Seems I'm not the only one out there who thinks brains are an essential part of the beauty package. Personally, I can only look for so long before wanting to carry on a coherent, intelligent conversation about something a little deeper than fashion. I also like to be able to use words that contain more than a single syllable.

There are plenty of lists out there detailing beauties with big brains, but this one does a better job than most. The list includes some of the most obvious brainy beauties, like Jodie Foster, Natalie Portman and Jennifer Beals. But, like any list, it is far from complete. So because I know you are all simply beside yourselves waiting for another list, I will keep you waiting no longer. Here are some of the women who prove to me that smart is sexy. Think of it as my anti-Britney list.

Maggie Gyllenhaal

She has a degree in literature from Columbia University. She also tends to choose roles that involve a whole lot of brain power, and she isn't afraid to speak her mind. I love that in a woman. … continue reading

You know how, like, in junior high, or, like, in what we now totally call middle school, um, well, anyway, like, when there is a really cute girl and, like, she's also way smart, and you just know that she can't stay totally cute and totally smart all at the same time, and usually she has to sort of pick if she's going to be smart or if she's going to be cute, and not just cute but popular cute, which is different than just cute cute? Ya know? Well, what do you know, a totally smart girl we met in junior high is still totally smart and totally cute and it's totally cool. I mean, totally.

Danica McKellar, little Winnie Cooper of The Wonders Years fame, is now an author (as previously discussed here on AfterEllen.com). Her book Math Doesn’t Suck is scheduled for release this month, just in time for some fun back-to-school reading!

McKellar, now 32, is trying her darnedest to get middle school girls to grasp the idea that being cute and cool and smart are not mutually exclusive and actually make for great companions in a female soul. An article in Newsweek (on stands this week) has given McKellar quite a publicity push. McKellar and her math book are generating some buzz online, too — math has not looked this good in years. … continue reading

Danica McKellar - aka little Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years - is starring a new series for Lifetime called Inspector Mom, about, you guessed it, a mom who moonlights as a detective. The series premiered this weekend, and yes, the title's completely cheesy, but I watched it because I'm a sucker for smart women.

How smart is she? She has a degree in mathematics and recently published a proof called Percolation and Gibbs states multiplicity for ferromagnetic Ashkin-Teller models on Z. Which is so 2002 ῵ everyone knows the singularity of ferromagnetic Ashkin-Teller models is where it's at today ῵ but still, not bad.

In addition to being wicked smart herself, Danica actually works to help young girls get smarter. She answers math questions on her website, and she has a book coming out in August for middle-school girls called Math Doesn't Suck, which she says she wrote because, "I believe that growing into a fabulous woman requires smarts. … continue reading