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.
There are so many reasons I’m thankful for this blog. The amazing friends I’ve made. The amazing following I’ve grown. The incredible opportunities it has afforded me. But, there’s something bigger than the blog that I’m really thankful for and that is being part of the world of geek.
And here’s why I want to talk about this. There has been a lot of negative shit thrown towards women in the last year in geek culture. Whether it’s gamergate or the routine exclusion of women from meaningful roles in our favorite movies and television shows - it’s all indicative of problems. And yet! There are things to be thankful for amidst all this:
The truth is that when men like Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch come out and willingly AND proudly admit that they believe in equality amongst the sexes, it plants a seed in the mind of men who admire them. We can’t make true progress without everyone, men and women, being on board.
While Gamergate is one of the most sad and depressing cultural waves I’ve seen in a long time, it’s definitely had a silver lining if you are willing to look close enough. As a result of the disgusting hate speech and behavior, many game developers were forced to come out and condemn this BS and as a result, are hopefully thinking differently about their corporate practices.
And finally, Jennifer Fucking Lawrence. Mockingjay part 1 had the biggest opening weekend of the year and that is damn important. Why? Because when the biggest FEMALE LED movie of the year is ALSO the biggest movie of the year, PERIOD, it slowly requires Hollywood to acknowledge that great movies with women can win.
So if you’ve been feeling super depressed about a lot of the negativity in geek culture in the last year, perk up. There are lots more reasons to be thankful, but these ones always put a smile on my face.
Natalie Dormer is on her way to being a nerd goddess. Between Game of Thrones, Elementary and Mockingjay - she’s absolutely everywhere. And, personally, I couldn’t be happier.
If you ever look in the mirror and grown audibly or in your head, be kind to yourself. And heed Dormer’s words:
Dormer and I share one trait: a crooked smile. It’s not that we try… our mouths are just asymmetrical. For a while, mean pre-teens called me Elvis in school. And no, it wasn’t meant to be kind. But the fact that she rocks it so proudly reminds me to quit hating it so damn much.
Life is too damn short.
It’s no secret around here that we really love Young Adult Novels with a dystopian twist. And while none of us are young adults, we do have a love of the format. It may be because it harkens back to a time when our brain’s were ripe to absorb it.
Author, Kate Banks, explains:
Just before adolescence the human brain undergoes an enormous growth of axons and dendrites.
During adolescence these bushy neurons are pruned (by genetics and environmental stimuli) as a normal part of the maturation process, forming a roadmap of neural pathways that dictate behavior. Pathways exposed to more stimulation will thrive and grow, while those that are fed less will weaken.
In pathways designed with self-regulating feedback loops, like the dopamine reward system or the stress response system, excess stimulation sets off a neurobiological cascade. Initially, the stimulation causes the neurons in the pathway to release a large amount of neurotransmitters. In order for the message to be sent, these neurotransmitters must cross a synapse, a small space between the branches of the neurons, and find a receptor to which they can bind. If a high level of stimulation continues, the body attempts to rebalance the input and turn down the volume of the signal, by decreasing the receptor sites. This down-regulation of receptors is responsible for the tolerance that develops in feedback loops. It now takes a greater release of neurotransmitters to obtain the same effect.
This dopamine reward circuitry is particularly active during adolescence.
Experiences that are novel, exciting and edgy fill the adolescent with a dopamine derived feeling of euphoria. Because of this increased sensitivity to dopamine, teenagers are drawn to stimulation like bears to honey. And in today’s world there is no lack of stimulation. Technology and innovation have thrust us into a context in which information is being processed by the senses faster than the speed of light, setting off a neurobiological cascade, the consequences of which are reflected in conditions that effect society as a whole – obesity, materialism, anxiety and depression.
So before you head out to Mockingjay this weekend, remember this, your brain was once wired to absolutely LOVE THE HELL OUT OF THIS. Is it really so far fetched to this our brain’s can’t still fall into that neurological cascade? I think not.
You can read Kate’s whole post over at Observation Deck.
Confession: I really, really love to read young adult fiction. I was the kid who showed up at the library every week with a totebag full of books to return and filled it right back up. Traveling was tough for me, because of the number of books I insisted on packing in my suitcase (thank goodness for e-readers!). By the time I was 15 or so, I had read and reread about 90% of the material in the young adult section of my local library. Half-Price Books is actually one of my favorite places in the world.
The thing is, I never really grew out of that phase. I was 20 when the last Harry Potter novel came out. And I thought for a quick minute, I’d be done reading “kids” books. But from there, I plowed straight on through to the Twilight series (yes, admittedly), then Percy Jackson, The Kane Chronicles and Heroes of Olympus (big Rick Riordan fan), then Hunger Games, then Beautiful Creatures and now Divergent.
That feeling I felt as a kid, attending midnight book releases for Harry Potter at my local mall: the anxiety, the rush, the anticipation. Yeah, still feeling that ahead of the release of the next Heroes of Olympus book (Oct. 8) and the final installment of the Divergent trilogy (Oct. 22). I remember teetering on the edge about rushing out to buy the first Heroes of Olympus book after learning Riordan would write five, only one per year: Should I bother? I’ll be 27 or so when the series ends. Hell yes, I should bother. Now, my biggest dilemma is whether to pre-order a hard copy to ship on release date, or just download the Kindle version as soon as I wake up in the morning.
It helps that I’m a voracious re-reader of books I love and I can read pretty quickly. During finals in college, to retreat from the stress and soothe my brain, I would fall head first into the stack of my battered Harry Potter series and refuse to come up for air until I had plowed through them all.
Even now, on my subway commutes to work, while I’m surrounded by people in fancy suits flipping through the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, I’m feverishly re-reading Divergent and Insurgent for the third or fourth time since I checked them out from the library.
And you know what? I. Don’t. Care.
And, I’m not alone: both Buzzfeed and The Atlantic have devoted more and more space to not only adults with an obsession over current YA, but also pages to nostalgia: reaffirming their love for Bridge to Terabithia and The Baby Sitters Club. Last summer’s release of Tiger Eyes, the first Judy Blume novel optioned for film, filled us all with the urge to go running back to our parents’ houses to dig out our old copies of her books (oh wait, or was that just me?).
But YA books are awesome for a lot of reasons, not just the nostalgia factor.
* Unless you’re loaded, buying books can get expensive. So chances are, you’re supporting your local library to help feed your addiction.
* YA fiction is a great escape for stressed out people. Added bonus: you can feel way better about being able to tell people you spent the weekend reading, vs having to admit you spent the entire weekend watching Say Yes to the Dress.
* You’d be surprised how many other adults love YA Fiction too. Upon moving to Washington last year, I was immediately invited to join a friend’s YA book club because she already knew of my obsession. Liz and I reconnected a couple years ago at the Hunger Games midnight show. People who love the same authors, ship the same character pairings, and have extensive knowledge of a fictional universe usually just “click.”
* Speaking of which: midnight showings and movie adaptations. Love ‘em or love to hate ‘em. Instead of feeling old about the fact my friend and I attended the Hunger Games midnight premiere in PJs, we instead felt awesome about the fact we were the only people in the theater not working on homework while waiting for the film. Midnight showings for popular YA series have a great energy and are usually very fun. And yes, movie adaptations have a spectrum: the Good (Harry Potter, Hunger Games), the Bad (Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters), and the Ones Where You Wonder If The Director Even Read The Books (Beautiful Creatures, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief).
* And, beyond just being downright enjoyable, YA characters and plotlines have very real-life relevance for the 20-something or 30-something who refuses to let go:
On physical fitness: if Tris can survive Dauntless initiation, surely you can drag your butt to the gym today. Her pants wouldn’t fit over her newly developed leg muscles after 10 days; you can drop those spare 5 lbs this month.
On being dumped: Being a Bella is acceptable for about, a day or two. After that, buck up and take a page from Hermione’s book (ha, pun intended).
On friends: forging new friendships in your 20s is hard, so place value on the Grover Underwoods and Ron Weasleys on your life.
On office politics: let bullies who band together like Careers be their own downfall; use your brain to outwit the Foxfaces; find unexpected allies the Rues. There are no hard and fast rules, but cannibalism is frowned upon (… Oh wait)
On family strife: Dr Kane seemed pretty boring too, then he turned out to be an Egyptian magician. Who knows what you can learn about your parents’ hidden depths if you give them a chance?
On life in general: believe in the unbelievable: magic, wizardry, gods; fear the possibilities and consequences dystopian future.
So tell us, what YA series are you currently in love with?
Post by Emma Carew Grovum. She is a data journalist working at the Chronicle of Philanthropy in Washington, D.C. She previously worked as the Digital Editor for The Cooking Club of America and blogs at kitchendreamer.blogspot.com Emma loves Star Wars, pandas and all things Joss Whedon. Find her on twitter at @emmacarew.
Pins, or broaches if you will, have come in and out of style for generations. Walk through any vintage store and you’ll find the bizarre (I once found a bejeweled cat head…) and the cute (birds are common) - but peruse the internet and you’ll discover options which can only be described as the ultimate in geek chic.
Why do I say that? Because they are so versatile and so affordable. For around $10, you’re getting an accessory you can pin on a sweater, a blazer or a bag. You can pin it to a scarf or even bundle a few together and create a smorgasbord of geekery.
Aha: they are also gender neutral!
And yet, they’re subtle. They’re small enough that they don’t overwhelm an outfit, yet distinct enough that other clever geeks will be able to call them out easily.
Here are some of my current favorites from around the internets:
I’m working on my collection, which includes a Hogwarts House Crest, a Mockingjay, a “BAM!” and a pair of specs, but I think I’ll be spending some cash to pick up that Game of Thrones shield too.
