Mayim Bialik appreciation post

I finally got round to catching up with The Big Bang Theory once they added it to Netflix and I now look forward to Thursday evenings when season 9 is shown on E4. But when I started watching it again, I began to search a little about some of the cast members.

Mayim Bialik // Source: Wikimedia Commons/N4chavez

Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler are my favourites on the show by a mile. I just love everything about them - together and separately. So naturally, I took to the internet and Googled away. Now, I'd already read a fair bit about Jim Parsons who plays Sheldon back in the day of the early seasons. But I knew nothing about the actress who plays Amy and I'm weird and have this intense need to know about those who play my favourite characters.

Mayim Bialik is the actress who plays nerdy scientist Amy and my gosh, she is so interesting (late to the party, I know)! I became obsessed (in the least creepy way possible) with the woman! I think I've watched every interview and appearance she's done on YouTube (again, I know I'm weird), and I learnt so much. She's a neuroscientist in real life, which is an incredible achievement and that makes me wish I was smarter than I am. I've listened to Mayim talk about her field and she's so passionate about it, which I love. I love that she wants more females to be involved in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects and that she just cares about education! It makes me wish I'd studied harder at school and was good at science.

With Jim Parsons at PaleyFest 2013 // Source: Dominick D on Flickr

I also really enjoyed learning about Mayim's Jewish faith, a religion I know only a little about (which is shameful as I think my maternal grandma's heritage is Jewish). I became engrossed in learning about her own views and the way she lives her life. I'm aware that this is all rather odd but I've always been interested in finding out more about people, I guess that's why I did a journalism degree - I'm a bit nosey! It was really interesting to read about why Mayim embraces aspects of tznius, which, if I remember correctly, is a concept of modesty in Judaism - not just in how you dress but also how you carry yourself. But in terms of clothing, I like that she embraces her curves and chooses to wear what she feels is acceptable for her and her beliefs as a Jewish woman, and isn't apologetic, but outspoken about it.

Now I apologise if you think I'm rambling on, but Mayim is someone I feel like I need to tell all my friends about (and if you're reading this, we probably are friends). I want everyone to know who this intriguing woman is behind a beloved TV character! She doesn't appear to be a very, how can I put it? 'Hollywood' type of woman - she doesn't wear heaps of make-up or hang around in the spotlight and I admire it. I imagine that even as a mother, you can easily get sucked into that lifestyle and let it get to your head. Though, all of the Big Bang cast all seem to be more normal and out of the spotlight than a lot of actors and actresses, which I love.

Grok Nation is a website I stumbled upon that Mayim created in 2015. It features posts about culture, Hollywood, parenting and a whole lot of other interesting stuff. To anyone reading this, I urge you to check it out - it's a great look into the life and thoughts of a real woman. She recently wrote a post about Game of Thrones that I really agreed with. There's also some great behind the scenes posts about The Big Bang Theory!

Grok Nation

It's really refreshing for me as an almost-22-year-old to read about a female in Hollywood who hasn't changed who they are or what they believe in to fit in. To me, Mayim is a strong female figure that I've been desperately searching for in the celebrity world. Personally, I like that she's different to most celebrities in that she has a really interesting background after being a child/teen actress and is outspoken (in a good way) about a lot of things. She's become someone I really admire.

I used to think when I was younger than I could only look up to and admire women who I was like or thought I wanted to be similar to but I was so wrong. Unlike Mayim, I have no real religious beliefs as of now, I'm not pursuing a career in science or acting and I'm not a mother. But I realise that it really doesn't matter and I can admire somebody's passion for what they love. She's funny, she stands up for herself, she's a feminist, a self-confessed nerd, she has a PhD - my list of appreciations could really go on. Mayim's also a huge mental health advocate which is extremely important and is part of a stigma free campaign in the US. But above all that, and I've said it a few times now, she's a real woman. And I bloody love it!

Thanks for listening to my rambles, I really needed to get it off my chest. I hope I've maybe given you an itch to binge-watch interviews of Mayim Bialik on YouTube and read all the posts on her website!

Love, Lauren ♡
@lozzaaa13