Prompted by a VCR Alert thread about that Malcom in the Middle episode we all like so much:
http://forum.bearchive.com//showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB7&Number=47574&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1&PHPSESSID= I thought that perhaps we might chat a bit about the appeal of the "nerd" or "geek" or "tomboy" girl/woman as seen/encountered in model pix, sitcoms/movies, real life, etc...
Examples of this genre (from TV, so we can start with a common reference set) include Sara Silverman (recently of Fox's doomed Greg the Bunny, but previously on Saturday Night Live and many other shows); Tania Raymonde, who plays Cynthia on Malcom in the Middle; and perhaps even Gillian Anderson, though she really left the geek/nerd/bookish genre altogether and crossed into just-plain-glamour after the earliest seasons of the X-Files IMHO. Another example is Liza Weil (sp?) from the film Whatever. Yet another one that comes to mind is the young female lead (Caitlan something?) in that old movie Dragonslayer... she was quite the tomboy (actually posing as a boy) and of course later 'came out'. Yet another 'geek' character that comes to mind is the administrative assistant played by Sandra Oh on HBO's Arliss.
Sarah (as embodied by her character on Greg the Bunny) is perhaps also a bit outright gorgeous, but from seeing her on various interview shows she does come off as a little strange (some might say geeky or freaky) in real-life. The character of Cynthia is more traditional geek IMHO.
Of course, the basic factors of this appeal are somewhat simple: the characters they portray are supposed to me smart and even for boob-hounds, intelligence is a considerable aphrodisiac. Also, the fact that these characters sometimes (preferably imho) don't generally dress to impress but rather favor raggedy sweaters and baggy jeans does increase their 'oomph' factor once you're given an idea/opportunity of what wonders lie beneath. Yes, perhaps it's cliche, but when the shy, bookish brunette with the coke-bottle specs is transformed (ala Hollywood) into the primo beauty queen of the movie... it's more impactful than if she'd been all glammed up from the get go.
Personally, I favor the idea that the geek stays a geek (that there's no permanent make-over). Of course, others might like it better when the 'outing' is permanent as an example of realized potential.. that relatively recent Disney movie (Princess something?) where it's sort of a remake of My Fair Lady comes to mind, though there are surely dozens of such films and tv shows that utilize the ugly duckling turns into a swan theme... there've probably been dozens of copies of Cindarella alone.
From a personal experience POV (leaving our shared reference set for a moment) I can say that in my finite experience, I've ALWAYS fallen hard for smart women and will probably always continue to do so. When the woman in question also looks the part, it just adds to the appeal for me. I love glasses on a woman (and not just for the contrast rush of when they come off) and in real-life I do prefer a GF/SO who generally dresses modestly most of the time (not that I don't appreciate a little public cleavage once in a while... I do). Business clothes are sexy (espeically when you can tell there's a wonderfully soft curvy feminie bod beneath the conservative suit) as are the traditional baggy sweater/Timberlands ensemble. In my years "on the shark" the real-life gals who could be classed (if pushed) as geek/nerd/bookish all happened to be brunettes... some lush and curvy and some thin and sharp featured (probably the cause of my appreciation for models like Arlene Bell).
OK, my rambling aside... can anyone else put forward some geek/nerd/tomboy faves or comment more elegantly than I on their appeal?
