Geek girl
Encyclopedia
Geek girl is a 21st-century term, signifying a gendered subgenre within the modern geek
subculture.
of 1995-2000. The early days of the reclaimed use of "geek" were strongly associated with computers and information technology and the majority of practitioners were male. Similarly, in a 1996 study of high school cultures, linguist Mary Bucholtz noted that "nerd status is overwhelmingly associated with males" Two studies by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) quantified the gap between men and women in computing and the continuing problems recruiting and retaining female programmers.
As the use of the personal computer grew during the mid-to-late 2000s, the number of women in computing
rose proportionately, and networks were created to provide support and connection for self-described "geek girls". GirlGeeks.org was created in 1999 to serve as "the source for women in computing", and in 2005 Girl Geek Dinners
was formed to connect women in the information technology (IT) sector.
The widespread recognition of "geek girls" as a community occurred in summer 2010, when the annual San Diego Comic-Con International included a panel entitled "Geek Girls Exist". Panelists included StarWars.com journalist Bonnie Burton
, singer-songwriter Marian Call, Tekzilla
and Qore
host Veronica Belmont
, and Mythbusters
featured host Kari Byron
. The panel's popularity has been credited as a primary mover in solidifying the girl geek concept.
, computer scientist and Google vice president Marissa Mayer
, social media developer Leah Culver
, and engineer Limor Fried
of Adafruit industries.
"Geek girl" is also a term applied to women who engage in journalism and media about technology, typically through the Internet rather than traditional print media, such as tech journalist Natali Morris. Perhaps the most well-known variety of the "geek girl" is the gamer, who typically engages in video and/or live role-playing games. In 2007, actress and gamer Felicia Day
popularized the archetype through the webseries The Guild
and the YouTube viral video (Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar
.
was formed by four "gamer girls", who produced the YouTube video "G33k & G4m3r Girls" as a parody of the song California Gurls
by Katy Perry. The video went viral within a week, but the name of the group was intended to reflect the invisible status of women in the geek subculture: "Geek Girls: Like unicorns, we're not supposed to exist."
In late 2010, the Seattle-based non-profit GeekGirlCon announced that it would hold the first conference devoted to geek girls on October 8-9, 2011.
In April 2011, the New York Times' television reviewer Ginia Bellefante caused a minor uproar by characterizing the medieval-fantasy series Game of Thrones
as "boy fiction" that "no woman alive" would wish to watch. The review prompted a direct response from GeekGirlCon, as well as a flurry of discussion from bloggers and other news outlets.
Geek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
subculture.
History
The return of the word "geek" in the mid-1990s can be traced to the popularization of workplace computing and the Internet and the dot-com bubbleDot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
of 1995-2000. The early days of the reclaimed use of "geek" were strongly associated with computers and information technology and the majority of practitioners were male. Similarly, in a 1996 study of high school cultures, linguist Mary Bucholtz noted that "nerd status is overwhelmingly associated with males" Two studies by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) quantified the gap between men and women in computing and the continuing problems recruiting and retaining female programmers.
As the use of the personal computer grew during the mid-to-late 2000s, the number of women in computing
Women in computing
Global concerns about current and future roles of women in computing occupations gained more importance with the emerging information age. These concerns motivated public policy debates addressing gender equality as computer applications exerted increasing influence in society...
rose proportionately, and networks were created to provide support and connection for self-described "geek girls". GirlGeeks.org was created in 1999 to serve as "the source for women in computing", and in 2005 Girl Geek Dinners
Girl Geek Dinners
Girl Geek Dinners is an informal organization that promotes the presence of women in the Information technology industry. It has 64 established chapters in 23 countries. It was founded in London in August 2005 by Sarah Blow who was tired of being the only woman at technical events. Chapters...
was formed to connect women in the information technology (IT) sector.
The widespread recognition of "geek girls" as a community occurred in summer 2010, when the annual San Diego Comic-Con International included a panel entitled "Geek Girls Exist". Panelists included StarWars.com journalist Bonnie Burton
Bonnie Burton
Bonnie Burton is a San Francisco-based author, journalist a Content Developer for Lucas Online, and a staff writer for both Star Wars.com and Star Wars Insider magazine, and maintainer of the Official Star Wars Blog. She goes by the handle "bonniegrrl" at those official sites...
, singer-songwriter Marian Call, Tekzilla
Tekzilla
Tekzilla is a biweekly video podcast on the Revision3 network. It is currently hosted by Patrick Norton, Veronica Belmont and Robert Heron with Garnett Lee and Roger Chang as frequent guest hosts...
and Qore
Qore
Qore may refer to:*Qore, a Kush monarch*Qore , an interactive online magazine for the PlayStation Network*The Qore scripting language for SMP computing environments...
host Veronica Belmont
Veronica Belmont
Veronica Ann Belmont is the co-host of the Revision3 show Tekzilla alongside Patrick Norton, and the former host of the monthly PlayStation 3-based video on demand program Qore. Formerly she was the host for the Mahalo Daily podcast and a producer and associate editor for CNET Networks, Inc...
, and Mythbusters
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
featured host Kari Byron
Kari Byron
Kari Elizabeth Byron is a San Francisco-based television host and artist, best known for her featured role on the Discovery Channel show MythBusters.-MythBusters:...
. The panel's popularity has been credited as a primary mover in solidifying the girl geek concept.
Types of Geek Girls
The term geek girl is in some ways fractured between its technical and cultural uses. The strongest association remains with computing, IT, and engineering. Practicing "geek girls" then include video game executive Jade RaymondJade Raymond
Jade Raymond is a French Canadian video game executive currently working as the Managing Director of Ubisoft Toronto.- Biography :...
, computer scientist and Google vice president Marissa Mayer
Marissa Mayer
Marissa Ann Mayer is Vice President of Location and Local Services at the search engine company Google. She has become one of the public faces of Google, providing a number of press interviews and appearing at events frequently to speak on behalf of the company.-Education and career :After...
, social media developer Leah Culver
Leah Culver
-External Links:* *...
, and engineer Limor Fried
Limor Fried
Limor Fried, aka ladyada, is an American electrical engineer and owner of the electronics hobbyist company, Adafruit Industries. She is influential in the open-source hardware scene, having participated in the first Open Source Hardware Summit and the drafting of the Open Source Hardware...
of Adafruit industries.
"Geek girl" is also a term applied to women who engage in journalism and media about technology, typically through the Internet rather than traditional print media, such as tech journalist Natali Morris. Perhaps the most well-known variety of the "geek girl" is the gamer, who typically engages in video and/or live role-playing games. In 2007, actress and gamer Felicia Day
Felicia Day
Kathryn Felicia Day is an American actress, known for her work as "Vi" on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and for parts in movies such as Bring It On Again and June, as well as the Internet musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog...
popularized the archetype through the webseries The Guild
The Guild
The Guild is an American comedy web series created and written by Felicia Day, who also stars as Cyd Sherman . It premiered on YouTube on July 27, 2007. Subsequent webisodes premiered on Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace, Zune Marketplace, and MSN Video. The webisodes were later made available on...
and the YouTube viral video (Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar
(Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar
" Avatar" is a 2009 song created and performed by the cast of the web series The Guild, with lead vocals by singer-actress Felicia Day...
.
Recent developments
In September 2010, the geek girl group Team UnicornTeam Unicorn
Team Unicorn is a multi-media production team formed in Los Angeles, California in 2010. Its members are American actresses and singers Michele Boyd , Clare Grant , Milynn Sarley, and Rileah Vanderbilt . The group released their debut parody song "G33k & G4m3r Girls" a.k.a. the "Geek and Gamer...
was formed by four "gamer girls", who produced the YouTube video "G33k & G4m3r Girls" as a parody of the song California Gurls
California Gurls
"California Gurls" is an electropop song by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry and is the lead single of her third studio album, Teenage Dream. The song features rapper Snoop Dogg, and was produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. According to Perry, the song is an answer song to...
by Katy Perry. The video went viral within a week, but the name of the group was intended to reflect the invisible status of women in the geek subculture: "Geek Girls: Like unicorns, we're not supposed to exist."
In late 2010, the Seattle-based non-profit GeekGirlCon announced that it would hold the first conference devoted to geek girls on October 8-9, 2011.
In April 2011, the New York Times' television reviewer Ginia Bellefante caused a minor uproar by characterizing the medieval-fantasy series Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones (TV series)
Game of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Based on author George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the first of which is called A Game of Thrones, the television series debuted in...
as "boy fiction" that "no woman alive" would wish to watch. The review prompted a direct response from GeekGirlCon, as well as a flurry of discussion from bloggers and other news outlets.