"Geek girl" is a 20th-century term, signifying a gendered subgenre within the modern geek subculture.
The return of the word "geek" in the mid-1990s can be traced to the popularization of workplace computing and the Internet and the dot-com bubble of 1995–2000. The early days of the reclaimed use of "geek" were strongly associated with computers and information technology [1] and the majority of practitioners were male. [2] Similarly, in a 1996 study of high school cultures, linguist Mary Bucholtz noted that "nerd status is overwhelmingly associated with males." [3] Two studies by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) quantified the gap between men and women in computing and the continuing problems in recruiting and retaining female programmers. [4] [5]
The term "Geekgirl" was coined by Rosie Cross in 1993 as the title of her online cyberfeminist magazine. [6] This is Australia's longest running online publication and in September 1996 it was exhibited at the New Museum of Contemporary Art New York. Editions of this magazine from the mid-'90s have been preserved by the Internet Archive. [7] As the use of the personal computer grew during the mid- to late 2000s, the number of women in computing rose proportionately, and networks were created to provide support and connection for self-described "geek girls". GirlGeeks.org [8] was created in 1999 to serve as "the source for women in computing", [9] and in 2005 Girl Geek Dinners was formed to connect women in the information technology (IT) sector. [10]
The widespread recognition of "geek girls" as a community occurred in summer 2010, when the annual San Diego Comic-Con included a panel entitled "Geek Girls Exist". [11] Panelists included StarWars.com journalist Bonnie Burton, singer-songwriter Marian Call, Tekzilla and Qore host Veronica Belmont, MythBusters featured host Kari Byron, and was hosted by Rielly Grey, founder of Geek Girls Network. The panel's popularity [12] has been credited as a primary mover in solidifying the girl geek concept.
The term geek girl is in some ways fractured between its technical and cultural uses. The strongest association remains with computing, IT, and engineering. Practicing "geek girls" then include video game executive Jade Raymond, computer scientist and Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, social media developer Leah Culver, and engineer Limor Fried of Adafruit Industries.
"Geek girl" is also a term applied to women who engage in journalism and media about technology, typically through the Internet rather than traditional print media, such as tech journalist Natali Morris. Perhaps the most well-known variety of the "geek girl" is the gamer, who typically engages in video and/or live role-playing games. In 2007, actress and gamer Felicia Day popularized the archetype through the webseries The Guild and the YouTube viral video "(Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar".
"Fake geek girl" is a pejorative term for a woman who is accused of feigning interest in geeky topics such as video games or comic books to get attention from men. [13] The topic was the subject of controversy in 2012 and 2013, when multiple articles were published supporting or condemning the concept. [14] [15]
Much of the controversy surrounding the concept of fake geek girls began in March 2012, when Tara Brown published an article on the Forbes website titled "Dear Fake Geek Girls: Please Go Away". [15] In the article, she discussed the difference between geeky women as social outcasts, and "pretentious females who have labeled themselves as a 'geek girl' [who have] figured out that guys will pay a lot of attention to them if they proclaim they are reading comics or playing video games." [13]
Joe Peacock continued this criticism to discuss booth babes and female cosplayers in a July 2012 blog post for CNN titled "Booth babes need not apply". In this article, he denounced women who pretend to be interested in geek culture to gain attention from men or to advance their modelling careers. [16] Comic artist Tony Harris wrote a Facebook post in November 2012, described by The Daily Dot as a "diatribe", about female cosplayers who were not knowledgeable about the characters they were representing. [17]
Criticism of fake geek girls has given rise to other phenomena, such as the "Idiot Nerd Girl" image macro. [15] [18] These articles prompted considerable response. Some people argued that fake geek girls did not exist, or were more rare than the criticism suggested. Kirk Hamilton wrote in Kotaku that people perceived to be fake geek girls simply had interests that varied, in aspect or degree, from those of a male reader. [19] Some responses describe the criticism as misogynist and as a form of gatekeeping. [15] [20]
In September 2010, the geek girl group Team Unicorn was formed by four "gamer girls", who produced the YouTube video "G33k & G4m3r Girls" as a parody of the song "California Gurls" by Katy Perry. The video went viral within a week, [21] but the name of the group was intended to reflect the invisible status of women in the geek subculture: "Geek Girls: Like unicorns, we're not supposed to exist."
In late 2010, the Seattle-based non-profit GeekGirlCon announced that it would hold the first conference devoted to geek girls on October 8–9, 2011. [22]
In April 2011, New York Times television reviewer Ginia Bellefante caused a minor uproar by characterizing the medieval-fantasy series Game of Thrones as "boy fiction" that "no woman alive" would wish to watch. [23] The review prompted a direct response from GeekGirlCon, [24] as well as a flurry of discussion from bloggers and other news outlets. [25]
The web series Reel Geek Girls was formed in 2015 [26] by Drew C. Ryan to confront the concept of "Fake Geek Girls" by spotlighting and interviewing women involved in the entertainment industry. Each episode, a lady shares her personal stories of harassment, accusations of being a "fake geek," and also "geeks out" about the interests and topics she loves. [27]
A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted, or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical, abstract, or relating to niche topics such as science fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Additionally, many so-called nerds are described as being shy, quirky, pedantic, and unattractive.
Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, and a broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed role-playing in venues apart from the stage. Any entity that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Favorite sources include anime, cartoons, comic books, manga, television series, rock music performances, video games and in some cases, original characters.
Kathryn Felicia Day is an American actress, singer, writer, and web series creator. She is the creator and star of the web series The Guild (2007–2013), a show loosely based on her life as a gamer. She also wrote and starred in the Dragon Age web series Dragon Age: Redemption (2011). She is a founder of the online media company Geek & Sundry, best known for hosting the show Critical Role between 2015 and 2019. Day was a member of the board of directors of the International Academy of Web Television from December 2009 until August 2012.
A promotional model is a model hired to drive consumer demand for a product, service, brand, or concept by directly interacting with potential customers. Most promotional models are conventionally attractive in physical appearance. They serve to make a product or service more appealing, and can provide information to journalists and consumers at trade shows and convention events. Promotional models are used in motorsports, other sports or at trade shows, or they can act as "spokesmodels" to promote a specific brand or product in advertisements.
Maria Margaret Klawe is a computer scientist and served as the fifth president of Harvey Mudd College from 2006 to 2023. Born in Toronto in 1951, she became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009. She was previously Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University. She is known for her advocacy for women in STEM fields.
Fan Expo Canada is an annual speculative fiction fan convention held in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded as the Canadian National Comic Book Expo in 1995 by Hobby Star Marketing Inc. It includes distinctly branded sections, including GX and SFX, and formerly CNAnime. It is a four-day event typically held the weekend before Labour Day during the summer at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC).
The word geek is a slang term originally used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In the past, it had a generally pejorative meaning of a "peculiar person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual, unfashionable, boring, or socially awkward". In the 21st century, it was reclaimed and used by many people, especially members of some fandoms, as a positive term.
Maude Garrett is an Australian-born radio and television personality living and working in Los Angeles. She is currently the Entertainment Correspondent for The Project. doing studio crosses live from Los Angeles. She is known for her on air work with brands including BBC America, Quibi, Facebook, Nerdist News, Red Bull, Nickelodeon, SourceFed, 2Day FM, The Project, NBCUniversal, Southern Star, Syfy, Rotten Tomatoes, One Network, Discovery Channel, Digital Trends, New Rockstars, and AMC Theatres.
Clare Grant is an American actress, model and producer. She co-founded Team Unicorn, which has produced several web series and music video parodies including "Geek and Gamer Girls" and "All About That Base". She also appeared in 2023 comedy horror film Hanky Panky.
Girl Geek Dinners is an informal organisation that promotes women in the information technology industry, with 64 established chapters in 23 countries. The organisation was founded in London, United Kingdom, by software engineer Sarah Lamb, who felt women were under-represented at information technology events after attending a geek dinner in 2005.
"Geek and Gamer Girls", stylized G33K & G4M3R Girls, is a music video by the girl group Team Unicorn. It pays tribute to women who love gaming, manga, and science fiction. The video reached 1 million views in its first week online but met with a mixed reception over its portrayal of the women. Robot Chicken creator Seth Green performs a rap in the video. Actress Katee Sackhoff and comic book creator Stan Lee also appear. The music video is noted for its abundance of cultural references. parodying Katy Perry's "California Gurls".
Team Unicorn is a multimedia production team formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2010. Its current members are American actresses Clare Grant, Rileah Vanderbilt, Milynn Sarley, and Alison Haislip. The group is known for producing parody song videos such as "G33k & G4m3r Girls", a spoof of Katy Perry's "California Gurls", and "All About that Base", a Star Wars parody of Meghan Trainor's song "All About That Bass". The group had a pilot on Adult Swim called The Team Unicorn Saturday Action Fun Hour!, and have attended numerous science fiction and comic conventions.
The Hawkeye Initiative is a satirical Tumblr page similar to Women in Refrigerators that comments on the depiction and treatment of female characters and superheroes in comic books. The site features fan art of Marvel character Hawkeye in various poses held by female characters that the artists believe to be impossible or sexually provocative. The site's intent is phrased as "to draw attention to how deformed, hypersexualized, and unrealistically dressed women are drawn in comics". The site further states that these poses are seen as normal and go unnoticed by many readers when performed by female superheroes.
Rileah Elizabeth Vanderbilt is an American actress and producer. She is one of the founding members of Team Unicorn.
The Doubleclicks are a nerd-folk musical duo based in Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, California, consisting of siblings Laser Webber and Aubrey Turner. They first became known for performing nerd-friendly comedy music, including songs about Dungeons & Dragons, dinosaurs, and other geeky themes. While their later songs retain those elements, there has been a stronger focus on feminist and other social issues, and more personal themes.
Nerd music is the overall category of music collecting the musical genres that grew from nerd culture; different styles that share the same common ground.
"Nothing to Prove" is a feminist nerd-folk song by The Doubleclicks released on their second album Lasers and Feelings. It is a response to the misogynist concept of the "fake geek girl" and the subsequent bullying and gatekeeping prevalent within the geek community. The Doubleclicks released a crowd-sourced music video, featuring segments filmed by women within the geek community, that went viral and received over a million views.
Gender disparity in computing concerns the disparity between the number of men in the field of computing in relation to the lack of women in the field. Originally, computing was seen as a female occupation. As the field evolved, so too did the demographics, and the gender gap shifted from female dominated to male dominated. The believed need for more diversity and an equal gender gap has led to public policy debates regarding gender equality. Many organizations have sought to create initiatives to bring more women into the field of computing.
Library Bards are a nerd parody band based in Los Angeles, California, consisting of reality personalities Bonnie Gordon and Xander Jeanneret. They are known for taking pop songs and re-writing them as nerd-centric parody songs. Topics of their songs include Sci-Fi, Cosplay, Gaming, and Fantasy.
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