How Astronaut Kellie Gerardi Sends Her Daughter an Empowering Message: ‘Femininity Doesn’t Undermine Credibility'
Kellie Gerardi is an astronaut, a Swiftie, and a mom of 1 — and she wants to make sure her daughter knows that it’s OK to embrace the parts of herself at once.
She is a social media influencer and a scientist, who named her daughter Delta Victoria after delta-v, the quantitate measure of a change in velocity (pretty cool, right?). The Luna Muna author — who calls herself a “girl’s girl” in her Instagram bio — shared a sweet message for how she empowers her daughter when she’s on TV, and we can barely keep from crying while watching it.
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“POV: wearing my daughter’s favorite colors whenever I’m on TV so she never feels like she needs to tone down her femininity to be seen as professional.. ??” Gerardi wrote on an Instagram video, showing off the purple, pink, and blue outfit she wore during an interview on TV.
In another clip, Gerardi wrote, “Whether on Earth or in space, I want her to see me bringing my full self to work…” This time, Gerardi wore a purple flight jacket on an appearance on Fox News, which Delta saw. “… and to know being herself is always enough.”
“Delta knows that space and sparkle and friendship bracelets and science can go together just fine… because femininity doesn’t undermine credibility. ??????” she captioned the video. Are you crying yet? Because I am!
“’Femininity doesn’t undermine credibility’ ?????? May all our daughters internalize THIS!!!” one person wrote. Someone else commented, “Working in the legal and tech fields, always felt like I had to give up my personality to be taken seriously. Currently sitting in my balcony wearing black and white as a consequence, when red and yellow are my favorite colors to wear. Thank you for being strong and powerful in your colors.”
“I’m 33 years old, but can you be my mom?! lol you’re such a great inspiration for young (and older) women to express themselves!” someone else said. Thanks for healing all of our inner children, Gerardi!
Gerardi recently took Delta to see the Eras Tour in Miami, where she wore a cool sparkly dress with a shirt that looked like Taylor Swift’s Red era shirt that read: “IVF going on at the moment.” “I don’t think we talk enough about how special it is to have a tour that multiple generations are so excited about & singing their whole hearts out to,” she wrote on an Instagram video.
In the caption, she added, “It’s you and me, Delta- that’s my whole world! ?? I’m just so incredibly grateful to be able to share such a special experience together. In parenthood, the Venn diagram of interests shared between you and your littles is quite narrow…. but this night falls right in the middle for so many of us. It was a long time coming and it was magical. ?????”
Amazing! For more inspiring stories, check out Gerardi’s Instagram. One of her pinned videos showcases her and her flying to past last year. “POV: mood when you fly to space in the same year as the Eras Tour, the Barbie movie, and the Renaissance Tour…” she wrote over the video, showing off her friendship bracelets and her trip to space.
“Doing science in space with a wrist full of friendship bracelets and an army of girlfriends cheering me on was the ENTIRE girlhood vision board. ??????” she captioned the video.
In an interview with Greater Lansing Area Moms, Gerardi reflected on her influence as a mom. “It’s so motivating to know that my platform can be a catalyst for people adjusting the limiter on their own aptitude and imaginations,” she said. “And the representation matters to me in my own family too. The most rewarding part for me has definitely been watching this through the eyes of my nearly 5yo daughter, Delta V. In Delta’s mind, flying to space is just another thing moms do! She’s going to grow up knowing that not even the sky is a limit.”
As a mom who loves all things sparkly, girly, and Swiftie, I absolutely love this. Delta is one lucky girl to have Gerardi as a mom!
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