Geeks are so misunderstood, in the sense that it is easily stereotyped, and even then not correctly. But, there are common threads in what is misconceived of geeks.
All Geeks Are Male
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Geek culture is not owned or belongs to a single gender. In fact, a huge percentage of the geek population is female, so sorry boys, it’s not just for you.
Geeks Are Bookish/Techy
Being school smart and tech savvy is more of a nerd trait, and although geeks can have them, they are not mutually exclusive.
Female Geeks Are Fake
I can’t express enough how absolutely stupid the fake geek girl idea is. Angry men deciding that women can’t love what they love is childish. And since so many women are genuinely involved in fandoms and geek culture, they are definitely not fake.
Geeks and Nerds Are The Same
Nope, and you can read about that more in my Geek vs. Nerd post.
Geek Is A Bad Thing
The old adage that being a geek is embarrassing and unpopular has mostly fallen out of favor, but I can imagined that there is some bully in some high school picking on a geek for enjoying comic books. Media has helped change the idea of geeky being uncool, and as long as we own it, it won’t matter.
What is your favorite part of being a geek? Leave a comment letting me know.
Pretty amazing stuff right here! Thanks for sharing all this!
I have no idea what is the difference between nerds and geeks, I usually relate them. Its okay though I call myself both of them
I love being a geek and yes I”m self proclaimed. I’ve always been one to like what I like and it hasn’t always been the most popular topic. I thought it was funny because I was married and had a son when Twilight came out. Everyone was reading vampire books and the whole paranormal genre blew up. People that had made fun of me for years for liking that genre thought it was the coolest thing ever. Drove me nuts.
i don’t think i’m a geek but i can see how this misconceptions can be annoying. i agree completely though that there is a difference between a geek and a nerd
omg THANK YOU! Seriously, it irks me so much when some of my friends use the term so loosely and have no idea. Also, the Big Bang Theory is such an offender of this (in my opinion). I cringe so hard watching that show and found it so annoying when my boyfriend’s brother (loves this show) kept going on and on about how my boyfriend was just like the guy on that show. Uh, no. Not everyone is that kind of nerd. so irritating lol
I am not a geek and I held some of these stereotypes myself until now. Thanks for educating me. I am wondering though, since you mention fandom, what’s the relation between fangirls and geeks?
When fangirl is usually used, it’s particularly only one particular fandom they love so they are a fangirl of ____ fandom, versus geeks are all over and in multiple fandoms
I think that everyone is a little geeky about something. I like books and words.
I am a geek, and this post is perfect. Machines and I get along sometimes better than people.
I love geeks. They are my favorite people!
You’re not the only one. If you ask me, I also love most nerds.
Great post! Thanks for sharing!