Anyone that knows me well knows that I hate it when people make assumptions about who I am, but really, who doesn't hate that? One of the main assumptions people make about me is that my very open love for "geeky" or "nerdy" things is fake. I grew up on the X-Men, Batman, and Justice League cartoons and my dad used to put on "Star Wars" when I was a little girl to entertain me. I've always been inundated with nerd culture, and it was something that stuck with me as I grew up.
There's a term that circulates online that has become popular among with the male nerd population, which is "fake geek girl." Basically, a fake geek girl is a woman who pretends to enjoy the nerdier pursuits to catch the attention of geeky men. In my almost 21 years of life, I have never heard anything more ridiculous. This term is founded on this intense male vanity based on the silly idea that everything a woman does in her life is to attract the attention of men. I can assure the men of the world that is not how women think. We don't have this intense fixation on attracting a mate, and certainly not one as delusional as the men who think this way.
Not only is this term outrageously silly, it is enforcing this idea that you cannot truly love and enjoy something if you don't know every little detail about it. The implication that you can't be a fan of something unless you are constantly entrenched in it is just obnoxious. You can know little to nothing about a movie or TV series and still enjoy what you saw.
This issue frequently comes up in "Star Wars," because younger women are just now getting into the series because of "The Force Awakens," so they are not considered true fans of the franchise—just women looking to impress guys. "The Force Awakens" was just an excellent movie in general, and frankly, it is a travesty if you didn't enjoy it. It's not right to shame people for finding something and loving it later than you did.
I would like to point out that a teenage girl was the one that created science fiction. Mary Shelley created "Frankenstein" at age 18, and that novel shaped our modern science fiction genre. Just like so many things, we wouldn't be where we are today without the amazing women in the world. We could almost argue that it is the men who are the fake geeks, since women were the creators of science fiction.
This trend is one I find sad and also ironic, because when I was a little girl, I was made fun of for liking "Star Wars" and superheroes, but now, my life-long love isn't enough to be a real fan. I'm told that it's all lies to impress the tedious men around me. Believe me, I want nothing less than your attention. In fact, I'd rather you leave now and never speak to me again.
