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.
Last week was a banner week for having meta discussions about geek culture. First, Tara Tiger Brown wrote this piece in Forbes called Dear Fake Geek Girls: Please Go Away and The Mary Sue rebutted. Kotaku called the “fake geek girl” a “fake threat” and Twitter was abuzz with the pros and cons of “accepting all people showing an interest in geek culture” and “shunning anyone who is a self-proclaimed geek.”
I didn’t think there was anything to add to the conversation really, so I didn’t say anything last week. Now, with the benefit of a weekend’s worth of drinking and chatting with friends, I’ve come to realize that I have a different opinion on the issue that is worth discussing.
I don’t believe that most people CHOOSE to be a geek. I think you sort of find it out by accident. Or your interests end up merging with this identity. Here’s what I mean:
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fivefootinflipflops said:
well said. 8-) 
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deniablesmiles liked this This is silly. Look, it breaks down very simply: Open an honest about your hobbies, fandoms, styles, and enjoyments...
ephers reblogged this from vanishingage and added: Man that Forbes article –; see, the thing i don’t get, though, is the tacking on the “fake” word in the first place D:...
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partyweetow reblogged this from beinggeekchic and added: I liked this. Although I still don’t like the fake “gamer girls.” If you like to play video games, even just one game,...
beinggeekchic posted this 
Most geeks become geeks because of what they liked, read, played, watched or experienced in their formative years. It’s hard for me to know this with any amount of certainty because it’s been a LONG time since high school, but my guess is that the vast majority of people who ID as “geek” do so because their interests somehow put them outside of the social norm. For example, as a dystopian fiction lover and the only person on my block with the internet in the late 90s who wanted to learn HTML, I was a “nerd” and an outcast. I didn’t have the benefit of message boards and blogs to help me find friends who had the same interest.
Today, I’m highly employable because I have those foundational internet skills and as it turns out, dystopian fiction is having a real moment with the release of The Hunger Games.
So where does the “fake” geek pop up? Well, typically they see a movie or read a book that falls into geek culture and discover what we have to offer. They may not have lived through high school as a geek, but their interests match up at this point in time.
Why is this happening? Much of “geek” culture is out the in open more so than ever before. Batman is one of the biggest movie phenoms of the decade. Game of Thrones is the most hotly anticipated HBO series this spring.
Pop culture, by and large, is geek culture at this point in history.
The downside is that there are millions of casual fans of these properties. The upside is that the things we love are getting more attention.
There was one commenter on The Mary Sue who really stuck with me, because he pointed out another, equally important social upside. James Strocel of Rain Geek said:
“Here’s what you do when you encounter a "Fake” Geek Girl or Guy: Humor them. Sure, we all like being King Geek of Nerd Mountain, but we should, under no circumstances mistake what the “fake” geeks are trying to do: They are trying to make friends.“
This is exactly right. Don’t mistake friendliness for fakeness. I was able to find a few friends in high school, but most of my nerd friends are from the web or from college.
Over time, I’ve come to realize that I’m SO HAPPY I didn’t change when I was 16 and had the choice to pretend to be someone else. I truly took hold of my passions and owned them. I live a life that is built on a foundation of what TRULY makes me happy.
Simon Pegg said it best. I feel liberated by the fact that I love the things I love with zero restrictions. I live it out loud and I’m not that interested in the validation of others. Sure, people tell me all the time that it’s not very "grown up,” but ultimately, I accept that this isn’t the lifestyle for them. But it’s working out great for me.
It all comes down to acceptance. Both of yourself and others.