliver through a 2021 calendar they’ve just released. It features twelve real women in STEM and the trades, wielding the real power tools they use to do their real jobs… dressed as their favorite fictional princesses (just because they want to). From January through December, it’s a year’s worth of smart, fearless, and beautiful changemakers, groundbreakers, and leaders in their respective fields inspiring girls to be exactly who they choose to be.
The Princesses with Power Tools 2021 calendar, created in collaboration with Reinvented Magazine, is based on one of Beauty and the Bolt’s most popular hands-on, interactive programs of the same name. To date, the organization’s volunteer “princesses” have taught nearly 5,000 kids, most between the ages of five and 13, to use their first power tool.
This year’s calendar line up includes four doctorates, eight AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassadors, seven women of color, and one TECHNOLOchica. The women featured are: Estefannie – Computer Scientist and Hack of All Trades; Dr. Kimberely Rain Miner – Arctic Climate Scientist; Paula Garcia Todd – Pharmaceutical Scientist; Erin St. Blaine – Light Artist; Dr. Lataisia Jones – Neuroscientist; Myria Perez – Fossil Preparator; Samantha Thi Porter, PhD – Archaeologist; Sydney Hamilton – Aerospace Structures Boss; Dr. Kristen “Batwoman” Lear – Bat Conservationist; Gracie Ermi – Software Engineer; Ruth Amos – Inventor.
When the calendar flips to March, our favorite month of the year (hint: it’s Women’s History Month), girls will meet rocket scientist Caeley Looney. Caeley is a Space Mission Analyst who works full-time at L3Harris Technologies where she plays an integral role in the modeling and simulation of their Small Satellites. She knows firsthand the setbacks women face when trying to enter STEM fields. It’s what inspired her to launch Reinvented Magazine in 2019, the nation’s first ever print magazine for women in STEM by women in STEM. Through the pages of Reinvented, Caeley and her editorial team are on a critical mission to reinvent the general perception of women in STEM so young girls will be inspired to explore these fields, and women already in STEM careers will be empowered to continue making waves.
The goal of the Princesses with Power Tools 2021 calendar is deeply personal to Caeley. “Growing up, I was told that in order to be an engineer, I had to ‘look like an engineer.’ I had to lose my sense of style and pieces of how I expressed my personality in order to fit in. But why? When did the idea that women who love science and engineering can’t also be feminine and beautiful become the norm? Why do I have to think so carefully about what I wear before I step outside in order to fit in in my field?”, Caeley shared. “Less than 28% of the STEM workforce is women or minorities. The idea that girls have to look a certain way in order to fit into a field where they are not only so desperately needed but where they truly belong is ridiculous. We know something needs to change. I hope that we are able to get these calendars into homes and classrooms all over the world, so girls know that they can do whatever they set their mind to.”
