Question about the Fake Geek Girl shirts —
Do you want them in ladies cuts?
The point of the joke was that they were for men, but if there are women who want them, I think I can make that happen. (On a woman it’s a different joke… or a blatant refusal to be cowed or marginalized, which is always a thing I can get behind.)
So is this a thing I should do, ladies’ cuts?
Okay so I hear people talking shit lately about fangirls thinking characters are hot, and to a lesser extent fangirls shipping. But mainly people are talking all kinds of shit about how fangirls like attractive men in the movies they watch.
The thing that pisses me off here is that these fangirls are made to feel like they’re not legitimate fans of the movies or TV shows in question (especially if they’re geek material, hello Fake Nerd Girl™ bullshit) because they think the actor is attractive.
Avengers fangirls? Only in it for Tom Hiddleston and butts. Hobbit fangirls? Only in it for Aidan Turner and Richard Armitage. Star Trek fangirls? Only in it for Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto.
Which is stupid enough, but then we look at the fact that fanBOYS who find actresses in geeky movies attractive? They’re never treated with a roll of the eyes for it. In fact, when an attractive woman is cast and the fanboys like her, the directors will slap her in a sex slave bikini costume just as a special treat for those fanboys. When dudes make a comment about thinking Slave Leia is hot, they’re cheered on and agreed with. When girls dress as Slave Leia, they’re considered vapid fakers who are hungry for attention. When girls make a comment about thinking Loki’s hot, they’re treated with indignation and exasperation. They’re treated like any chance they had of being treated like an actual fan just went out the window. When guys dress like Loki, they’re considered badass.
What?
Like, come the fuck on.
Oh and girls who deride other girls for finding actors attractive while you, saint that you are, are interested in the story? Fuck off. Mentioning/blogging about/talking about hot people does not mean we’re not interested in the story.
The death of a myth: There can be only one Girl Geek
This has been an interesting year or two for gender debates in geekdom. The “Where are the Women?” questions at conventions. The “empowered” reboot of Starfire and Catwoman. The Fem Frequency Kickstarter Cyber Mob. The Fake Geek Girl Meme. The Cosplaying Hawt Girl Predators. The Hawkeye Initiative. Anger & outrage has done more than make the issues visible — it has catalyzed the formation of a community. With every round of debates, more women and men alike add their voice, and people that once believed themselves alone discovered that they are in fact one of many.
It was a myth. There CAN be more than one geek girl on earth. In fact, we are numerous and varied. We are a tribe. We are one. Our voice is growing, and it is changing how we view our world.
In the past, every time I heard a comic book big-wig say, “That’s just the way it is, because only boys read comics,” I’d think to myself, “Well, I know that I read comics, but I guess if I’m the only one, I can understand why the industry doesn’t change. They have to make a profit, right?
In the past, every time I’d hear a guy complain, “Man, if only there was a girl out there that liked the TV Shows/Video Games/Comic Books that I like, I’d be happy, but they just don’t exist!” I’d think to myself, “Gosh, I must be the exception. I understand why these guys are so frustrated - It sucks to have nobody to talk to about the things you like.”
In the past, every time I’d hear someone decry that, “If this aspect of the fandom makes you uncomfortable, it’s just because you’re taking it wrong,” I’d say to myself, “Maybe they’re right. Nobody else seems to be upset. I guess that I’m making a big deal out of nothing.”
Now I see these sentiments for what they really are: Excuses. Every single one of them boils down to the same desperate cry: “Change is scary, and it’s hard, and I don’t know how to do it! So instead of trying to learn, I’m going to convince you that you’re the problem.”
And as long as people believed themselves alone, it worked.
It is no longer working.
Women are angry about their portrayal in media. They are angry about how they are treated at conventions, during an online gaming session, and at the websites of their personal projects. They are angry that they are under-represented in pop-culture industries despite a growing number of qualified female writers, artists, and programmers. And they are speaking up about it, connecting with each other, forming communities and finding creative ways to express their dissatisfaction.
This is not a revolution. It is a reality. The only thing that’s surprising about it is that it’s been this way for years — we just hadn’t met one another yet.
So today I got called a 'fake geek girl'. Talkin' bout real life here, folks.
I went to Books-A-Million after my night class to see if I could find a comic I wanted or maybe a nice graphic novel. So I was browsing around those shelves and a man walks by. He stops when he sees me, and sort of hangs around behind me for a bit.
I pick up a DC comic and start thumbing through it, and he chuckles. I turn around to look at him, unsure if he was directing the laugh at me or something he was reading.
He raises his eyebrows at me and says, “Buying that for someone else?”
I pause for a moment, scared of where this would go and respond calmly, “No. I’m thinking about purchasing it for myself, thanks.”
He starts laughing even harder now as he shelves the sci-fi novel in his hand. He takes a little step closer and looks over me.
“Seriously?”
“I am very serious.”
He leans back and puts his hand under his chin. ”Hm. Well. It’s just that girls don’t typically care about comics. And well…” He looks over me again, “you don’t look like you’d care particularly.”
I clench my fists and look up at him.
“Oh really? Now, can you tell me why that might be?” I ask, I’m seething at this point.
“Because you look like all the other fucking girls who don’t give a shit and pretend to. You look more like you care about what color eyeliner you are wearing than what DC is doing.” He turns away from me and grabs his book again.
I tap him on the shoulder. He turns around again and I get reaaaaaaaaaaaaal close to this fucker’s face. I smile nice and big.
“It’s a shame I didn’t fucking ask you what you think of me.”
I pause for a moment and poke him in the shoulder to back him up from me.
“I’m going to buy this comic and enjoy it. And my eyeliner looks awsesome today, thanks for taking notice of it.”
He blows me off, and looks at his book.
I walk away past the shelf, but backpedal for a moment.
“Oh, also….you should know….your ass-crack is showing and you have a tiny boner going on there. Thanks for the support.”
He flusteredly calls me a bitch and yanks around his pants.
Done with you dicks at the bookstore.
