Saturday, August 8, 2009

The Geek Girl rises

A series of event

Akward bookish childhood--> embrace nerd/geek identity

college--> find i am not alone--> become emboldened

begin pseudoactivist stance of the underrepresented presence of the Geek Girl in popular culture. Contemplate implications for gender roles in society: why are 50 per cent of math bachelor degrees given to women but less than 20 percent to physics? Why do women outnumber men in higher education, all the more in communities of color? why in Beauty and the Geek are the beauties always female and the the geeks male? and what of the beautiful geek?

Contemplate neurophysiological implications: is geek on the autism-Asperger's spectrum? why is Asperger's more prevalanet in males? What are the neurolodevelpmental underpinnings of girls speaking before boys? the role of testosterone and estrogen in cognitive function? Why do chromosomal abberations that give a deficiency in either result in passive individuals? and why are there so few studies?

The geeks inherit the earth and their base is the South Bay. They also take over Wall Street and the White House, the former to our collective regret.

Today i saw a poster for Paper Heart. I roll my eyes with snobbish contempt at instant pattern recognition--oh another 'indie' movie with that pale technicolor aesthetic, scrawly text, 'low budget' charm and whimpery cooey soundtrack. But then i noted that the heroine appears to be a very dorky looking, chubby brown Asian girl.

woot!

a debate begins "how to seduce a geek girl" spawns "4 tips for Understanding 'Girl Geeks'
http://jezebel.com/5332327/4-tips-for-understanding-girl-geeks

And i realize i don't know why so late--the geek is cool. And like all great triumphs of outsiders who become recognized, the bittersweet prize--assimilation, and thus--obliteration.

"The history of 'geek':

1515-1916 A "fool, dupe, or simpleton"

1916-1970s A circus sideshow performer who bites the heads off chickens.

1970s-1980s Derogatory term for a socially awkward or unattractive person. Usually male.

1990s A computer genius with stock options. Possibly worth billions. (In the 1980s, these were called "nerds".)

2000s and beyond Actors, models, talk show hosts, iPhone owners, fans of the top grossing movies of all time, anyone whose job description is more complicated than "shopping" "

Disclaimer: i have been told i am but a nerd and a dilletante, not a geek proper. that's cool.

1 comment:

lisa said...

ha! you called her chubby.

don't think she'd disagree, but i haven't heard her called that.

also i'm not seeing that movie.