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I recently read The Beat’s controversial blog post, Can you be a hot girl and a nerd? And, like anything intended to be controversial, it stuck with me. As a person who identifies as a female geek, I should know better than anybody that no, you CAN’T be a hot girl and a nerd, and not for lack of trying.
Both of these phrases, “hot girl” and “nerd” aren’t being used as self identification. No, in this context, we’re talking about how we would describe, observe, and judge a girl attending a comic convention. We make a snap judgement of her, and that judgement is totally based on her appearance. “How amazing that this girl is a hot girl AND a nerd!” we marvel condescendingly — and even if we don’t think we’re being condescending, we are!
And if she doesn’t fit our opinion of what a “hot nerd girl” should be? At that point, it’s time for some awful derogatory term about how we hope we don’t see her again. How dare a woman who isn’t attractive show up in public?
See what I mean? Whether a woman fits the role of “hot nerd girl” is not only entirely subjective, but entirely dependent on other people’s perspectives.
Even on days when my hair falls in natural waves and my skin is flawless, I don’t look in the mirror and say to myself, “Wow, what a hot nerd girl you are!” And frankly, I don’t think any female nerds do that. In fact, the only women I can see realistically trying to fit that role are the ones who are deeply concerned in how they appear to other people — like I said before, it’s an entirely subjective thing.
Perhaps a woman is working as a booth babe, and her job is dependent on not only her looks, but her ability to memorize and repeat facts about the video game she is helping to sell. Or maybe she’s an actress starring in a movie with a very nerdy, very male demographic. You can bet she’s going to play up both her best physical features and her minimal knowledge of Star Wars in order to win over her audience.
“Hot girl” and “nerd” are both personas that a woman can put on. When I’m on camera, I do my best to look as attractive as possible. Meanwhile, I’ll wear my glasses and an over-sized t-shirt to a Magic: The Gathering draft or to watch anime at a friend’s house. For me, the two don’t go together: I can just imagine how pissed off my D&D group would be if I spent all my time primping between dice rolls! They would definitely think I wasn’t acting like myself and I wouldn’t be — I’d be acting the way I assume society expects “hot girls” to act.
Really, I should rephrase my point: I do not believe a woman can truly self-identify as a hot girl and a nerd. She might be beautiful, she might be empowered, but once I hear those words come out of her mouth, I know she’s just trying to live up to other people’s expectations of the ideal female geek.
P.S. Don’t forget to enter my giveaway to win a copy of Fan to Pro!
this post reminds me of this video: http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6534168/im-such-a-nerd-with-katrina-bowden
Ehh… I think that this post is written from the standpoint of someone who has a certain perception of being a “hot girl.”
You don’t have to spend 2 hours a day to be a “hot girl.” You can simply be hot (and wear clothes that you like seeing yourself in… which it just so happens everyone else gets a boner over) and also like Halo or MTG.
Though I think it is certainly true that geek culture has a tendency to alienate or be sort of prejudiced toward anyone who spend longer than 5 minutes making sure their hair is nice in the morning, I don’t think it’s “impossible.” One can self identify without the help of everyone else, it’s just difficult.
Thanks for reading, Matt! I think you get that my article is less about self-identity than judgement onto other people’s perceived identities.
As I just put it to my (gorgeous) cousin: “Here’s my point: you’re hot and a gamer, but the moment you define yourself as a ‘hot gamer girl,’ there goes the geek cred.”
I disagree with you =$
look at yourself, you are a hot geek
furthermore, I am an anime fan but I don’t wear glasses nor oversized t-shirt
However, that doesn’t mean that I’m looking fabulous all the time
I wear comfortable clothes at home as everyone else does and wear cute and classy outfits outdoors just as what my otaku friends do
Maybe because there are some differences between otakus around the world ne?
It’s perfectly okay to disagree! And I’m sure there are differences around the world. But, how seriously would you take my blog if my introduction said, “Hi, I’m hot AND a nerd.” It doesn’t sound genuine, does it. It would sound more like I was selling myself as a product.
Gotta be honest, I *am* hot and a nerd. This 6 pack don’t lie, there’s no getting around it. Nor is there getting around my much-too-vast knowledge of MTG.
Technically, I’m a brilliant hot nerd with a hint of semi-pro-athlete. But that’s a really long title… I prefer Lord Matt whenever appropriate.
I think it’s partially about approach. If you approach your training regimen as carefully as your deck, your geekiness shines through even in ungeeky pursuits.
Part of it has to do with how you identify. If your obsession over something brings you equal parts shame and bliss, then you’re probably in the right territory.
I got into it with Ed Sizemore over credentials. All of us geeks start somewhere and we should judge by enthusiasm and eagerness to learn (at the cost of other parts of our lives) over actual subject knowledge.
But I think geekiness is a mantle that you only get to wear when you wear it proudly AFTER realizing that no other label fits.
[...] you be a hot girl AND a nerd?” * David Brothers: No, you can’t. * Otaku Journalist: I can’t be a hot girl and a nerd. Geek culture won’t let me. * Stellar Four: What it means to be a geek [...]
I’m not really sure how I feel about this issue coming from the perspective of self-labeling. One can certainly be a “gay geek”, “black geek”, or “white otaku” and no one would bat an eyelash. Why is it, then, that especially attractive girls are given a hard time for being geeks?
The core of the issue as I see it is a reaction from the predominantly male geek base who is reacting against the commercialization of their once-unpopular identity. Outsiders are treated with suspicion, as ones who might potentially exploit them in some way, and no one is more easily identified as a stereotypically traditional outsider than an attractive girl.
You mentioned Booth Babes a few comments up, and I think they’re a perfect example of this hot-chick-in-geek’s-clothing. At Conventions, booth babes exist for the express purpose of drawing potential consumers toward whatever booth is hiring him. With such a precedent, is it difficult to see why there is such suspicion around hot girls wearing “For the Horde!” t-shirts?
The problem is further exacerbated by casual/trendy geek girls who profess to like Star Wars or WoW and then expect the geek cred to roll in. I once blamed Olivia Munn for this phenomenon but these days I now blame Ramona Pringle since she seems eager to broadcast her geek identity as well as exploit the geek subculture at the same time.
Ultimately, I think the outside perception will eventually change as geek membership increases and “hot geek girls” will be accepted as just another stripe of geek.
@Matt, I hadn’t heard of Ramona Pringle! I think that when being a geek goes out of vogue and the trendsters assume the next hip identity, we won’t have to treat geek girls with suspicion.
No, you can’t be a hot girl and a nerd. It’s like being poor and rich at the same time. Just because you choose to eat a hot dog for dinner doesn’t make you poor. You could always order the steak if you want. Just accept all the wonderful things being pretty offers and keep quiet about how nerdy you are.
I disagree with your comment about you can’t be poor and rich at the same time. One of my favorite movie quotes is from Wall Street Money Never Sleeps “No matter how much money you make you will never be rich.” Said by Shia LaBeouf’s character to Michael Douglas’s character after Michael’s character destroys his relationship with his daugther all for money or as Douglas puts it “The Game” One can be hot and a nerd just most people are too superficial to see.
There is no such thing as a hot nerd, only a hot geek.
Here’s why: nerds are very self-absorbed people, they’ve either forgotten or actively made the choice to not care about appearance and normal human socialization. Nerds are extreme in this. They interact with most people awkwardly and their looks and maintenance can be repugnant.
Geeks, on the other hand, share the same interests as nerds, but the distinction lies in their valuing of interacting with other people, and not just of their own kind, they aren’t self-absorbed in their own little world forgetting the social structuring of society, and they haven’t forgotten or decided against how to properly socialize with the mainstream. Their looks and maintenance aren’t degraded either because they actually have some self-respect and care for their bodies.
So, with you being a geek and all, and an attractive one at that, I think it’s safe to consider yourself a hot geek and believe that it’s possible to be both.
Cheers