The alleged "Fake Geek Girl" trend

[violiav]

This could go here, Pop Culture, or Grab bag- so I figure here.
SO I got into a debate last night with one of my friend about the actual seriousness of this thing. It came about because I was perusing the programming line up of the local con (Aggie-Con, if anyone's going) and came across a panel that claimed to discuss the whole "Fake geek girl" thing. My reaction was, "Really, this is an actual thing?"
"Yes, it is," she said, "There are these girls that go around cons trying get with nerdy guys, but they themselves don't know anything about the genre."
"Um, what? Why?" We were having this conversation in the upper level of the local game store, so I gestured to the unwashed masses around me playing Magic and Warma/hordes. Don't get me wrong, I am probably one of the least vain people I know, but there were some people there that were starting to get a little ripe.
"It's about the attention they get," she says.
"Oh really?" I look at her askance, "Whyever would someone want attention at a con?"
So we have a discussion about the photo of the naked girl that's draped in Nintendo controllers. She says it's a slander to legit girl gamers, that gaming isn't about that and it's not appealing. I counter with, "I think it's more satirical than anything, sort of a nod to the whole sexy girl on a car thing. Also, who knows? Maybe she likes video games and wanted to have an alluring photo taken of her? God knows people are weird."
She goes on to say that there's this whole group of people that aren't legit geeks or nerds or whatever, because they never were teased or harassed in school. Her (and one or two other girls I've talked to) issues of contention is girls that participate in an activity because their boyfriends/male interest do it.
So what say you lot? Is the "Fake Geek Girl" a paranoid delusion born of cattiness and misogyny, or is it a legit issue?

Here's some articles from around the interweb:

http://www.themarysue.com/psychology...ake-geek-girl/

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

http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/arc...licity/267402/

[Ginger Tea]

She goes on to say that there's this whole group of people that aren't legit geeks or nerds or whatever, because they never were teased or harassed in school.

Fuck that in the neck, you can not be a true geek/nerd (regardless of gender) unless you were bullied at school in some form or another?
What is that a merrit badge?
That just hammers home the male sterotype of nerd glasses with tape a pocket protector and them being suspended above a soon to be flushed toilet.

I have no idea what the female sterotype is as that keeps on shifting between different shows writers and tbh I don't have a TV to see what portrails there are.

Her (and one or two other girls I've talked to) issues of contention is girls that participate in an activity because their boyfriends/male interest do it.

Some people genuinly do find themselves enjoying pastimes they might have snubbed if it were not for their other halves enjoyment, some might go gaming to keep an eye on their other half due to the ammount of gamers who are female and might think the other half would stray cos tru-gamer grrl might end up more apealing ...
But that is not true in all cases.

The webcomic Weregeek had a recent stint on fake gamer girls, or in this case, real gamer girls (the writer for one) having to prove to some extent that they are gamers and comic fans and not some alternate 'booth babe'.

[Akasa]

So what, now any hot chick in cosplay has to worry about being called fake?

[Jaden]

This phenomenon does exist, but not quite the same way you mentioned. I don't think you'd find one at a con - I've been to cons, and they require a lot of time and money. I can't see somebody going to that kind of expense for something they don't really care about.

I know a girl like this - basically, she knows of a lot of things commonly talked about in geek culture. Firefly, Kingdom Hearts, Zelda, that kind of thing. But she doesn't really know anything about them beyond the surface really...but she brings them up around geeky guys because it gets her attention. I think it's more like some girls grow up as loners, realize that the more nerdy dudes don't spend as much time with girls and will thus shower her with attention if she shows the least bit of interest in what they like, and then proceed to do just that.

I'm certainly not an elitist, nor do I really care what a girl is doing to get her kicks so long as she isn't hurting anybody. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a less brazen version of a guy pretending to be interested in something a girl likes just to get her interested in him - rather dishonest, maybe even a bit of self-deception, and no basis for a real relationship, but mostly harmless.

[Akasa]

No different from chicks pretending to like sports or cars to get guys.

[Ladeeda]

"she brings them up around geeky guys because it gets her attention."

Or trying to start a conversation based on a likely mutual interest?

Why is it necessary to know anything about a show beyond "I like watching it"?

If anything, the concept of a "fake geek" just shows that self-defined "geeks" have gotten rather snobbish.

[Ginger Tea]

I originally read it as "It get's as in piques her attention" not OMGZ boobies talked to meh.

I had a bit of my not geek backstory typed up then deleted it cos it really wasn't relevant, but I like watching drWho (I'm English who doesn't) but I see Ecclestone as the first doctor in a reboot not a continuation, I grew up on Peter Davidson onwards (saw some Baker but none to remember so he's low on my top 11 doctors cos well I never saw much of him) I remember the cardboard bluepeter production values, it's hard to think of weeping angels then remember a giant Bertie Basset, although I agree Ace was the saving grace as a character and as eye candy for my younger self.

I am not one for remembering all trivia and quotable lines, something might sound familiar but I would not know what scifi show it is referencing unless it was posted about recently.

I grew up as a video gamer (8/16bit home computers) and only had one game of DnD round a friends once.
My brother had the board game Bloodbowl, but I never played that much and was never good at painting either although I loved the games workshop miniatures at the time, I would rather build a cool diarama than use them as game pieces, but I was never good at getting anything out of my brain and into reality.

My brother used to play the original NetRunner and I got him the starter box (and one for myself so we could play over MSN, which I have yet to read the rules for) as an early christmas present.
I didn't know we had a gaming store and this one had been open for 4 or 5 years, I only found out cos captain Dickhead rescheduled my post work meet up from the pub to this shop for their Tuesday league, afaik he had no intention of being in the pub but didn't think I would agree to meet up at the game shop, he's possibly right.
He had recently got a girl friend (which still shocks me to this day that they are still together) and one of her friends that I met once plays Magic the Gathering and he joined him there.

This being his first exposure to MtG meant that he was being taught by his opponant's each game and as it was gaming only I felt like a spare wheel when I did show up after work, cos I had nothing to do but watch strangers play a game I cared little for, I recognised terminology and a bit of the gist, but I would not do what he had done, be a noob player and have to be taught on the fly, I asked him why he had not had a few games with GF's mate but got an evasive answer.
I did a lot of browsing with my ample free time and found they had Dragon's quest for sale, we had this when we were younger, the closest to DnD I got a board game with fantasy playing pieces, but that is basically where it stopped, it was a board game first and foremost, the pieces could have been from the monopoly board for all it mattered, it was far from Gygak (sp) and Toilkin as you could get.

When I got to the CCGG section I looked at the magic set's, I might get a starting set and play against dickhead or his friend a few times before going back to a Tuesday, would never go for a Friday night Magic as I would be out of my depth, the shop was closed to sales just gaming, so I was content window shopping to come back after an early shift.
I stopped to ask whom I thought was a member of staff (he was standing around watching over everything so I just assumed he worked there, he didn't the owner was gaming so he was keeping an eye on things, but when owners match was over he came over to answer my questions) if they still sold the 90's Netrunner or if that had gone out of print in favour of the more popular MtG line as I spoke on the phone to my brother outside giving me cause to stay instead of going feeling a bit billy no mates and he had asked me to ask about it.
Turns out that it was coming back as a boxed 'fixed' game in a few months under the name Android Netrunner and if sales are good they would release booster packs.
The game suited me more than MtG for playing againsst my brother via MSN as we both would have the same cards available and I could just look up from a binder what card he drew to check damages etc instead of going by his word or having to google a card database.

HMMM rabled alot there, but I've already cut and killed one post in this thread ...

[siead_lietrathua]

this video sums up my opinion on the matter best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0ggK9-TBVY

now granted, i think women in general shouldn't attention-ho for attention of the gender they prefer, i can understand some people feel the need to. but i hate how so many people do refer to ALL girls as that type of girl. being a geek girl would be easier if the communities dropped some of the misogyny.

it's like saying the hot, non socially inept guys at cons are only there to pick up the shy geeky chicks, not REALLY fans of the genre involved. it's just.. dumb

[Ginger Tea]

Unless you live in the area, con's are expencive to go to, that's an awful amount of hassle to bang someone who may not even live in the same state as you.

I don't know if it was in one of the OP links, but recently Felicia Day got ripped into by someone who called her a glorified boothbabe and not a real gamer.
I'm vaugely aware of her and saw a few episodes of her web show the guild, think that was more WoW based than RPG, but even if that was just a character, she is more relateable to her character than the cast of Big Bang Theory are to theirs, granted that's cos I am not sure how much education in the sciences the cast have .

Vin Diesel is a gamer, he has been depicted in webcomics in the DnD realm of gaming vs the console flavour of the same word, worlds apart from the pocket protector socially inept thick glasses with white tape the 80's used to portray.

as side note, the poster on CS who runs a gaming shop, cos he says Game shop, I always think of video games, not helped by the fact we have a franchise called Game in the UK, although when they started up they sold board and RPG games too, now just pc/console.
So my mental image of the store is always wrong from the get go, if he had said Gaming I would visualise a more apropriate setting.
But the term is equally valid so why did I just type this paragraph?

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Personally my opinion on it is that I don't give a crap that some girls use "geek culture" as a way to get attention. It happens to every type of culture, so the fact that it's now happening to "geek" culture just means that "geek" culture is becoming more accepted in the main stream.

They're unhappy, pathetic chicks who can only find some kind of solace in getting attention the easy way from guys. Oh well.

It's only when the label gets lobbed at every girl who has an interest in geek culture that it starts to piss me off. Why? Because it's like claiming that every geek guy is acne ridden and lives in his basement. It's like claiming all guys who like sports are dumbass alcoholics who break furniture when their team it losing. It's not true.

It's almost as if the geek guys - after bemoaning how they can't get chicks because chicks don't like geeky stuff - are panicking now that their precious geek-dom is being invaded by girls and so they have to backlash against it. Kind of like "No Girls Allowed" clubhouses.

No, I'm not saying that's what it is.

I see a girl wearing a Batman t-shirt. If she tells me "Oh I have no idea what it is, I just really liked the art" then MORE CARPING POWER TO HER. That's just as valid as a reason to wear the shirt as "OMG I OWN EVERY SINGLE BATMAN COMIC EVAAARRSS AND BOUGHT ALL THE ACTIONS FIGGARRSSS."

If I ever meet a girl who I truly feel is "faking it to get attention" I'll let you know.

But most of the time, people throw that label just because the girl isn't "as into it as they are" which DOESN'T mean they are fake.

I like Lord of the Rings - I know so much about it that it might make your head spin. My other friend likes it as well, but she's only read the Trilogy plus The Hobbit.

Hell, let's just say that she's only seen the movies. She only went to see them because she thought Legolas and Aragorn were hot, and then ended up liking them for other reasons as well.

Does that mean she's "fake?"

My Opinion: FUCK NO.

Opinions of people I've seen flinging the "FAKE" insult?: FUCK YES.

It's obnoxious and really needs to stop.

[Jaden]

"she brings them up around geeky guys because it gets her attention."

Or trying to start a conversation based on a likely mutual interest?

Why is it necessary to know anything about a show beyond "I like watching it"?

If anything, the concept of a "fake geek" just shows that self-defined "geeks" have gotten rather snobbish.

Umm, because she's my friend and not yours, and I know her and you don't? I know why she does things? Why are you presuming to know my friend better than I do? And I also said, as AmbrosiaWriter also did, that I don't care that she, or anybody else does that, so how is it snobbish?

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Umm, because she's my friend and not yours, and I know her and you don't? I know why she does things? Why are you presuming to know my friend better than I do? And I also said, as AmbrosiaWriter also did, that I don't care that she, or anybody else does that, so how is it snobbish?

I don't think Ladeeda was speaking specifically of your friend.

I think she was giving another reason as to why a girl would bring up geeky references/things in conversation.

Girl A: I hate when girls bring up geeky stuff when they aren't into it just for the attention.

Ladeeda's response: How do you know they're just bringing it up because they want attention and aren't into it? How do you know that they aren't actually just trying to start a conversation based in mutual interest?

She's pointing out that it's a huge assumption on anyone's part to claim, "Oh, that girl is just pretending to like geeky stuff to get attention." The vast majority of people who try to make the claim/place the label of "Fake geek girl" on someone don't actually know the person they are labeling well enough to be able to make that kind of call.

[Jaden]

I don't think Ladeeda was speaking specifically of your friend.

I think she was giving another reason as to why a girl would bring up geeky references/things in conversation.

Girl A: I hate when girls bring up geeky stuff when they aren't into it just for the attention.

Ladeeda's response: How do you know they're just bringing it up because they want attention and aren't into it? How do you know that they aren't actually just trying to start a conversation based in mutual interest?

She's pointing out that it's a huge assumption on anyone's part to claim, "Oh, that girl is just pretending to like geeky stuff to get attention." The vast majority of people who try to make the claim/place the label of "Fake geek girl" on someone don't actually know the person they are labeling well enough to be able to make that kind of call.

Well, except she quoted me and asked me how I could know the person I specifically mentioned did that and implied I was being snobbish or judgmental. I wasn't trying to say I had a problem with my friend being like that - in fact, I'd hope my saying explicitly at the end of my description that I didn't really care would've covered that. I'm cool with her. Everybody has their stuff. She's still my friend and generally a good person, and like others have said, it's no different from a girl pretending to like sports or cars or whatever. It's just a culture thing.

EDIT: To be clear, I know some people are really elitist and just stick their nose up at anybody who doesn't know the dietary habits of an Ewok. That's not me. I was mentioning one specific person to show that the stereotype exists, but then I pointed out that it's no different from a person pretending to like anything to get attention from anybody. That's all.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

She did quote you, but I have the feeling that it was addressing the issue generally rather than your specific situation. (Anyone who is somewhat plugged in to geek culture has probably seen the blog, vlog, and other posts ranting about seeing/hating "fake geek girls." Hell, there is an ENTIRE MEME devoted only to making fun of/bitching about "fake geek girls.")

It's a common tactic on forums to quote a specific part of a post to inform people what specific point they are going to address, but might not be actually responding to that specific example.

At the same time, you do have to admit that the people who get uptight and lob "YOU'RE A FAKE GEEK GIRL" at every girl they see, or at girls who are interested in geeky things but aren't "as far into" or "as interested" it as they are, are being elitist dickheads.

[Jaden]

To your last part, yes, I edited my last post to make that clear, hopefully in time for someone to catch it before replying, but I guess I failed. Oh well I agree, of course there are elitists in every subculture. Being someone who frequently dabbles in geekery myself, but doesn't really ally myself with the subculture too much because of said elitism, I definitely understand that. Some of people I've known like my whole life are, in fact, the exact kind of geek elitist stereotype we're talking about. It's a shame, really.