Danica McKellar tells girls intelligence is hip

When I was growing up I used to be so envious of Danica McKellar (aka "Winnie" off The Wonder Years) because she was cute and thin and lots of boys had crushes on her. Now that I'm older, well, I'm still a bit envious because she's still fit and beautiful, but I've also got to give the girl some serious respect because she's also really smart. Not only is she intelligent, she aims to let other girls know that it's great to be smart.

I think that in an age where women like Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson flaunt the notion that they're hot but stupid (and I really wonder whether either is as clueless as they have portrayed themselves to be), it's incredibly refreshing and encouraging to have a beautiful woman not only admit that she's smart, but also make sure that young and impressionable girls know that it's possible to be both pretty and intelligent.

McKellar, who has penned a book called "Math Doesn't Suck", assures adolescent girls that it's cool to be good at math (and as an extension, most other school subjects I would imagine). So while I'm still a little bit jealous of the girl who was "Winnie Cooper", I'm also pretty darn impressed with the woman she's become.