Since the creation of The Flickcast, there has rarely been a time or topic that I’ve felt strongly enough about to write an editorial rant, until now. There is a new fad swooping through the brains of up and coming actresses who feel like they need to close in on a wide and constantly sought after demographic. I’m talking, of course, about the close group of people across the globe who can be referred to as “nerds.”
Back in the day (and by “the day” I mean when Lord of The Rings were just books that nobody talked about and the closest thing we had to a superhero movie was Christopher Reeve wearing guyliner and blue tights) the concept of a “nerd” was someone with awkward social skills who took solace in the worlds of science fiction or fantasy.
Today, the line has obviously been blurred between what’s considered “cool” and what’s considered “nerdy.” Some of the biggest movies of the year are one’s involving Orcs or robots from space. That’s all fine and dandy, but enjoying these things isn’t what makes you a “nerd.”
Since the explosion of Felicia Day, who’s best known for her work with Joss Whedon on Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog or on her own series, The Guild (a webseries about the social misadventures of real gamers), there have been hundreds of copycats hoping to rake in some of that sweet nerdy celebrity. And given how much money the video game and comic book industries are now making, it’s ripe for the picking.
One name that obviously floats to the top is Olivia Munn. Former host of Attack of the Show, who threw on a Princess Leia slave outfit a few times at San Diego Comic-Con and became an overnight geek goddess to lonely guys (and a few gals) across the world. Realistically, if you were to sit Munn down and ask her any question that a pale-faced, over or underweight fan would consider child’s play, she’d be as clueless as ever.
Before I have to start dodging hate mail on why I think all nerds are ugly: don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that geeks are incapable of being attractive, well-adjusted people. With the aforementioned line blurring, the status of nerdiness has risen to a pop culture place, making normally embarrassing knowledge of Megatron and Sinestro as common as the millions of computer games downloaded on everyone’s cell phones.
With that line blurred, overly attractive actresses in both mainstream Hollywood and independent New Media feel that they need to claim that they’re a “nerd” to be seen as something more than just a hot chick. That’s where I’m putting my foot down. Throwing on an Empire Strikes Back t-shirt and Lisa Loeb glasses does not put you on the same level as me and the rest of the kids who weren’t cool enough in high school to run with the “popular kids” or to give a crap about sports. That’s called pandering, and it’s gotta stop.
Sure, there are exceptions. Felicia is one of them, and there are a few more, including most of the fans that submit images to the awesome site hotchicksinstarwarsshirts.com. This rant is mainly geared towards models and actresses who focus on their appearance and daily caloric intake who actually know nothing about staying up all night with a box of Oreo’s because “you really need to catch up on Firefly.”
What prompts this rant now, after it’s clearly been going on for years? The very funny and sarcastic folks over at FilmDrunk recently put together a supercut of over a dozen hot actresses and models confessing their “nerdiness” because they play World of Warcraft or have seen a Star Wars film once or know what Gears of War is.
This is the purest example of what I’m talking about, so it finally makes sense for me to rant about it.
Now do you see what I’m talking about? It’s becoming more and more of an issue that most true fanboys are just letting slide because they’re taken aback by a super model even saying the words “World of Warcraft” without the look of disgust on their face. Would any one of the above actresses wait in line for 6 hours to see Ryan Reynolds talk about a film in which he plays Hal Jordan? Or do they miss out on things like birthdays or dates because they need to be home to watch Battlestar Galactica when it’s meant to air? Doubtful. Very doubtful.
So if you are one of those actresses hoping to find a niche that sets you apart from the sea of pretty faces, stay out of the land of nerds and geeks. Chances are, if you’re a fake, we’ll see right through it and that will only infuriate us. If we nerds are known for one thing, it’s for having a very short fuse.
We’re coming up on San Diego Comic-Con in a few months. If you are fortunate enough (or unfortunate enough, depending on which day you go) to attend this year, and you see one of these hot chicks dressed like sexy Boba Fett or whatever, stop and ask yourself if they’re doing it for the attention, or just for the love of all things nerdy.
Hulk Smash!
Passionate about this topic? Hear writer Matt Raub discuss this further on The Flickcast podcast. Click here for the most recent episode!
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