In Defence of Male Geeks

Today in ES Magazine, a publication which I usually thoroughly enjoy, Richard Godwin asked the question, “Where have all the good men gone?”

In the print version, around the title of his piece are tiny images of men that we’re all familiar with - Matt Smith, Michael Cera, Simon Pegg, Mark Zuckerberg and even a grinning Ed Miliband.

What do all of these men have in common, aside from the fact that Godwin clearly hates them, you ask? Well, the majority of them are either in thick rimmed glasses, too-small polo shirts, Converse All Stars, if they still have the ability to grow a full head of hair, said hair is wildly unkempt, and for the most part they all have a slightly ridiculous smile.

Ah yes, they're all geeks and/or considered to be geeky.

Godwin says that he is sick and tired of these geeky men and anyone else like them. Mark Zuckerberg reigning supreme does not agree with him. Ed Miliband? Meh. Matt Smith’s portrayal of the Doctor is unacceptable, as is the geekified male fashion of the moment (“light, pale and limp at the wrist”) and the look of male musicians like Ed Sheeran and actors like Simon Pegg.

While Godwin correctly identifies that the “essence of a geek is his obsessive interest in one area” (as explained in this helpful infographic), Godwin is making one, vital mistake:

He’s confusing hipsters who dress like geeks with actual geeks.

Simon Pegg is a geek. He also dresses like one because it’s fashionable at the moment, and no doubt he probably has dressed like that for a while. Matt Smith is not a geek, Matt Smith, if you’ve ever seen him in person (which is actually quite disappointing) is a hipster in geek’s clothing with an emphasis on hipster. Zuckerberg and Miliband are definitely geeks, but I would argue that Zuckerberg simply dresses horribly (exibit A, aaaaaand I rest my case) and while he is most certainly a geek, I sincerely doubt Miliband knocks around town in Ray-Bans, Allstars and video game themed t-shirts on the weekends. (Obviously, that’s what Cameron does, whilst listening to Lana Del Rey on his iPad.)

There is a geek trend - this is why, as Godwin says, the rails of Topshop and Urban Outfitters are "completely geekified". 75%* of those wearing Geek Glasses are doing so without a prescription. 88% of those hunched over their Macbook Airs sucking up the free WiFi in public spaces are actually chatting to their friends on Facebook or making an “awesome” playlist on Spotify for when they “DJ” at the weekend ( plugging in their iPad to a PA system without actually mixing tracks), and 81.34% of those RTing Mashable articles on Twitter and pretending to care about all things digital and social and technology wouldn’t know how to write a string of code or basic HTML to save their lives.

They are geeky for the sake of it, and because they think it makes them cool, just like any trend. Just like how guys manically went to the gym when all women’s magazines and American sitcoms could talk about was “having a six-pack” in the '90s, and just like how nowadays women are teetering around in ridiculous shoes and ridiculous fascinators like, um, every female pop star I can think of at the moment.

It’s fashion and trends and people of an impressionable nature that you’re mad at, Richard, not the geeks.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, can we please talk about the dangerous practice of telling these so-called geeks that they should “man-up”?

Much like a mother who can’t understand why her teenage daughter doesn't want to wear her hair long and constantly says things like “Why can’t you wear a dress every now and again and try a bit harder? You would be SO PRETTY IF YOU JUST LOST A LITTLE WEIGHT!”- Godwin thinks these male geeks just simply aren’t trying hard enough. They’re setting for “being Clark Kent” when they really could "be Superman". Personally, I’ve always fancied the pants off of Clark Kent and found Superman to be a bit of a soppy show off, but I digress.

Godwin states that inherent problem with male geeks is as follows:

 

“We should recognise that there is nothing empowering about calling yourself a geek...[being a geek] is to be proud of your limitations instead of aspiring to transcend them. It is to remain in a state of arrested development and be proud of it. It is to privilege gadgets over what we can actually do with them, to prefer cartoon characters to humans, video games to real life. It is to be compartment-minded - isn't that another way of saying lacking in compassion?”

 

Of course we should all strive to be the best version of ourselves, we shouldn’t just shrug and say, “Well, this is just how things are, and therefore how they always will be. FOREVER.” Yet I’m not sure there’s anything wrong with accepting who you are, including your limitations, and doing the best you can.Since when did being a male geek mean that you have glaring limitations which you're proud of? As if these geeks are pumping their (limp) fists into the air whilst declaring: "YES! I used to be socially awkward and kind of a dick but now I'm a geek so it's totally fine and completely acceptable!"

I’m sure there are plenty of women who would agree with me that they’d much rather be with a man who was happy and comfortable with who he is, and embraces it, then being with some sycophantic wannabe trying desperately to become something he is not.

I’ll own up to the fact that this stereotypical “geek” that Godwin is describing isn’t to my liking. Mostly because I detest the idea of being with a guy who is a wannbe trend-obsessive (or, even worse, a guy I could share jeans with), but actual geeks and nerds and dweebs are some of the most interesting and hottest males on the planet. Who cares if they run the world? Don't we have enough James Bonds running around for it to balance out?

It might be nice to pretend that girls want guys to be the Robert Downey Jr Sherlock instead of the Matt Smith Doctor Who as Godwin says they should be. However, a trip to the stars on the TARDIS (and some sonic screwdriver action) seems a lot more enjoyable than some date with Sherlock Holmes which would no doubt end up in a gun fight, explosion, with a strange homoerotic sexual tension creeping into the air whenever Jude Law/Watson is in the room. 

Men, like women, should be free to whoever they want to be. Male beauty and image standards are just as silly as those pressed upon women. It should be freeing for men that they can wear glasses and have longer hair or be completely bald and wear sneakers and be as skinny or as rotund as they want to be and still be found attractive by women and loved for who they are and be unashamed that they totally love Star Trek. Remember when that was totally lame and you'd get teased for it? Now, no doubt, there will be some hot girl who goes, "Oh awesome, me too!"

The ever important ingredient in true geekiness, as mentioned before, is an obsessiveness which can easily be translated into passion, and a passionate man who has hobbies and interests and things he cares about is so much more interesting than being with someone who is bland, indecisive who doesn’t know what he likes.

Thankfully for us, men do not either look like Robert Downey Jr or Matt Smith. They come in all shapes, sizes, styles, and types. Just as women do. And it's high time we all accepted it.

 

Image via oldmaison's Flickr

* I totally made this figure up but it sounds about right.

Comments

[Seb White]

The 88% hunched over macbook pros... I hate those 88%. I love you.