From the way men on Reddit whine, you’d think the greatest challenge to the future of our nation is not the rise of Donald Trump but the rise of the fake geek girl. A “fake geek girl” is a girl who wears "Batman" shirts but has never watched the movies or read the comics, a girl who watched the last "Star Wars" episode but hasn’t read all of the tie-in novels and a girl who has only started to call herself “nerdy” after shows like "The Big Bang Theory" popularized nerd culture.
As someone who has been a nerd all of my life, I can understand the frustration that comes from seeing the kinds of people who made fun of me for reading “The Hobbit” in the sixth grade wearing fake glasses and shirts from Forever 21 that say “Nerd” on them. However, it’s ridiculous for grown adults to stay bitter over perceived or real slights from the elementary school playgrounds and even worse for them to take out their bitterness on people that had nothing to do with their childhood traumas.
A far bigger problem than fake geek girls in nerd culture is the rampant misogyny that pervades it. Girls are hardly the only ones who are “fake nerds” - I had a male friend who wore a Pink Floyd shirt even though he hated their music because he thought it looked cool. I accepted that about him, yet I know that if I did the same thing with a band shirt I would have no shortage of guys quizzing me about my favorite album, favorite song and what year the lead singer’s mother first bought him a microphone.
It’s ridiculous that there are handfuls of men out there (let me clarify that I’m not saying all men are like this) who feel as if they are entitled to act as gatekeepers for the entire community, as if they are bigger fans for knowing minutiae a normal person with a life outside of comic books can’t be expected to remember. It’s also ridiculous that their questions are targeted almost exclusively at female fans. You can be anything from a casual fan to a dedicated cosplayer, but if you’re perceived to be female you’re automatically seen as faking it. Even having the courage to point out this phenomenon will make you a prime target for death threats.
Not only is the concept of the “fake geek girl” misogynistic, it makes it difficult for someone to be a casual fan or to start getting interested in something. Fandom is supposed to be fun, not consume your entire life. Consuming pop culture is supposed to be about entertainment, not pressure to remember every little detail in order to prove you’re a “real fan.” This gatekeeping culture prevents people from trying new things because they’re afraid of judgement. The nerd community should relish the fact that nerd culture is becoming more mainstream and welcome people into fandoms, not try to exclude them. After years of complaining about being excluded from things, why should we do the same?
In conclusion, there is no such thing as “fake geek girls” or “fake fans.” If a girl expresses interest in something - if a person expresses interest in something - they’re a fan. Let’s not make joining a fandom as difficult as applying for a visa.
