How a TV Show Created "A New Generation of Female Scientists"

A TV series, which ended last month after 12 seasons, called Bones, is believed to have created a new generation of female scientists. The protagonist, a strong willed female forensic anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brennan, inspired many female fans to join the field of science. It is not unusual for fans of shows like Bones to follow in the footsteps of their favorite characters. Many fans, in this case more so females, admire the careers portrayed in the shows which in this case is forensic anthropology. Although the lives of the many characters on screen may not be exactly true, their work and dedication is, which many find inspiring. The fans watch episode after episode, until they too realize they want to study forensic anthropology in college. This is the shared view among many young woman, like Morgan O. John, who watch and experience the compassion Brennan shows towards her career.

The actress herself, Emily Deschanel, who plays Brennan on the show, said herself that, “There's nothing that makes me more proud of doing the show than meeting or hearing about young girls ... who wanted to go into science because of my character or other characters on the show. That makes it all worth it to me." She also believes that Bones was written to have three strong and independent women as the main characters because of the strong female writers. Bones is believed to be the continuation of “The Scully Effect”, which is a phrase that refers to the increase in the field of Law Enforcement with Dana Scully on the popular television show “The X-Files”. Because Dr. Brennan worked at the Jeffersonian Institute on the how, many fans began calling this wave of new females interested in science “The Jeffersonian Effect”.

If you would like to read more, check out this article from CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/27/entertainment/bones-tv-show-women-stem/