The Blue Origin Space Flight Only Showcased Commodity Feminism

Women have to take responsibility for the messages they transmit

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Initially, I didn’t know any details about the all-women flight crew. Still, as a teacher, I am always excited to see any advancement in the science realm, especially one involving women. Real-life examples of achievement are perfect to bring into the classroom for exemplification and inspiration, especially STEM endeavors.

When I read the list of the passengers that the media kept calling crew, a quell of disappointment began. This did not seem like science. There was nothing meritorious about the “all-female crew” as the media kept referencing them — these women only needed money or connections to board. The flight would be piloted autonomously.

Almost as an aside, outlets included that former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyễn, and film producer Kerianne Flynn would be on board. But these names did not garner anywhere near the level of press that the pop culture icons did.

Using famous names is fair game in journalism when you want to sell a story. Hoping that the passengers in the craft, who were all female and included women of color, was more than just an exercise in virtue optics — look, look, Jeff Bezos may have…