It seems like in the past decade, "geek culture" has become synonymous with "popular culture." With movies like "The Avengers," "Star Wars VII" and "Batman v. Superman" coming out every year, it is as though almost every young person has embraced "geek culture." However, there are some in the geek community that label newcomers or individuals who do not have as much knowledge of a particular fandom as "fake fans."

I personally think that calling someone a "fake fan" is ridiculous.

In many fandoms, there is usually some made up list of bullet points that a person has to complete in order to be considered a true fan within that particular fandom. For example, some might say that if you want to be a Batman fan, you have to read Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" and you have to watch "The Dark Knight." Or, if you want to be a fan of "Dragon Ball Z," you have to watch the original "Dragon Ball" and read the original manga. And, if you miss out on a particular movie, episode, book, or comic books issue, then you are called a "fake fan."

More often than not, this term is thrown at women who are interested in geeky things. For whatever reason, a lot of guys are not happy about women entering the world of "geeky" fiction and entertainment. To discredit their participation or opinions in the community, guys may say that a girl is not a real fan of whatever she is enjoying.

I have been a geek my entire life. I grew up watching the "Spider-Man" films. I watched "Smallville" while it was on TV, and when I entered college, I started to watch anime series like "Death Note" and "Fullmetal Alchemist." One thing I have learned is that someone will always know more than me. I can't watch every episode of a series or buy every comic book issue of my favorite superhero. That doesn't make me any less of a geek or fan. I am a fan of something because I enjoy that something. I am a geek because what I enjoy is particularly something geeky.

I want to be absolutely clear that someone's gender does not determine how much of a fan they can be. As a male, I know girls who know more about the Marvel Comics Universe than me, and who watch much more anime than I do. But, because we all like the same things, we are able to do it together. The way the geek community should be.