also goddess screen saver version now available….https://www.itgoddess.info/orders/

move beyond the flash “american beauty” cover and get into “Inspect for Gadgets” or “LaMarr Code” competitions.

Dave, don’t assume that I’m a prude just because my taste is different than yours. I am actually a big fan of scantily-clad women, and boobs in particular… and I don’t mind looking at ‘em.

But just like women have a lot of career choices, as you said above, we also have a lot more social choices. We don’t have to “catch” men or participate in a selection process to determine which mate will best be able to defend us from invading hordes and wild animals.

ESPECIALLY if we’re inclined to be geeks (or geeks-to-be) we’re likely to have a lot of other goals in addition to wanting to feel sexually attractive, which of course, we do. But again, we can get that validation from other parts of our lives. The last thing I want to feel at work is that I am valued primarily for my looks. It’s bad enough having to work with nerds who can’t look you in the eye because they only stare at your chest when talking to you.

I may not be their target demographic now, but I certainly was 20 years ago. So I think it kind of might actually matter if this turns me off. But hey I’m not Australian, and apparently since I’m married now I don’t count anyway.

below are some words from media statements
The IT Goddess calendar has already stirred controversy even before the calendar was printed, with print and digital media stories as well as blogs springing up daily.

While its purpose is to promote IT study and careers for girls and women, has it sabotaged its own aims by merely pandering to and encouraging a view that women are just sex objects, not talented people who should be judged on their achievements?

Categorically I, Sonja Bernhardt the screen goddess innovator say no it has not.
Every woman in the calendar is an intelligent thinking person who is accomplished and made their own decision to participate based on their confidence and comfort levels combined with passion and pride for supporting ICT careers.

Remember the bottom line of this initiative is to raise much needed funds to run more intervention projects and programs to have a sustained impact on attracting retaining and promoting women into technology careers.

The facts are that to be a commercial success the calendar has to be visible, attractive, and popular - or it will raise neither awareness nor the money to invest in projects to encourage women into technology careers.

Movies and media are constantly focusing on actresses and models who are attractive and scantily dressed, and magazines for teenage girls devote pages to makeup and attracting boys. The “beautiful people” are, like it or not, seen as role models and women to admire. And it is not the media setting public taste - it is the interests of the public driving the media. And if that is what people want, is it better that the role models they see are limited to actresses and models - or should they see that a career in technology does not mean being a frumpy geek who can’t get a boyfriend, but can be interesting, challenging, exciting and glamorous?

Is there anything wrong with admiring beauty? It is people’s minds that drive achievement, but we are not disembodied brains, we are integrated beings of mind and body. It is part of human nature to admire beauty in other people, it is human nature to be sexual beings, it is human nature to enjoy sensuality, it is human nature to seek and esteem the best people can be in all things. And we do not despise human nature, we celebrate it.

On one of the most famous Screen Goddesses of them all, female novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand wrote that Marilyn Monroe projected “the joyous self-flaunting of a child or a kitten who is happy to display its own attractiveness as the best gift it can offer the world, and who expects to be admired for it, not hurt.” Our Screen Goddesses project that, and more. They are women who are accomplished in their careers, confident in themselves, proud of who they are, and not afraid to expose themselves to controversy in order to achieve their values. They are living embodiments of the principle that nothing in their sex prevents women from achieving their goals in any chosen field: without sacrificing their femininity, sensuality, or any other part of themselves.

thanks for taking the time to review and consider AND if you support our aims purchasing:-)
regards
Sonja

However one could also point out (and I’m about to do so) that if you flip through any general “women’s” magazine (Cosmo, Harper’s Bazaar, etc) the ads in there for products that are targeted towards women mostly feature HOT NUDE CHICKS. So, it’s an example that’s been done before.

While I definitely respect your personal feelings on this issue, I don’t think I agree with any of the points you raise. First of all, these days in most (if not all) First World countries, women have A LOT of options and quite frequently make choices based upon what would make them attractive to a potential mate. The same goes for men, I believe. If you don’t think people want to look “sexy” (both in their career and in life) then I have to question how “in touch” you are with the attitudes and values of college students today.

You mention that the pictures are not appealing to you. I find this quite understandable because as a married heterosexual woman with a well-developed IT career, you are about as far out of the target market for this calendar as one could be. Then your generalization that these images would only appeal to “pasty guys” is just patently absurd. There is a huge population of men and women (both gay and straight) out there that fully appreciate the female form and see it as natural and beautiful.

I could go on providing examples and explaining my position on this issue forever, but suffice it to say that I don’t think this calendar is doing any harm, nor hurting any of the women involved. Also keep in mind that European (and by extension, Australian) values related to sexuality are much more laid-back than what exists in predominantly Muslim and Christian countries.

I’m not trying to censor or stop them, but I can’t say that pictures of scantily clad women is appealing to me. Isn’t it more appealing to those pasty guys?