Fake Geek Girls, Where did it start?

[Uhura]

I think the point they were making, is that Zoey is the image of the fake geek girl in the media ( she might actually be a geek, I don't know never met her) but people are basing the fact that she is conventionally attractive AND acts like a geek in her on screen personas to peg her as the symbol for the "fake geek girl".

I still think she is a bit poor example of a fake-geek-girl in the sense that I don't think she has ever played a gamer character, or someone who is into comic books, or fantasy or sci-fi or board gaming or larping or anime etc. In the media her style is often referred to as 'geek chic' and the characters she plays are often a bit awkward/quirky but that's about it. I just think it's funny that a few years ago she was the 'prime example of an annoying hipster girl' and now she is the 'prime example of a fake-geek-girl' even though she hasn't to my knowledge pretended to have massively geeky hobbies nor played massively geeky roles.

As far as I can tell she enjoys wearing vintage clothing and likes to play slightly awkward characters. Oh the horror.

 

[molester jester]

The thing is i remember when that meme started floating about and i never remember it singling out girls, yes a girl was used for the image but i always thought the meme its self was just making fun of the fact geek suddenly became chic and the understandable anger that it aroused in people who has gotten shit for years due to supposed geeky behaviour

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

if gaming women were as respected as their male counterparts, but they're not. Instead, the meme has become something of a rallying cry for misogyny.

Even if they DO say they don't mind "fake" people, I think most people DO mind (just read anyone of MovieBob's articles on how annoying he finds people who clearly know less than he does try to tell him off). Personally, there's no doubt in my mind that truly fake girls are annoying.

But the truth is, it's not "fake girls". ANYONE who does something where the primary motivating factor is to get attention (read: adorkable girls, for example) are obnoxious. Whether it be people who like rap because they think it makes them sound cool, hipsters, or someone who comments on sports like they know what they're talking about when they clearly don't (NASCAR IS A SPORT BTW!). It's universal. Anyone who says otherwise is being misleading or blinded by popular sentiment.

gotta agree with this, and this is my only bone to ever pick with "fake geeks" really.

(I have a bit more personal issue with it as my ex-girlfriend was the embodiment of being an adorkable obnoxious twat, that shit ended real fast because of it.)

she'd do the typical "Gonna start playing WoW, while i'm in class! LOL I'm such a nerd Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't play games!"

and of course it would garner 60+ likes and endless fapping to the status..

(and yes I call out/hate posers everywhere, regardless of sex/age/etc.. If you are just using something to gain attention and don't have an actual interest in it, then any interest I had in you as a friend/person just went down the drain. Being a "newb" to something isn't a bad thing, but don't pretend like you know everything and be obnoxious about it.)

OT: No idea where it started, but I saw it in person as early as beginning of high school, around 8ish years ago, as that's when I met a shit ton of people and got a feel for social stuff better.

 

[MorganL4]

I think the point they were making, is that Zoey is the image of the fake geek girl in the media ( she might actually be a geek, I don't know never met her) but people are basing the fact that she is conventionally attractive AND acts like a geek in her on screen personas to peg her as the symbol for the "fake geek girl".

I still think she is a bit poor example of a fake-geek-girl in the sense that I don't think she has ever played a gamer character, or someone who is into comic books, or fantasy or sci-fi or board gaming or larping or anime etc. In the media her style is often referred to as 'geek chic' and the characters she plays are often a bit awkward/quirky but that's about it. I just think it's funny that a few years ago she was the 'prime example of an annoying hipster girl' and now she is the 'prime example of a fake-geek-girl' even though she hasn't to my knowledge pretended to have massively geeky hobbies nor played massively geeky roles.

As far as I can tell she enjoys wearing vintage clothing and likes to play slightly awkward characters. Oh the horror.

yeah, I won't argue that...

The thing is i remember when that meme started floating about and i never remember it singling out girls, yes a girl was used for the image but i always thought the meme its self was just making fun of the fact geek suddenly became chic and the understandable anger that it aroused in people who has gotten shit for years due to supposed geeky behaviour

The thing is i remember when that meme started floating about and i never remember it singling out girls, yes a girl was used for the image but i always thought the meme its self was just making fun of the fact geek suddenly became chic and the understandable anger that it aroused in people who has gotten shit for years due to supposed geeky behaviour

The reason Geeks have become cool all of a sudden is that geeks know how the internet works, and the "normal" crowd is so dependant on said internet that as geeks we have become "gaurdians" which is funny because not all of us actually know what TCP/IP is or can explain the OSI model..... ( I do and can because I have to for my degree, and chosen career path) But still that is why, Geeks built and geeks maintain the greatest social mechanism on the planet... And so what we find interesting, Dr. Who, Video Games, comic book characters etc.... is becoming of interest to the masses.


But so far we are at three pages, and I still don't know what set all the contributors into a frenzy.... hopefully if this thing gets long enough one of them will pop in and explain what the spark actually was.... Or maybe I should just query Jim in his thread.

 

[Stasisesque]

I think the point they were making, is that Zoey is the image of the fake geek girl in the media ( she might actually be a geek, I don't know never met her) but people are basing the fact that she is conventionally attractive AND acts like a geek in her on screen personas to peg her as the symbol for the "fake geek girl".

I still think she is a bit poor example of a fake-geek-girl in the sense that I don't think she has ever played a gamer character, or someone who is into comic books, or fantasy or sci-fi or board gaming or larping or anime etc. In the media her style is often referred to as 'geek chic' and the characters she plays are often a bit awkward/quirky but that's about it. I just think it's funny that a few years ago she was the 'prime example of an annoying hipster girl' and now she is the 'prime example of a fake-geek-girl' even though she hasn't to my knowledge pretended to have massively geeky hobbies nor played massively geeky roles.

As far as I can tell she enjoys wearing vintage clothing and likes to play slightly awkward characters. Oh the horror.

I'm glad someone else has noticed how the media reaction to Zooey has changed so dramatically since she was in HHGTTG or The Happening. I remember her being slated by press for the latter, and geeks everywhere for the former. Then all of a sudden, she's the internet's golden girl. I wonder if it had anything to do with Joseph Gordon Levitt.

Also, when did Zooey Deschanel take over from Felicia Day for the title of Hollywood/Internet Geek?

 

[zehydra]

To put it simply, the "Fake Geek Girl" thing, is akin to blackface.

 

[Natalie Norment]

Honestly, the reason the Fake Geek Girl probably started because certain women believe that they are the center of the universe regardless of what previous lifestyle they had. They regard themselves as the 'geek girl' when, in reality, they are not. It's all because they want attention from everyone, because of what they truly believe in. In my definition of "fake geek girl", it's mostly women with self-serving egos who have nothing better to do with their life than interfere with the real geek girls like myself in general. This is why I found it sad that most women are trying to destroy what geekdom is to people. Geek culture is something that everyone should be proud of, except for those who try to forsake it for their own selfish reasons. I would name a few, but I won't endanger the lives of those who were perhaps once companions to them. I know I'm a real geek girl and I wish some certain bitches realize that I'm suppose to be the ultimate threat to their existence wherever they go in life. I admit that I can never EVER live up to those type of women who are famous to the audience, mainly the video game audience, but that is totally fine with me because I am me and I can only be me.

Overall, I believe it's time to tell the real geek girls to fight against the fake ones in particular. I am a real geek girl and I'm sure most of you out there understand how I feel about this fake geek girl problem. It's probably not going to go away anytime soon, but if we can stand up for what we believe in, then we have the right to fight against those who have been using their previleged lifestyles pretending to be geek girls like me and other women who have done nothing wrong in their lives but be themselves.

What do you all think about that?

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I think the point they were making, is that Zoey is the image of the fake geek girl in the media ( she might actually be a geek, I don't know never met her) but people are basing the fact that she is conventionally attractive AND acts like a geek in her on screen personas to peg her as the symbol for the "fake geek girl".

I still think she is a bit poor example of a fake-geek-girl in the sense that I don't think she has ever played a gamer character, or someone who is into comic books, or fantasy or sci-fi or board gaming or larping or anime etc. In the media her style is often referred to as 'geek chic' and the characters she plays are often a bit awkward/quirky but that's about it. I just think it's funny that a few years ago she was the 'prime example of an annoying hipster girl' and now she is the 'prime example of a fake-geek-girl' even though she hasn't to my knowledge pretended to have massively geeky hobbies nor played massively geeky roles.

As far as I can tell she enjoys wearing vintage clothing and likes to play slightly awkward characters. Oh the horror.

There's a pretty good reason for that: at least one subclass of the fake geek girl (and fake geek, period) meme is hipsters using geekery as a fashion statement -- they're the ones who embraced, and maybe even originated, "geek chic."

OT: I've never seen an honest to goodness fake geek. I've seen typical preppy girls[footnote]oddly, I've never seen a guy do this[/footnote] saying "lol I'm such a geek" because, say, they enjoyed watching a superhero movie, but I haven't seen anyone honestly trying to fake their way as a geek. I know plenty of female geeks, none of them are exactly what I'd call fake. Some of them are geekier than I am[footnote]especially anime fangirls, good lord do /they/ get into it[/footnote], and that's saying something.

The blackface thing holds some definite merit, though. During spirit week in high school, we had "nerd day." I showed up to school dressed as normal, making sure to wear one of my geekier T-shirts. All the preppy kids dressed up as 1950's nerds with taped up glasses, button down shirts, and pocket protectors. You want to talk about offensive fake nerds, that was it. The "lol I'm such a geek" thing is similarly annoying, being a much smaller scale example of the same set of prejudices.

 

[Entitled]

I don't mean to sound obtuse, but I just don't see how singling out one actor (who is both an actual person and a Hollywood product) makes sense in this conversation.

Like I said in my first post: That's the point. There is no specific "outrage" in any direction, just a bunch of paralell discussions about sexual objectification, about shallow fashions, about subcultural poseurs, about elitism, and about related subjects.

Some people are slightly put off by Zooey's character, and about the whole commercialized "geek chic" fashion, and feel their right to that opinion threatened by these articles that are vocally dismissing any possibility of the phrase "fake geek girl" being used by anyone else but mysogynists.

Others are fed up with facebook comments and youtube videos where ordinary people are overstating their own nerdiness, as a popular thing.

Others are offended by adverzising and booth babes that overuses male-oriented sex appeal of gamer girls.

Some people believe that there are newbie MMO players abusing the fact that female avatars get more help.

But there is no single concerted voice of the masses attacking "fake nerd girls" in general as if it would be a single specific thing. The pretense of this whole controversy relies on looking at all these minor debates, and grouping them together for no reason.

 

[MorganL4]

To put it simply, the "Fake Geek Girl" thing, is akin to blackface.

So let me clarify to see if I am getting what you are saying... Geeks are upset because there are now roles for geeks in the world that are being filled by people who simply pretend to be geeks?

Or are you speaking exclusively about the media (ie The Big Bang Theory, where Jim Parsons has come out and said that in reality he is not a geek)

 

[Salad Is Murder]

I'm almost entirely sure that this whole thing was simply a ridiculous straw man(woman?) that the internet breathed life into.

It's also important to keep in mind that anyone with afflicted with GotIS and/or USI must be excluded from any relevant data gathered.

 

[zehydra]

To put it simply, the "Fake Geek Girl" thing, is akin to blackface.

So let me clarify to see if I am getting what you are saying... Geeks are upset because there are now roles for geeks in the world that are being filled by people who simply pretend to be geeks?

Or are you speaking exclusively about the media (ie The Big Bang Theory, where Jim Parsons has come out and said that in reality he is not a geek)

Fake geek girl is like a satire. It's not "cool" to be a geek, it's cool to pretend you're a geek. It's cool to satirize geek culture. Big Bang Theory isn't about geek culture, it's about making fun of it.

 

[MorganL4]

To put it simply, the "Fake Geek Girl" thing, is akin to blackface.

So let me clarify to see if I am getting what you are saying... Geeks are upset because there are now roles for geeks in the world that are being filled by people who simply pretend to be geeks?

Or are you speaking exclusively about the media (ie The Big Bang Theory, where Jim Parsons has come out and said that in reality he is not a geek)

Fake geek girl is like a satire. It's not "cool" to be a geek, it's cool to pretend you're a geek. It's cool to satirize geek culture. Big Bang Theory isn't about geek culture, it's about making fun of it.

Yeah, you're right about that, at first I was really into The Big Bang Theory, I watched it religiously never missing an episode, but after the 2nd season I guess I came to the realization that the show ( although a comedy, and thus is going to be full of jokes) seemed to be doing a lot more laughing at geeks rather than with them, this may be a misconception on my part... I dunno, but I don't watch it all that often anymore. Now I do still find it funny at times ( you have to be able to laugh at your self from time to time)

It would be nice to get a comedy show that laughs with us though, but baby steps, baby steps.

 

[jmarquiso]

Also, when did Zooey Deschanel take over from Felicia Day for the title of Hollywood/Internet Geek?

Felicia Day only recently appeared in TV shows and movies. Deschanel has been doing it for Hollywood far longer. Day's always been the Internet Geek, whereas Deschanel has made an entire schtick out of the Manic Pixie Dreamgirl. She's the mousier, more accessible and available down to earth girl next door that works in romantic comedies.

 

[jmarquiso]

Honestly, the reason the Fake Geek Girl probably started because certain women believe that they are the center of the universe regardless of what previous lifestyle they had. They regard themselves as the 'geek girl' when, in reality, they are not. It's all because they want attention from everyone, because of what they truly believe in. In my definition of "fake geek girl", it's mostly women with self-serving egos who have nothing better to do with their life than interfere with the real geek girls like myself in general. This is why I found it sad that most women are trying to destroy what geekdom is to people. Geek culture is something that everyone should be proud of, except for those who try to forsake it for their own selfish reasons. I would name a few, but I won't endanger the lives of those who were perhaps once companions to them. I know I'm a real geek girl and I wish some certain bitches realize that I'm suppose to be the ultimate threat to their existence wherever they go in life. I admit that I can never EVER live up to those type of women who are famous to the audience, mainly the video game audience, but that is totally fine with me because I am me and I can only be me.

Overall, I believe it's time to tell the real geek girls to fight against the fake ones in particular. I am a real geek girl and I'm sure most of you out there understand how I feel about this fake geek girl problem. It's probably not going to go away anytime soon, but if we can stand up for what we believe in, then we have the right to fight against those who have been using their previleged lifestyles pretending to be geek girls like me and other women who have done nothing wrong in their lives but be themselves.

What do you all think about that?

I think there's always been attractive people, and there's always been competition for that kind of attention. I don't think an Us vs. Them mentality is the best idea.

Geek Culture is becoming mainstream. The top movies are geek culture, the top media is gaming, and most "pop" is dying. Mainstream networks air genre fiction. HBO airs high brow genre fiction. Late night TV hosts do Let's Plays as jokes. The internet and sites like youtube and the escapist forums have been able to link together communities of people that used to be disparate and bullied. And now we're what everyone's talking about. We're the new pop music.

Punk is dead.

 

[Harley Q]

I think there is a deep conspiracy going on.... In order to distract us from the aforementioned conspiracy, this ridiculous fake geek girl argument has been raised...

I've got a bad feeling about this..

 

[MorganL4]

I think there is a deep conspiracy going on.... In order to distract us from the aforementioned conspiracy, this ridiculous fake geek girl argument has been raised...

I've got a bad feeling about this..

I don't think it is an argument to be honest... EVERYONE who has posted on this thread seems to agree that the whole idea is ludicrous, but my initial question STILL has not been answered.... What sparked the Escapist rage? seriously this thing took up about a week and a half of content, and we don't know the source? How weird is that?

I did as I said I would in an above post and asked Jim directly ( as directly as quoting his post is I guess) and have gotten no reply to date.

 

[jmarquiso]

I think there is a deep conspiracy going on.... In order to distract us from the aforementioned conspiracy, this ridiculous fake geek girl argument has been raised...

I've got a bad feeling about this..

I don't think it is an argument to be honest... EVERYONE who has posted on this thread seems to agree that the whole idea is ludicrous, but my initial question STILL has not been answered.... What sparked the Escapist rage? seriously this thing took up about a week and a half of content, and we don't know the source? How weird is that?

I did as I said I would in an above post and asked Jim directly ( as directly as quoting his post is I guess) and have gotten no reply to date.

Here's a summary of what happened recently, that got everyone riled. 4Chan and Reddit were pretty busy in response, not to mention comic book fandom. It evolved into Fake Gamer Girls from then. Just a month or so before this, some Destructoid writer tweeted a similar tirade against Felicia Day, of all people.

http://badassdigest.com/2012/11/13/on-fake-geek-girls/

 

[Stasisesque]

Also, when did Zooey Deschanel take over from Felicia Day for the title of Hollywood/Internet Geek?

Felicia Day only recently appeared in TV shows and movies. Deschanel has been doing it for Hollywood far longer. Day's always been the Internet Geek, whereas Deschanel has made an entire schtick out of the Manic Pixie Dreamgirl. She's the mousier, more accessible and available down to earth girl next door that works in romantic comedies.

Okay I have a new question: What in the hell is a "Manic Pixie Dreamgirl"? It sounds like what would happen if you took Julia Roberts' Tinker Bell and crossed her with Natalie Portman's character from Black Swan.

Also, I saw 500 Days of Summer. If Deschanel is meant to be coming off as mousy, accessible and down to earth then she is a very very bad actress.

 

[MorganL4]

I think there is a deep conspiracy going on.... In order to distract us from the aforementioned conspiracy, this ridiculous fake geek girl argument has been raised...

I've got a bad feeling about this..

I don't think it is an argument to be honest... EVERYONE who has posted on this thread seems to agree that the whole idea is ludicrous, but my initial question STILL has not been answered.... What sparked the Escapist rage? seriously this thing took up about a week and a half of content, and we don't know the source? How weird is that?

I did as I said I would in an above post and asked Jim directly ( as directly as quoting his post is I guess) and have gotten no reply to date.

Here's a summary of what happened recently, that got everyone riled. 4Chan and Reddit were pretty busy in response, not to mention comic book fandom. It evolved into Fake Gamer Girls from then. Just a month or so before this, some Destructoid writer tweeted a similar tirade against Felicia Day, of all people.

http://badassdigest.com/2012/11/13/on-fake-geek-girls/

I feel like your explanation was missing a sentence..... 4chan and Reddit were busy in response to what exactly? In response to an attack on Felicia Day?