Fake. Geek. Girls?

Time out.

While I’ve been on hiatus, a dude over at CNN named Joe Peacock decided to write a ridiculous article on women and the world of geeks.  I feel like my readers here at HelloGiggles would like to have a say on the issue.  How do you define Geek?

According to Joe:

“Fantastic.”  “Finally.”  “Male-Oriented.”  “Male-Driven.”

Although veiled in some sort of pro-feminist wording, this thought process is incredibly obtuse.  I am disinclined to spend any more energy into explaining why this statement is condescending.

Joe tries really hard to align himself with whom he considers “real geeks” (Felicia Day) and throws down hard on whom he considers “fake geeks” (Olivia Munn, Frag Dolls, Booth Babes, Cosplayers, etc).  In Joe’s assessment:

Ehhh…. huh?  Let’s back up about 35 years and roll forward, shall we? :

Star Wars (1977)  Leia, Princess of Alderaan, was a master marksman spy for the Rebel Alliance.  She choked and killed Jabba the Hutt.  She inspired millions of women to be strong and outspoken.  And she definitely made me want to wear a “Metal Bikini”.

Alien (1979)  Ellen Ripley is considered one of the best protagonists of all time… by everyone.  Gender assignment step aside.

Metroid (1986)  Samus Aran rocked young gamers around the world.  This kickass space bounty hunter took on Mother Brain (*ahem* also a female).

Although Joe never specifically addresses his own criteria on what it takes to be a “real geek”, he does go out on a limb to differentiate that monetizing your own geek material (Felicia Day) is more far more awesome and respectable than landing an audition (Olivia Munn) or being skilled at video games (Frag Dolls) or being booked as a model (Booth Babes) or participating in “Cosplay” (normal girls who play dress up for conventions).  The latter are mostly all considered “poachers” to Joe:

Booth Babes are subject to exploitation by the companies who hire them for various “geek” conventions (Comicon, E3, etc).  They’re simply independent contractors.  It’s a great job if you live in Los Angeles, especially while pursuing a career in entertainment.  The hours are flexible and you get to meet a lot of interesting people.  The gigs are always different, and you have the freedom to turn down an offer should you start finding your own success.

The “problem” Joe begins to identify plays into the “Reality Celebrity” craze that has taken over media as a whole.  Some people (both men and women) have made their name in the geek-sphere by “faking” it.  And he’s right.  Some have…. as they have in every single industry I can think of.  From padding resumes to padding bras — it happens.  And many of those people actually learn while they climb up the ladder.  They want to learn.  They’re eager to learn.  However, there will always be some that will do anything it takes to be accepted by the “Popular Geeks”… god it hurts to write those words.

All that aside… just because a female is wearing a Batman shirt (as Joe implies) doesn’t mean she’s trying to grace a man with her presence.  Maybe she’s just getting into Batman.  Maybe she really likes Batman.  Maybe someone is shining the Bat-Signal on her chest so Batman himself will come kick your ass for gawking at the way the logo spills over her breasts.

I want to thank Dan Nye Griffiths from Forbes.com who wrote a fantastic response to Joe’s rampage on women: “Fake Geek Girls: How Geek Gatekeeping Is Bad For Business”.  It’s a great read.

GEEK:  THE FOUR LETTER WORD

Everyone has the potential to be a geek in some way.  But there are varying degrees.

Straight up:  I’ve never been into comics and I’ve haven’t read a single Harry Potter.  I don’t really love First-Person Shooters.  And, I’ve never seemed to get into Dr. Who.  My apologies.

But I still have all my He-Man action figures.  My old NES sits on display with the original gold Zelda cartridge.  I’m a guild master (and NPC!) in World of Warcraft.  I was Princess Leia four times for Halloween.  You can’t touch me at air hockey or Ms. Pac-Man.  I’ll wear my Spirithood in the middle of summer because it makes me feel good.  I wish Firefly never got canceled.  All I ever wanted was a purple unicorn as a kid… until I learned about dragons.  And that’s just the tip of my nerd iceberg.

Being a Geek is an identity.  YOUR identity.  OUR identity.  Being a Geek is being part of a community.  You should be passionate about what you love and don’t let anyone stop you from learning more.  No one should put you down for not knowing enough.  True Geeks love sharing information.  If they don’t… we call them “TROLLS“.

What makes YOU a Geek?

=mm=

(Image via LucasFilm.)