These Funny Videos Show “Why” Girls Can’t Code

There are a lot of reasons girls can't code. Like, you know, because, um, periods. And breasts. How can we write lines of code with such distractions in our lives? Obviously, we're joking — women can code (really damn well, in fact). But Girls Who Code, an organization working to close the gender gap in technology, decided to make a funny series of satirical videos looking at some of the bogus reasons keeping women from the field of computer science. Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, noted that there are already a lot of inspirational videos about why girls should code, so the nonprofit wanted to take a different approach. "We wanted to try something different and use humor and satire to question the stereotypes that tell our girls that coding is not for them," Saujani said. "Our hope is these videos will spark a much-needed conversation about the messages we send our young women and what we can do to create a more inclusive, well-rounded image of a programmer." The videos are necessary. Unfortunately, some people still have trouble seeing a woman as a programmer. "As a high school senior, I’ve had classmates and teachers tell me that coding is not for me, or that I’d be better off focusing on design and making something look ‘pretty,’" Girls Who Code alum Margot Richaud says. There are four videos in the series, with each addressing a different topic: beauty, breasts, menstruation, and a compilation of different issues. You can check out all four videos, here. For a taste of what's in store, check out the video, below.