Recently, the frustrations of women everywhere regarding toymakers who create girl and boy-specific playthings (in shades of pink or blue, of course) were voiced in a viral ad created by company GoldieBlox — which designs toys to develop interest in engineering, math, and science. In their video “Girls,” which riffed on the famous Beastie Boys song, they demanded a range of toys for girls interested in typically “boy” things. And remember that misstep by Mattel with their computer engineer Barbie? The doll had the right props, but the accompanying book had some issues. Thankfully there are companies like Lego, which creates a few female science-based minifigs.
While women in science and math are still underrepresented in popular culture, artists like Rachel Ignotofsky, who we discovered on robotmafia, are inspired by them and want to remind others of their essential place in our history. She created a series of illustrations highlighting women in science. “I wanted to celebrate the accomplishments of these women and hope to inspire curiosity in young women to ask questions about the world we live in and be the one who finds out the answers,” Ignotofsky writes on her website. From chemist Marie Curie to marine biologist Rachel Carson, browse artworks inspired by some of the best female scientists in our gallery.
Image credit: Rachel Ignotofsky
Image credit: Rachel Ignotofsky
Image credit: Rachel Ignotofsky
Image credit: Rachel Ignotofsky
Image credit: Rachel Ignotofsky
Image credit: Rachel Ignotofsky
Image credit: Rachel Ignotofsky
Image credit: Rachel Ignotofsky