“Inspire Her Mind” is a 2014 advertisement created through a collaboration of Verizon Wireless and MAKERS, an online platform for sharing the stories of groundbreaking women. The ad asks people to focus less on girls’ appearance and instead to encourage young girls’ interest in science, technology, and other pursuits that are often stereotyped as being masculine. The ad shows how a young girl can lose her interest in science when growing up based on the feedback she gets from others.

discussion

What comments do Sammy’s parents make to her? How do these comments affect her behavior as she grows up?

How does the ad use statistics give more weight to Sammy’s story? What do the statistics tell us about a shift in interest from 4th grade to college?

Based on what you saw in the ad, do you think girls can be both “pretty” and “pretty brilliant”? Why or why not?

What do you think would have happened if the ad had shown Sammy’s parents  encouraging her interest in science? Would it have been as effective?