Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
When we started this feature, we knew one thing: there were a lot of amazing lady nerds out there that we wanted to talk about. Imagine us figuratively standing atop an 8-bit mountaintop and screaming: HEY WORLD, THERE ARE SOME PRETTY AWESOME LADY GEEKS OUT THERE. Yeah, it felt pretty victorious. But like any great 8-bit adventure, it must end. The time has come to hang up our hats on the Lady Geek of the Week feature. At least for now. We might pick the feature up again, we might not. It might morph into something new. The world is our oyster.
As we reflect on over five years of profiling lady geeks each week, we’d like to share what you—the fearless, bold, and amazing lady geeks—have taught us:
So long for now! And remember, always read on.
And a special, virtual hug to Emma, who was the shepherd and caretaker of this lovely feature for five years. We wish her all the best in the future as she takes on the digital world. (And the physical one.) You can follow her as she does just that on her Twitter, @emmalynnbauer.
In the meantime, if you have a grand idea for a new recurring post series on Being Geek Chic and want to become a contributor - let us know. We would love to hear your ideas!
Last week I had the distinct pleasure of talking with a reporter about women who embrace their geekiness. And while you and I both know that we aren’t really a trend or temporary fad, the world does seem to be taking notice of our existence recently, both in good and bad ways. One of the totally innocent, but fascinating questions this reporter asked was: do you ever feel ashamed of your geekdom?
And the truth is, No. I never, ever have. And perhaps it’s because I’ve been very fortunate. Sure, I was made fun of in Middle School, because I was the Hermione Granger of the class before I knew that I was. I was smart. I was vocal. And I was excited about learning. From a young age, I so resented the idea that I was somehow a weirdo for being engaged in what I was supposed to be engaged in. Perhaps I’ve taken a lot of that with me as I’ve grown up. Just as it wouldn’t have crossed my mind as a 14 year old girl to be ashamed of my intellectual pursuits, it wouldn’t strike me now to feel any amount of embarrassment about my lifestyle as an adult nerd.
Are we born nerds? Or do we learn it? Are we pre-disposed to our geekdom? I’m essentially proposing the nature vs. nurture of geek DNA questions right now. Either way, there is no reason to feel shame.
Everything about life is an evolution. Whether it’s how we perceive ourselves or how others see us, we aren’t born as geeks straight out of the womb. I have yet to hear of a single news report of a baby’s first words being: Live Long and Prosper. (Although, if that does happen, people, you need to let me know!)
The truth is that we start to take on our passions over our lifetimes through the influence of our family, friends, media and culture. All of our being, and specifically our interests, are made up of a perfect equation: time plus influence.
Neither of my parents would categorize themselves as geeks. My mom is the outdoorsy type with a love of news, healthy eating and old western movies. My dad is a perfect confluence of Italian-American stereotypes: fully devoted to his football team and his church, with a dash of passion for his pets too. Despite this, whether or not my parents realize it, they probably contributed more than anyone to my formation as a geek. My mom made us spend at least one afternoon every week at the library, which meant both my brother and I read voraciously. My dad’s parents introduced him to the Nintendo, which in turn meant we had to get a Nintendo. And of course, who could forget the fact that my dad spent a hefty portion of my childhood recreating my favorite movies in parade float format. One of my dad’s girlfriends insisted on getting a computer in the mid-90s and so, well, INTERNET! Throw in a few years of bullying and well, you’re almost certain to become a full-blown nerd.
So no, I’m not ashamed that I became this. In fact, I’m quite proud. Because as I told the reporter: there’s not a single part of my life that hasn’t been improved because I decided to embrace my nerdy tendencies.
There’s a reason being thankful is hard. It requires patience. Observance. Thoughtfulness. Awareness. These are all hard things to be when life is so busy. But for the sake of the New Year and our own peace of mind, how about we share some of the reasons YOU shared with us for being thankful for being a lady geek in 2014:
“I’m thankful for being a geek, because I feel more open minded and creative! I feel that the "geek” community contains those that can change he world.“ - Jojams
"2014 was the year I discovered Borderlands, Deadpool, antique cameras, houseplants, and new friends. I’m thankful the my writers’ block finally cracked, and I’m thankful that I finally feel like I’ve found my people.” - Krista
“I’m thankful that I’ve finally embraced my geekness because I don’t have to pretend to be someone I’m not (how exhausting) and can be unabashedly enthusiastic about what makes me, me (how invigorating!) And there are SO many things to geek out about in 2014 - a new Doctor, comics on the big screen, books in stacks, vintage boutiques, and so much awesome on the BBC! Tis a wondrous time to be geek chic!” - Anastasia
“I’m oh-so-thankful for being a geek in 2014 because this is such an amazing, innovative time to be a geek! We have more space exploration , interesting medical innovation (my personal current favorite is new synthetic platelets [http://tinyurl.com/oju5yoj/]), and dynamic sci-fi franchises now than I’m sure there ever was before. We also live in the time of Netflix, where I can binge watch every Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica when I have the time. There is nothing better to escape from a day of being a law student than diving into the Song of Ice and Fire books or playing video games, too! ” - Sara
“I’m thankful for being a geek, especially this year, because I stayed true to myself and found a geek who shares so many of my geeky interests; BBC programming, sci-fi everything, comic, music, and books. Had I not adhered to this geeky nature, I may have never found someone who makes me the happiest person every day.” - Alexis
“I’m thankful for being a geek because I can be open about the things I love and the inspiration I find from the female characters that are often portrayed in geekdom!” - Sarah
“I’m thankful because I am seeing progress. This year was actually a good one for women in geekdom, even though there were some battles, at least we are finally TALKING about it.” - Beth
“Honestly, it just seems like we’ve come so far since I was a little girl in the 80s! In some ways, I am frustrated, but mostly, I am surprised how much more women proudly talk about the things they love.” - Emma
“It is very hard to be bored when you’re a geek, with so much literature, gaming, and science to absorb. Overall, there is a plethora of geekdome to explore, and so little time, and that makes me thankful to be a geek!” - Sara
Well, we’re thankful for you. And we wish you a very happy and merry new year. See you in 2015!
One of my favorite things about writing this blog is that in a world that can feel SO lonely, I feel like I belong to a family of lady geeks here on the web. Celebrating the women that make up this community seems like not just the right thing to do - it’s a great, great pleasure to see the faces and the advice that these women offer up on this mumbled mess of HTML and CSS.
I’ve been featuring women as Lady Geeks for two years now and I wanted to take a moment to look book and highlight some of the great advice shared by women who have been featured here. I hope their words give you the hope and happiness that they have given me over the last 24 months.
“For me (and many others), the age of 30 felt like a deadline. For what, I don’t know — achieving fame and fortune? Getting married and having a family? But I pushed aside a lot of my passions to try to achieve something that I thought I should be doing. By the time I got a little older, I realized better what I really wanted to do rather than what I thought I needed to do. And I also just stopped caring. And that left a lot of room for enjoying myself and all the things that I’ve always really loved that I had once thought might be a waste of time. Like cartoons.” - Jamie Frevele, one of my favorite Twitterers and a real comedic talent.
“To get girls interested in technology we need to get across the message that it can help them do - and be - anything they like. They don’t need to change themselves.” - Belinda Parmar, founder of Lady Geek TV and ultimate women in tech advocate.
“Don’t believe anyone that tells you ‘Your school days are the best days of your life’. Being an adult rules. You’ll probably never be a ‘grown up’ though.” - Sophie of Sweetcheeks Stitches, an artist with skirts
You can see all the previous Lady Geek of the Week profiles here.
I’ve gotten some incredible nominations thus far for Lady Geek of the week, but wanted you to know that I still want to hear from you if you haven’t nominated anyone!
Every week, we celebrate a Lady Geek doing awesome things. From bloggers to authors to artists and programmers, there’s a place for lots of different types of geeks.
Send us your nominations for Lady Geek of the Week to beinggeekchic(at)gmail(dot)com.
We’re taking nominations through March 15th, so please do keep sending them! Get more information about the nominations here.
