- Team Unicorn: Milynn Sarley, Michele Boyd, Rileah Vanderbilt, Clare Grant
In its first week, Team Unicorn’s “G33k & G4m3r Girls” video (a.k.a. “Geek and Gamer Girls Song”), a parody of Katy Perry’s “California Gurls,” reached a million views at Break.com, hitting the million mark the same morning I posted an interview with team members Michele Boyd, Clare Grant, Milynn Sarley, and Rileah Vanderbilt. You can learn about the making of the video through different interviews or Michele Boyd’s blog. It’s important to note that these four ladies came up with, wrote, produced, and performed the entire thing. This video was their creation.
They also stirred up a bit of controversy. In forum discussions, comments, and blogs, plenty praise the video while others put it down. You’d need to read the actual blogs and comments to get the full effect of this debate, but these out-of-context quotes might help you get the gist of what’s going on.
American Beauty parody shot - pandering or having fun?
Geek Sugar: “Here’s something made just for us … this parody might just be an anthem for geek girls everywhere.”
A See of Green: “Ever run across something online that you know was created with you in mind? … I found that very thing!”
Iconic Media: “For those of us geeks, and the girls who like geeks, this is inspirational.”
MaryBeth Schroeder: “I love it. It is campy and fun. I like being naked, I like kitschy things and I love to laugh.”
Metaneira: “It isn’t really about geek women at all — it’s just about how men would want to have a smoking hot girlfriend who can talk about Star Wars and play D&D with them. That’s all you need, right? A hot body and a willingness to watch anime?“
Skeptigirl: “This video does nothing to prove geek and gamer girls really exist – it proves that some geek and gamer girls are still willing to do almost anything to fit into a subculture that fundamentally disrespects them.”
Topless Robot: “I have my reservations about posting this new song from Seth Green, his new wife Clare Grant, and three of her attractive friends… because it has attractive women claiming their nerdery in various states of undress, which is going to result in the same three types of comments…”
eruditechick: “It doesn’t MATTER if you get all these references, or embody them, or actually are a Geek or Gamer Girl. What matters is you look like this. It’s a question of who the video is for, and it clearly ain’t for me.”
Anomalous Musings: “Should these gamer gals have uglied themselves up before shooting this video? … I don’t take issue with them looking hot as much as the fact that they’ve made themselves the object of men’s fantasies in the video, which detracts from the point that I believe they intended for this to be a fun anthem for girl gamers.”
K. Valentine: “What were they trying to promote with this video: That geek and gaming girls exist? … Now where the heck is the music video salute to geek and gamer guys?”
Geekologie: “…allegedly Team Unicorn is a group of real-life gamer girls which may or may not be true because I’ve put little to zero effort in researching their credentials. They may just be pretty girls out to prey on poor geeky bastards like myself you.”
C. S. Daley: “Why is it okay to judge them? Is there a geek rule book I haven’t seen somewhere which explains the qualifications to enter the wonderful world of geek? Why does anyone care?”
QuirkyKnitGirl: “So that leaves us with the trickier part. Girls who are cute, apparently don’t represent ‘real’ geeks or gamers. Or, if discussions I’ve had are any indication, knitters. Or feminists. Or intelligent, well-educated and successful women…. There’s nothing wrong with being attractive, or appearing in a way that showcases that. And it doesn’t make you any less of a geek, gamer, or feminist.”
Jennifer K. Stuller: “What purpose does a naked woman lying flat on her back – – in a reference to Lolita – -serve? Who are these images meant to appeal to? …how are these particular images empowering to women (assuming that was the intention)?”
Angie Androit: “Team Unicorn looks like bad soft porn, made specifically for straight men”
Lake Desire: “once again geek girls are fanservice for the stereotypical male gamer and what he supposedly finds attractive.”
Latoya Peterson: “…if geek girls are invisible unicorns, brown geek girls (which compose most of my nerd crew) might as well be Cthulhu. So while I wanted to put my hands up, I’m going to have to rip the MP3.”
Sheena Goodyear: “I have no feminist qualms with the video (though I have many feminist qualms with the Katy Perry video it parodies). “It’s written, performed and produced by a group of women who’d rather be identified by their interests than their bodies, and most of the criticisms lobbed at it can be dismantled when you consider it in its context as a parody.”
Talk Star Wars to Me: “Now I’m not a California Girl and probably never will be, but these are lyrics that I can get behind…”
Laura Moncur: “I absolutely LOVE this California Gurls Music parody… I wish I looked as hot as any one of those girls. I guess I’m happy with my geek skillz and I’ll have to work on being a hottie as well.”
Geek Girl in Training: “A Geek Girl in Training like myself can learn a lot from this song, especially when only half of the lyrics make sense! …adorable.”
Edgar of All Trades: “…if it were a voluptuous woman or a ‘plainer’ woman playing the sexy in a video, she would be cheered as a geek champion, but oh no, these four beautiful women can’t represent geeks or gamers because they… what? They’re too beautiful?”
Girl in Row B: “…given the chance, we’re the snotty high school b****, telling other girls that they can’t claim the Geek Girl title because they don’t meet the criteria that was established.”
OUR TWITTER TALK
actionchick: Shouldn’t the idea that “girls can’t really be sexy and geeky at the same time” be insulting?
Next_Jen: I think it is. There’s no reason a geek chick can’t be sexy.
NapiersNews: Those are the sexiest ones
AurRhudd: It IS highly insulting.
GeekyJules: That idea insults me greatly
bentoboxx: It should be insulting. Who said this?
xxLadyEstelaxx: yes it is!!
AznRawxyHeartzx: Yes very
enmuse: AGREED Why the hate, ppl??
bonniegrrl: ugh don’t get me started! Geek girls CAN be sexy. Too bad most girls don’t believe that!
esthermpalmer: depends on the persons involved does it not? i.e. what is sexy? any ultimatum limits our imagination, so in that sense, YES!
ashcrow: The statement is plain wrong. Smile at them, give them a yo-yo and ask them to play in the corner while you be awesome.
ninaL12: of course!
swiv: Guys <3 geeky girls trust me
ImAgainstNEXUS: doesnt every woman and man,even geeky ones, want to be thought of as sexy
VampireKitten: I think its insulting, there are tond of hot gamer/geek girls.
MightyGeek: I am a Geek Guy who loves Geek Girls. I find nothing sexier than a girl with a brain.
CapSteveRogers: @bonniegrrl @actionchick Here here! You guys are living examples.
MogLord: Yeah, generally it should be, you’re an outstanding example of being both of course. =P
chernobylheart: There should be no objective criteria for geeky OR sexy, so I think anyone can be either or both as they are inclined to be! 🙂
vanbytheriver: Absolutely!
amedawg18: Damn straight, it should be!
Elly_B: it is!! I’m a nerd/dork/geek and quite attractive if I do say so myself!!
ArkhamAsylumDoc: Yes, it is insulting, because it assumes *geeky* and *sexy* are orthogonal constructs.
teenygeek: if anyone questions a geek girl’s sexiness, just refer them to twitter.com/teenygeek/five-point-plan HUBBA! HUBBA!
Nakedhobo: @ArkhamAsylumDoc I know plenty of sexy geek girls that blow my geekiness out of the water.
Tekknight: Shouldn’t the idea that “girls can’t really be sexy and geeky at the same time” be insulting? >> That’s redundant.
donbcivil: Geel boys know. 🙂
GirlInRowB: Can’t we just be geeks/gamers regardless of how we look? Didn’t we already deal w/ all that judging crap in high school?
zombieonado: Whomever had that idea? Not so smart. But boys cant be sexy n geeky either in the media
mvp_repo1: I know many hot geek girls, hate that assumption, I’m gay but nerd girls rule!
tragedyman: Yes. Also, patronizing.
tishalulle1: it IS insulting.
TNOReality: Isn’t @OliviaMunn proof of the opposite of that? You don’t get much more sexier and geekier together in one body…
TJSlipperman: Personally, I think that finding geekiness in a pretty girl makes that girl even more attractive to me.
GeekyJules: ugh. All this talk is making it more and more difficult for me remain civil. Why should I apologize for being attractive? Why should I be sorry because I don’t have to convince myself and others that I am beautiful. I just know it. This is just nuts
NicoleWakelin: @bonniegrrl @kiala @actionchick Geek Guys can be just as bad, complain about bring marketed to with sexy women as an affront. Whatever!
GeekyJules: And why do I have to hide the fact I am proud just because I happen to be a hard core nerd. Something is wrong w/ that picture.
USS_Stalwart: Perhaps you can ask Levi Johnston for an objective opinion? (@bonniegrrl @actionchick)
ashleylynch: that’s why we’re unicorns. We don’t exist. 🙂
BobbyBless219: who said women can’t be sexy and gamers? I’m pretty sure all of my female friends are sexy and gamers.
levack: I’ve always felt a woman IS sexy and beautiful innately she doesn’t have to BE sexy and beautiful.kiala: @bonniegrrl @ Guys, I don’t think that’s the issue.I think it’s more about the sexuality of women being exploited for marketing.
bonniegrrl: @kiala @actionchick: if this is about the Geek & Gamer Girl video by @teamunicornftw, I support their right to be sexy AND geeky!
bonniegrrl: @kiala they weren’t exploited. They’re being themselves & showing off their love for geeky stuff. NOTHING wrong w/ that! women are sexual. So what? So tired of other geek girls upset as soon as we shake our booty alongside our lightsabers.
bentoboxx: One should also be peeved at girls who claim to be geeks, but really aren’t
GeekyLyndsay: Just as insulting as “girls have to be sexy and geeky at the same time” Often, I want to be geeky and not care about sexy!
bentoboxx: Okay, I’ll go there Its fine to show geek girls as hot girls..but even in that same video, geek guys are never shown as hot! Yet I’m a geek guy and I’m damn hot!
actionchick: Your thoughts – why are women so often expected to prove geek cred?
RyanIszTheMaxx: Usually seems to be the case with other geek girls, rather than proving it to guys. Guys are, of course, more accepting, IMO. Towards fangirls, that is.
dannyson1: Women can VOTE?! D:
fredWC: cause for a long time, it was male dominated geekdom lol guys just need to realize it’s a two way street
Alderbaran: Probably because you don’t expect women to go down that path. Lately though you’re starting to see more and more emerge.
csdaley: I think it is a tricky question because it really depends on who you are talking to. Most people I know don’t care…
tishalulle1: because it’s seen as a boys thing. I have the same issues being a girl who likes metal. People assume you “like” it to get guys
MaxWeb: People were always asking @Jesus to perform miracles too… #whaddayagonnado
csdaley: If you say you are, you are.
OSOSANTOS: i think its stupid, jen knows everything batman&buffy and guys are always shocked when she knows more,i always laugh
Elly_B: because, more guys are geek’s than girls.
mackmm: It’s the same reason Rudy had a hard time getting on Notre Dame, sometimes you just don’t look the part. Not you specifically
silent037bob: Could it be tht male geeks r expected while female geeks seem like rarer breed? It makes the females need 2 prove thmslvs more?
csdaley: Like most things in life groups form and some people think it makes the group important if people can be kept out.
nelly061: hm maybe it’s considered ‘unwomanly’?
jonfun: Simple we’re a sexist society, guys can automatically be deemed geeks & women have to kind of work at it.
agidgetwidget: Welcome to 21st Cen. Feminism: The right to b geek
GirlInRowB: It’s a traditional boy’s club..we almost have to prove ourselves as authentic as opposed to a girl (cont) http://tl.gd/62v27s As to having to to prove ourselves to other girls, I think they may be afraid of losing their (cont) http://tl.gd/62v2le
agidgetwidget: That is “GEEK” and not “GREEK” as in Sorority Sistas @actionchick Historical etymology for term “Geek” informs physiological diff / bias
graphiclucidity: @agidgetwidget <—– what she said.
XavanQ: I blame Barbarella http://bit.ly/o9aEt
Gritskrieg: That’d take a lot more than 140 characters for me to go into… And it’s not something I expect.
TheNerdyBird: Because we’re only supposed to like Barbies, rainbows & unicorns not comics, video games & science.
BobbyBless219: @TheNerdyBird @actionchick not gonna lie… I think “geeky” ladies are the sexiest of sexy.
KeithAllGamer: If someone has similarly geeky interests to me, great! It seem elitist to me to think my interests are the standard.
AlphaNaught: Geekdom is still considered a boys club
RyanIszTheMaxx: For the girl geek cred: Maybe once finding out they’re sincerely a nerd, others’ insecurities, their guards, go down? Geek cred: No one likes a poseur. And, somewhat unfair, more & more (pretty) girls who are geeks create cynicism from others
King_Kabuz: GEEKS RULE! UNITE!
GeekyJules: See?!?! Maybe I should hit myself with an ugly stick
skeletalknight: Were geeks the ones responding to the question?
GestaltMash: self loathing by the questioner.
KeithAllGamer: I blame marketing.
BobbyBless219: to me, a woman doesn’t need to prove her geek cred…
MightyGeek: I would hope that in this age, Geeks can be accepted as Geeks. Regardless of gender.
greyeyegoddess: why is that? if you are pretty you are dumb? or have better things to do?
wordpreneur: Experience & small population size. Heck, even women expect other women to prove geek cred.
jonfun: On that note, don’t you think it kind of goes hand in hand?
GeekyJules: ARGH! It is like you are goading me into a rant 😛
wordpreneur: Heck, even women expect other women to prove geek cred.
juliefogg: @wordpreneur <Um yeskiala: Women or conventionally attractive women?
kiala: I guess I just mean women who aren’t considered conventionally pretty are generally not asked to prove their geekiness.
actionchick: Even with nobody knowing what they look like, I know women who hide gender on WoW so they don’t get picked on.
GestaltMash: I’m sure enough dudes pretend they are women on WoW to compensate for that!
GeekyJules: People will find a reason to pick on you regardless if you have a penis or vagina. 1 reason I won’t game w/ strangers.
actionchick: Yeah, but for guys pretending to be girls on WoW, getting picked on for being girls on boys’ turf can be part of their fun.
Kevinpsb00: Reason I play girl characters in #WOW is the basic human mail is dull like a tree trunk. Wish I could change his body type.
kallisti_x: I think women provide “geek cred” so they get viewed as a geek first and a woman second.
teresajusino: I think some of it has to do w/the fact that women don’t shove it in people’s faces as much. There’s a difference between being “accepting” and being “inclusive”. Geeks are working on it, just not there yet. Male geeks go out of their way to show off their geekiness w/the same male bravado with which they do everything else…
PerksofQuirk: i feel like girls also have 2 prove themselves when it comes 2 sports as well i guess geekiness is also considered a guy thing?
teresajusino: Just as women need to negotiate raises more often in the workplace, they should assert their geekiness so there’s no question!
GestaltMash: down to it’s core – being simple animals – it’s probably just a real sad/only way to initiate communication for some. probably little different from a sports fan questioning a girl who claims to win her Fantasy Football league
GeekyJules: *refrains from cursing so loudly, I wake up those on the other side of the Universe*
TNOReality: Whats with all the anti-geeky chick sentiment? Guys love geeky chicks, on all levels.. professional, girlfriend, friend…
GeekyJules: If I have to prove my geek cred to anyone, they are not worth my time. It isn’t a club to apply to. Everything I do speaks nerd Hell, I can’t even write about Lupus without making at least 1 nerdy reference lol
Shadowbat: @actionchick We all know this geeky chick debate is just to mask your true identity! http://3.ly/Baroness
kallisti_x: Besides, geeks challenge one another on cred all the time, regardless of age, race, or sex.
RyanIszTheMaxx: See that’s lame.I hear girl gamer friends get kicked out of groups or are more likely to be “the goal of first kill”. #weird
teresajusino: I WISH it were that simple. When #geek guys say they want a geek girl, they’re thinking “hot in latex costumes” Whereas geek girls will “settle” for a dude who, shall we say, looks less than hot in latex.
mikekarv: I’ve never understood why people question Geek Cred. No matter the gender. Of course I wear a Power Ring.
wyldride: So they get naked&go viral. I take my shirt off¬hing? http://tinyurl.com/338e72p Nice.
wyldride: Men&women will both feign interest in each others hobbies, mostly 4 dating. Women claiming 2 like sports, games, etc. will always B a little suspect, just like guys claiming interest in whatever it is that women like–I’m sure there’s something. 😉 As for geekiness, that’s more of a pretty thing. Often hard to believe attractive people understand that kind of awkwardness.
loquaciousmuse: @elmayimbe Although @eruditechick does have a very good point – http://tinyurl.com/29lr3s4
KZOMRadio: because of the myth of “geek girls”, and now that it’s cool to be geek, some people think that the girls are posers
evildorina: Yeah. Not sure why people are being so strict on the whole girl geek cred. As long as they’re not Twilight fans, we’re cool 😉
bltjesus: The geek girls who aren’t pretty resent pretty ones for treading on their turf & taking that too.
actionchick: Hoo boy…
iammissgeek: LOL I don’t agree with that….everyone can be jealous of anyone regardless.
nmau: since when is geekdom about being pretty or otherwise? All geeks are awesome by fact of being geeks!
piczeels: girl haters of good looking female geeks most likely have self image and esteem issues. My wife is pretty, She’s geek. and male haters are just upset because there realizing that beautiful geeks are out there and they aren’t with one. Their loss.
agidgetwidget: Welcome to 21st Century Feminism. You’re either too beautiful to be smart or too ugly to be stupid.
Shadowbat: Most geek girls are not pretty. They are beautiful
nerdsinbabeland: Oh man. Why can’t we all just get along?TNOReality: I dare you to find me a chick who is into Star Wars, comic books, video games, and is still single…
actionchick: BWA-HA-HA!!!
TheNerdyBird: OH NO HE DI-IN’T!!!!
nerdrage42: @tnoreality uhm…I’m into star wars comics & video games and I just got dumped. Ask away! (why?)
SanDee_S: Most of the women I know that ARE into those things are still single! If they ARE NOT they are married!
actionchick: One criticism of @TeamUnicornFTW seems to assume nobody wants to feel sexy for their own enjoyment. http://3.ly/G33K
Should I stick with this look?
Twyst: agreed
Marissa tishalulle: I’m the only person I want to feel sexy for, well I suppose I’d like to feel sexy for my husband. But I’m #1
shinyswoots: I love being told to star in a porn flick because I didn’t hate the Geek and Gamer Girl vid. And because of the word “Babe” in our blogname. (http://nerdsinbabeland.blogspot.com)
jumeneses: My hubby is trying to speak geek to me. Imagine that! I’m the geek- not him- of the familyOnyxSparrow: The unfortunate backlash to “geeks are beautiful” is often “You’re not really a geek” Nothing compares to the wrath of a Geek that feels their territory has been violated.
mikekarv: I guess its me being all “modern” and what not, but I honestly can’t see why people hate it.
swiv: Not all of us have huge budgets for their music videos – but it’s all about the song & creative process
glamgeekgirl: Yeah, for every positive one we write (blog post favoring G33k & G4m3r Girls), there’s ten blog posts bashing us. But we ain’t givin’ up, or in, or out. ^_^ #girlgamer
girlsdontswear: So many arguments reducing @TeamUnicorn to just “hot geek chicks,” which is missing the point entirely.Move past looks, people.
Apocalypse2001: @actionchick is a perfect example http://3.ly/2aaor5g of what Edgar of All Trades said
swiv: Funny thing is that the same arguments here apply to women’s mma – we have a similar debate – http://ow.ly/2IsaA
iamuhura: @actionchick @swiv That’s bc it’s part of a larger issue: the socialization & expectations of women’ sexuality in American culture.
donbcivil: Individual choice? RT @actionchick: Should Geek and Gamer Girls Go Sexy, Sexless, Something Else?
girlsdontswear: Doubting “hot” women’s geek cred is just as bad as questioning any of ours. Still reduces women to boobs first, brains second.
Apocalypse2001: I totally disagree w/Skeptigirl & Anomalous Musings; and I totally agree with Edgar of All Trades
robcarrphoto: This still goes on? Shouldn’t we be beyond it? We should be beyond it. Stupid planet…
renkris: Because those who like it don’t feel the need to defend it like crazy. It’s awesome, it’s funny, what else is there to say?
Previous post:
* Interview: G33K & G4M3R Girls (Geek and Gamer Girls) Video – 1 Week, 1 Million Views
Some of the many geek girl related posts:
* Geek Girls Conquer San Diego Comic-Con 2010 – Do We Ever!
* Comic-Con Panel Video: Where Are the Action Chicks?
* Comic-Con Panel: Best Superheroine Movie? No, the ONLY Theatrical Superheroine Movie
* Wired Interview: ‘Action Chick’ Looks at Comic-Con’s Geek Girls
* “Comic-Con Girls” Makes Busy Gamer Happy
* Action Flick Chick is the PoP Fangirl of the Month!
* How Do Fan Convention Experiences Differ for Women and Men?
* Girls’ Guide to Comic-Con – L. A. Times Article by Geek Girls United
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Pingback: Rocket Llama HQ - » G33K & G4M3R GIRLS Fangirl Furor: Should Geek and Gamer Girls Go Sexy, Sexless, Something Else?
I think if they were trying to do what they claimed, they would have gone more like this, and the lyrics would have been more clever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoP3C76ioTU
shortened url = http://is.gd/FUROR
The second I saw this video I got into an argument about it with a bunch of Geek friends. I’m a Geek girl, always have been. I I know Geek girls can be sexy, but that video reminded me of the Spice Girls mouthing lyrics written for them, which is the antithesis of Geekdom. I mean no insult to the ladies who created the video, but come on!
One point that was brought up in our discussion was a question of credentials. Who decides credentials? Well, if you’re a Geek, you know. You don’t have to defend yourself. My friends are mostly male and have NEVER doubted my Geekiness, especially when I was a DM and could summon a random storm with purple lightning that reduces them to level 1.
Does being a spokesperson or actress on a Geeky show/movie make them any more a Geek than it makes Patrick Stewart the captain of a starship? or Professor X? Can you see Patrick Stewart playing Dragon Age for hours on end? Olivia Munn is a Geek celebrity, or a girl whom Geeks love, not a Geek girl.
Even if it’s well-intentioned, this video reads as self-ghettoizing and pandering to a certain, very narrow hetero male gaze.
Here’s a revolutionary idea: how about we STFU about appearance when we want to talk about female gamers and geeks? A really good way to solve the discussion about geek girls being allowed to be pretty and sexy is to quit crapping our pants every time they are.
Keeping the conversation about beauty/sexiness obscures larger and more important issues in geekdom. Instead of haranguing and whining about hotness, let’s spend the time we’d usually use to analyze bodies to talk about the lack of female avatars in games, for example. Is it any wonder women are underrepresented in games when the only thing we can seem to think to say about women generally is that they are hot or not, and are they allowed to be hot or not? Conversations about geek sexiness allow guys to continue to sit around and think of women as objects made for their viewing pleasure, with the tacit permission of women who join the conversation. Either way, the focus stays on T&A and not on … well, anything else in the entire wide world of geekdom we could be talking about. Which is a FAIL for geek girls.
Anyway: the visuals used in this video aren’t original, and neither are they satirical–they’re just shots of girls making sexyface and being vaguely naked, which reinforces traditional beauty standards. It’s not edgy, it’s exactly what you’d expect. And I expect more from geeks.
Plus the song blows wet butt.
The entire discussion seems to be focused in the wrong direction to me. Let’s toss out the Geek factor entirely for the moment. We’re mostly talking about immature males between 13-25 who are spending time in the same environment with females… and halarity ensues. The basic reaction of most boys to pretty girls doesn’t change, whether they are geeks or not, they’re either going to get uber-shy, they’re going to hit on them, or in rare ocasions (like myself) they’re going to just treat them like individuals on a non-gender basis.
If we move into any “traditionally male-dominated” environment (sports, gaming, etc.) there was often a similar reaction to someone walking in on them masturbating for too many of these sorry bastards… but these days I’d like to think it’s starting to change. YES there are geek and gamer girls, just like they’re are women that do everything else you could possibly think of. I don’t think it’s much of a shock to encounter the rare Geek Girl these days, in fact they’re become quite common from my experiences.
Here’s the problem we run into though… the Geek Girl evoloved silently, growing as more and more girls got involved with geek-esque activities. Those first geek girl pioneers blazed trails to make the path accessable to MORE geek girls, and eventually their numbers swelled until their presence was undeiable and, quite frankly, welcome to have around. This acceptance and popularity of the new Geek Girl culture ALSO made it a meme that can be exploited. Like all movements, once it’s accepted by the culture at large it can then be waved as a banner, not to gain unfound acceptance but to garner attiontion for the individual.
This is what I see from this video. Geek Girls don’t need an anthem, or to fight to be accepted, they already are by their own actions. What has been created is not something to rally all geek girls, but to wave a banner from the top of a mountain that already exsisted before it’s creation.
FACEBOOK RESPONSES:
Arturo R. Garcia: Is the debate here really about whether women with geeky interests “can be sexy,” or about what these specific women are choosing to portray as sexy?
Don Cox: Geek girls ARE sexy by their very nature, they have no choice in the matter!
WeAre NerdCaliber: Great article!
David LeVack: you dont see me going on and on about my comics love and wearing a speedo. The fact there’s a focus on ONE aspect, that has NOTHING to do with the topic at hand is a bit ridiculous. If I have to see a womans tits than I should be berated with her feelings on politics and religion to. Otherwise, just talk about comics or games.
David LeVack: I think they would have been best served if the video had been more in this vein http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoP3C76ioTU
Mary Rice Schuyler: There’s nothing wrong with being sexy, or wearing sweats, or looking nerdy, or doing whatever you feel like at the time. This video was what they felt like doing. I applaud them!
David LeVack: I’d like to see something unique personally 😀
Mac Beauvais: I think the bigger problem here is that there will never be one answer that makes everyone happy. However, I imagine that many guys think true geek girls don’t exist or that they pretend to be geeky for attention. (And in some cases it is true. There are definitely women who pretend they’re geeks for attention.) Some of it is men not wanting to accept women into their “boy’s club”. Though, I think the same can really be said of any aspect of culture that is male dominated. Business, sports, comics, etc. Some of it is more of a geek girl vs geek girl battle that is akin to anything women compete to be better at.
Bonnie Burton: Thanks for putting my Tweets in there about this. I’m for ALL ladies showing off their geekdom, because no matter what geek girls are sexy just by default!
Edgar F. Mendez Ducret: “They should be as whatever the hell they wanna be, like the rest of f-ing mankind. no more & no less…if you can’t deal with that go shoot yourself in the head,it’s as simple as that.”
Jodi Marasia: I have a problem with the video but not because they try to be attractive. It’s just pretty boring and not that clever. It’s just here’s a list of things that sound geeky and our boobies. I just figured it would be more clever, or full of inside jokes.
This is one of those odd intersections of feminism and geekery. Everyone acknowledges that geek girls exist and should be acknowledged and respected, at least to the same level that guys are, but then we start imposing our own hierarchies and arbitrary standards. Geek girls always have to prove their cred, but then we say, “Well, if you’re conventionally attractive, you’re less credible as a geek.” I’m more annoyed by the stereotypical male-fantasy tropes in the video than the fact that the girls are “hot.” I think we have a long way to come in accepting the fact that women are allowed to be multi-dimensional.
What bothers me, endlessly – about this whole debate, is the framing. Most of the objections are framed in the: Oh, hot girls are trying to take over the geek-girl emblem in order to gain market share, yada, yada, yada… or, the Feminist Outcry: Male tropes, conventional, not REAL geek-girls, exploiting themselves for approval…
Give. Me. A. BREAK.
Both arguments are incredibly presumptuous, because they erase the following – there is NO ONE WAY to be ANYTHING, be it human, girl, geek or a combination of same. Also, just because something plays with tropes doesn’t mean it buys into them. Lastly, by interpreting the appearance/actions of these women, people are denying them the right of self-determination.
Seriously, sometimes I like to read Sci-Fi while wearing lip gloss and come-f**k-me pumps. Why? Because it makes ME feel hot, and I like that. If someone else likes what makes me feel hot, how is it exploiting me?
I’m bothered by the male tropes thing, but I’m bothered by that in many things, beyond this video. That’s a societal thing that’s problematic; not just here specifically. I personally think that we shouldn’t question these women on their “geek cred” any more than we would any other women, based on their looks. It’s just as bad to say “hot girls can’t be geeks” as it is to say “girls can’t be geeks.” Either way, it’s reducing women to their gender or appearance and not to who they are as people. All girls/women should be encouraged to do the things they love and not hide them, regardless of their appearance, and the more we criticize Team Unicorn, the more we’re telling people we don’t believe they are who they say they are. And that sets everyone back.
Geek girls can be sexy, we can be sexless, we can be anywhere along that continuum, we can change every day if we wish. We each get to make that choice, not some soi disant group of judges – male or female.
– Laughing Muse
web developer, gamer, avid science fiction reader, girl geek
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You know what’s actually kind of funny to me… along with the entire discussion about attractive women, true geek or not true geek, has anyone mentioned anything at all about the stereotypical Male Geek they’ve portrayed in the video? With our main focus of the video being on the girls, why is it that the representative guy is made to be a fugly, awkward, loser type that used solely for comic relief?
While we ramble on about freedom of expression and contriversy of opinion in regards to the ladies, why do the gentlemen of Geekdom always get the short end of the stick… the guys are NEVER portrayed as attractive, competent, intelligent, or confident. There are plenty of geek guys out there that vary in type just as much as the geek girls, and yet WE don’t get any focus on ourselves as individuals either.
Every parody or complaint I’ve ever seen out there about geek culture makes the guys into losers or assholes. Should we start discussing the double-standard involved here?
Personally I’m getting really tired of seeing 90% of women in media representing only a fraction of women. And how women are usually supposed to be ‘hot’. Men can be ‘ugly’ and cool, but women are still seen as a body and face first, like we have something to prove. Why should we have to prove that we can be sexy regardless of social status, age, or subculture? Is it really that hard to completely disregard our gender and look at the rest first? It seems like every time a geek girl gets media attention she has to prove that she can be hot, even if she is a geek. And I don’t mean wearing make-up and taking care of her looks, but the huge amount of nakedness that seems to go along with it. Since when is it wrong to just wear a shirt and trousers like you do when you’re at home? Male geeks never dress up, so why should we? I know girls are more used to dress up, and that’s fine, but I would really, *really* like to see girls with normal clothes on, regardless of how pretty their faces and bodies are.
Or, maybe, shouldn’t the question be “why don’t male geeks try to be sexy for us?”… One way or another, it isn’t fair. Especially when you refuse to dress sexy yourself, and still expect others to do it. Hypocricy seems to be the norm ><
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omg, i’m a geek and gamer girl, can’t believe it, i never thought about myself like that,lol, but i love anime, still have Sailor Moon on my computer, probably watched it like 10 times:))( I was Sailor Mars), i was obsessed with the World of Warcraft games,had to give it up after i finished Frozen Throne cause i liked it to much:)))>..i participated in tournaments, i was good:)), Love the Star Wars since i saw the first movie, still a big fan, also love vampire movies, vampire anime are the best:)), i am a big reader of fantasy books. This is the first time i realize it:)))..but i guess now it’s a cool thing, since the conception of geeks is different from when i was younger, i mean look at this girls, they are not freaky, they are pretty good, liked the video btw, and last but not least they are hot, if that is geeky, then i am proud of being one…so thumbs up for Team Unicorn:)
The fact that they’re making Velma sexier lately shows that nobody wants a real geek girl.
My commentary on this is not going to be as verbose.. here it goes.
The Universe decided that I was going to be female… so I have boobs and other womanly parts.
I’m proud of my womanly parts.. and I don’t care what anyone else thinks about that or wants to. The Universe found me a path to become a geek.. I LOVE BEING a geek. I’m a girl THAT REALLY loves my sexuality and claims it for my own. If you can’t handle women being like this.. you need to just stop, drop, and go the other direction for the majority of geek women that I know.
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