What makes the "nerd" or "geek" girl so desirable?

[BigDaddy]

Because she is attainable and we can all relate to the "Cinderella" complex/fantasy of transforming a mousy/plain girl into our personal goddess...  

[herman_the_german]

It seems to me that you guys are talking about the Hollywood geek girl, where they get a knockout and put glasses on and put their hair up in a bun and call that a geek. Then they work reverse magic, and voila! you've got yourself a knockout again!
I'm not really into geeky girls. And right now I'm talking about "Robert Crumb" type geeky girls, where they've got hairy legs, or a really bad overbite, and such (where talking serious physical problems here). But give me a girl with just a slightly crooked smile or something like that (something that is subtle), and I can really get into her. I'm not really into the perfect hair, perfect teeth, etc. type girl.
Maybe it is that I wouldn't want to share, and with a small imperfection she would be all mine to appreciate, I don't know.  

[sheber]

Do you mean like Mimi Rogers askew jaw?  

[Palomine]

I like Mimi Rogers EVERYTHING, but would probably not classify her as a geek or nerd... even when she's in a role of a scientist/investigator (Forbidden Planet, X-Files) her personna is still essentially mature (wonderfully) glam.

Yes, some of the references above ARE of idealized Hollywood geeks, where as was pointed out, an attractive actress is dressed down specifically to be 'outed' later in all her glory. Some watering down of the genre is probably inevitable given our need to use common references (actresses, models) in order to communicate efficiently.

To me, though I like glasses on pretty much any woman, a woman is not a nerdette simply because she wears glasses. She must have many of the other qualities described above: intelligence, preferably an interest in something technical (science, technology, etc...), modest almost anti-glam dress, hair and makeup, an apparent lack of concern/awareness of the fact that she may be very desirable, etc....

 

[Grayface]

So, does Sandra Bullocks (sp?) from Love Potion #9(I think that was the name of the movie) fit the bill as a Hollywood glam nerd?  

[Palomine]

Don't think I saw that film... I suppose that Sandra Bullock could PLAY a nerdette but I don't personally think of her as one. Her (no doubt carefully crafted by PR hacks) persona is more middle-of-the-road mainstream IMHO with a slight nuance of tomboy.

Again, sticking an actress in front of a computer and putting some glasses on her doesn't automatically make her a nerdette or geek... it just makes her an actress in costume playing (with usually mixed results) a character.

Of course, simply being a nerdette isn't everything:

Case in point: my last GF could fairly be classed as both a geek (heavy interest in technology) and tomboy (athletic). The one before her was neither of those things, though she did wear glasses. However, the geek/tomboy turned out to be a pretty disappointing GF (as things go) while her predecessor was just a few notches shy of ideal. It's the PERSON of course and not the persona (be it authentic or scripted).

[herman_the_german]

How about like Minnie Driver, in say, Grosse Pointe Blank. She isn't particularily beautiful, there's too many things wrong with her face. But her look in that movie drives me wild.  

[Hunter_S_Creek]

1) "Love Potion #9" was one of Sandra Bullock's very early movies.  She played the role of a lonely nerdette splendidly.  It worked for me at the time, 1992, partially because I had never before seen her or heard of her.  She could not have the same effect today because I now know what the actress playing the nerdette "really" looks/is like.  She's a great actress but I just can't trick my mind that much.

2) Here is a request for Jerry Lewis or Eddie Murphy to create a "Nutty Professor" movie with an unknown, teen, female lead undergoing the transformation, etc.    

[Vermillion]

    Obviously i should have moved to find you Kathy.  



 

[Tux]

I'd have to say in my case it's the fact that there's a sort of reciprocation.  Maybe she'd be a bit more understanding or be able to understand that obscure reference.  Perhaps her intelligence suggests a bit of independance that lets you know that she chooses to be with you for companionship and not your cash or someone to convieniently shove their emotional baggage towards every time things go wrong.  Then again it could be the aspect of you seeing a "diamond in the rough" that need not necessarily be polished for her to shine in your eyes.  It could be the hope that her intellect is full of interesting surprises (remember that scene in "Malcolm in the Middle" where Cynthia disables Reese with ease and then explains what she just did?).  Quite possibly it's the fact that maybe she'll accept you for you since you like her just because she's her.

BTW, I think everyone here knows that Asia Carrera plays UT, has released a character model of herself, runs her own site, and is a self confessed nerd.

Plenty of pictures of her looking rather geeky on the page below.
http://www.asiacarrera.com/athome.html

[gOOber]

[TheZookie007]

Another character to keep in mind vis-a-vis "the attractive geek" is Willow, on the recently-ended show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, played by Alyson Hannigan. Now that was a girl (the character, I mean) who was attractive despite her geekiness. Plus, she embodied the ultimate "transformation when she removes her glasses" (even though she didn't wear 'em) -- she was both a closeted lesbian, and a witch-in-training. She struggled throughout the series with her Wiccan nature, and eventually went fully over to the dark side at one time -- the catalyst being the violent death of her lesbian lover, who caught a stray bullet during a punchup that the Scoobies had...thus, coming out of both closets at the same time

Wow, I sure know a lot about a show I have never ever seen! Gotta love the Internet -- the ultimate way to fake knowledge of almost every subject!

Oh, and I really dug Samantha Stevens' little nose wiggle as well when I used to watch Bewitched as a young Zookie.

-- TheZookie "uh-oh, first Samantha now Willow -- am I closet witch appreciator?! [getting out the silver stakes]" 007
   

[TheZookie007]

Oh, and one more thing: did you ever see the Farelly Brothers' film Shallow Hal? Remember the Gwyneth Paltrow character, who was so overweight, and yet so intelligent and smart and caring? I watched it recently, and I was like "I don't see why the National Assn. for Fat Acceptance was so against this film -- after all, not only did the fat girl get the guy in the end, but despite her weight, she was more likeable than the other babe that Jack Black was going after...so where's the problem?"

And, as an aside, the woman who played Gwyneth's almost as fat mother was pretty attractive too...at least to me.


-- TheZookie "So now I'm a closeted fat lover, too? Good grief!" 007  

[HamsterGal]

It's simple! Geek girls share stereotypically masculine interests (video games, computers, star trek, etc.) so we're easier to relate to!

And we're into BOTH kinds of PDAs.

[TheZookie007]

That's an interesting observation HamsterGal.

So do you think there's a large number of guys getting play with women because they're into stereotypically female activities (cooking, sewing, knitting, that sort of thing)?

[HamsterGal]

Well, I'd have to say it all depends... I'm sure a guy crocheter, for instance, would probably have little trouble relating to lady crocheters, and it'd be a plus because they'd have that interest in common. That's really something I should have clarified. Geek girls attract geek or semi-geeky guys due to common interests, just as lady sports fans tend to attract male sports fans, etc. Hope that clears it up.

[TheZookie007]

Clear as crystal!

[jaytas]

As I see it Geek/Nerd girls are so attractive because they seem much more real. In terms of you step out the house, swing around and presto there is a geek/nerd girl.

[jaytas]

Erm. So since when does geek/nerd have to equal not too nice looking? I have seen at least one girl that might be classified as geek/nerd and she is very nice to look at and has a killed wit. And a hell of a lot of other good qualities too.

[MunchWolf]

Quote:
That's an interesting observation HamsterGal.

So do you think there's a large number of guys getting play with women because they're into stereotypically female activities (cooking, sewing, knitting, that sort of thing)?  

This reminds me of a line ... something along the lines of a lady looking for a sensitive man .. but they all already have boyfriends ...

Anyway .. I cook ... and that really hasn't helped me attract people who cook ... quite the contrary .. I get very possessive of MY kitchen ....

-Munch "Althought there was this one girl .. long long ago .. now she knew how to cook" Wolf

[GizmoWidget]

To me, what makes a nerdy or geeky girl so attractive are three things.

1) Brains.  This cashes out in lots of different ways.  For me it's common interests (computers, science, sci-fi, etc.), and the fact that usually I can have really good, deep, interesting conversations about things with a geeky or nerdy girl.  Some of the best female non-girlfriend friends I've had have been nerdy/geeky girls.

2) An unassumingness to them.  Usually they're not aware of their own attractiveness, and those that are very physically and otherwise attractive underneath the appearances to the contrary often don't think of themselves that way, which makes them all the more attractive.  I've found that it also makes it more special and important to them when I express my appreciation for their attractiveness.

3) Naturalness.  This is a lot like 2) above, but I think of this more as the way they dress and the effort they put into their appearance.  I really prefer women who wear little if any makeup, and/or don't spend a lot of time worrying about what they look like.  You know, jeans and sweaters kinds of girls...  The benefit of this is when they do get all dressed up, they really can blow you away with how they look.  My wife always stuns me anew each time she gets dressed up...

Note, I'm not talking about the image or illusion of geekiness that is a Hollywood creation that was mentioned earlier.  You can spot those kinds of posers a mile away.  I'm talking about real women who are like this.  My wife is a perfect example of a nerdy/geeky woman.  When we met in college it was through a campus club social function.  We had lots of nerdy interests in common; photography, computers, science, etc.  She was majoring in biology and computer science.  Now she's a systems administrator for the university where I'm a grad student. I'm pretty nerdy, but she can out-hack, out-script, out-program, and out think me on lots of things.  Thank god I decided to become a vision scientist, so there's actually some things I can do better than she can!    

[TheZookie007]

From a TV critics article in the papers yesterday:

Quote:
"One character on the new show (The Sarah Silverman Program, Comedy Central Thursdays at 10:30 pm EST), played in a cameo by a network TV star, describes [Sarah Silverman] as 'Kinda Jewy, but totally hot. Not out of your league hot, just cute. Long neck, really nice skin. She could easily pass for 20.'"

I think that that is a perfect description of her. The more I look at her and watch her act, the more I get the most terrible celebrity crush on her...I gotta thank Palomine for bringing her to my attention in the first place

[gonZo]

Did somebody mention Sarah Silverman?
 
 

[DJPFC]

I love Sarah.  She used to be my neighbor a few years ago here in LA.  I'd run into her twice a week walking our dogs (and sometimes she'd be with Kimmel).  I don't know why she's so appealing to me but I think she's very sexy.

[MunchWolf]

Wow, lucky you

-Munch "btw, why was she walking your dogs?" Wolf

[Janus]

 Dunno, there's something about walking up to a girl while she's reading something, and to answer a random question you ask, rests her textbook on her massive breasts while saying a cute "hmm?" that's just amazingly sexy.

J- Textbook case of...

[Datamole]

I think the geek/nerd girl is somehow more approachable perhaps due to a less "superficial impression".  Even though a bombshell can turn me on in a split second and is a greater flight of fantasy, I'm just not that into someone who is overly invested in their looks.  Perhaps the geek/nerd girl represents someone who may be more down to earth.  Thus, they can still be confident and sexy when they want, however they aren't overly invested in superficial pursuits.

Is this making sense?  

I think they represent a greater possibility for a fulfilling long term relationship.  Beauty fades over time and the mind makes up the most sexy part of a women.

[dinkylittle]

I don't find the nerd or geek girl desirable at all, although I do not find her undesirable either.  The only category I do not ignore is that of race.

[DJPFC]

I don't know -- I think this is a "geek" I would go for...

If only all of us geeks could look this good.  

Quote:
I don't find the nerd or geek girl desirable at all

[JohnC]

nice discussion going on here,
i see the thread is already 5 years old :-).
Considering mankind is assumed as hunting and gathering species.
One of my thesis is that the geek/nerd girl are for the gathering fraction of male mankind, the bombshells are made for the hunter guys.
An attraction of the nerd geek girl is for me the chance to discover a kind of secret treasure no matter what that treasure could be.

[TheZookie007]

Quote:
I love Sarah.  She used to be my neighbor a few years ago here in LA.  I'd run into her twice a week walking our dogs (and sometimes she'd be with Kimmel).  I don't know why she's so appealing to me but I think she's very sexy.

Working with goddesses like Anya, Jana, Maggie & Brandy Robbins AND having Sarah Silverman as a neighbour...Dammit, DJ, you have all the luck!

[TheZookie007]

Quote:
Did somebody mention Sarah Silverman?
 
   

Oh for the love of Pete, wouldja look at her?

*** collapses into a puddle of drool ***

Damn you, Jimmy Kimmel!

[TheZookie007]

Quote:
I think the geek/nerd girl is somehow more approachable perhaps due to a less "superficial impression".  Even though a bombshell can turn me on in a split second and is a greater flight of fantasy, I'm just not that into someone who is overly invested in their looks.  Perhaps the geek/nerd girl represents someone who may be more down to earth.  Thus, they can still be confident and sexy when they want, however they aren't overly invested in superficial pursuits.

Is this making sense?  

I think they represent a greater possibility for a fulfilling long term relationship.  Beauty fades over time and the mind makes up the most sexy part of a women.

I hear you. The nerd/geek girl helps bolster the confidence of the mere mortal man, since she is seemingly more approachable than the "high maintenance" woman. Also, apparently, there are more of them about too

Of course, we men should all have realized by now that there is no such thing as a woman being "out of one's league". The women that men such as Dudley Moore, Henry Kissinger & Donald Trump have been able to snag should be proof of that. None of those men could be consider as handsome as (say) George Clooney) (although in the case of Kissinger & Trump, they had things other than looks going for them), and still they were able to pull some very fit babes. And even beauties such as Vida Guerra & Mya are on record as saying that they don't go for flash, they like down-to-earth "normal" guys; so, there is hope for us all

[Dr_Fashizzle]

Here's a wallpaper I made for myself: now for all of you.



Enjoy!

[Kowalski]

http://www.maxcatsrealm.com/anime/Velma.jpg