Monday, August 15, 2011

The Default Geek

Well, this is awkward. I guess geeks are like Smurfs.

Many deviations within the general category "geek" exist- for instance "Design Geek," "Music Geek," and "D&D Geek"- but they're all dudes*!

Except for one:

"Geek Chic"

Oh. That's chic, not chick?

Well shit. I mean, at least the Smurfs have one lady (who, by the way, was apparently created (a) only so people wouldn't think the Smurfs were gay or (b) by Satan Gargamel to tempt the male humans smurfs so he could catch them, at least that was the plan until Patriarchy Papa Smurf taught the lady Smurf how to properly exist within the male-centric society as an object of the heterosexual male gaze).

But I digress. Back to the geek chart.

Here, let me suggest other categories: "Female Invisibilizer Geek," "Male-Centric Geek," and my personal fave the "'I Don't Even Notice That My Geeky Infographic Excludes Women' Geek"


*Of the 25 figures depicted, all of them are flat-chested, pants-wearing figures. 6 are wearing ties, 22 have short hair, and 3 have medium-length hair. It is true that many women possess these characteristics. However, the complete absence of any figures displaying characteristics that are coded feminine by society such as long hair, a skirt/dress, and breasts leads me to the conclusion that the maker of this infographic did not intend these figures to be androgynous or female.

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