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Hey guys! It's Jen again, with the as promised Tuesday update. After watching Jenny's video
last week, I realized I didn't say a single thing about myself or my interests in my own
intro.
But that's alright, as when it comes to things I like I'm choosing to withhold that information
until a later video actually, where I can talk about pretty much nothing but my interests,
so that I don't feel rushed and I can give everything the proper attention it deserves.
And you'll probably get a general idea anyway just from the things you see in my room, and
the things you'll hear me talking about in the meantime.
But anyhow. Moving onto this week's topic, which is concerning female nerds, and why
they're required to 'prove themselves.' Nerd girls seem to have to go through a rite of
passage in the eyes of other nerds - mostly guy nerds, but other girls can do it too.
AKA, having to prove that she has a 'right' to wear that shirt, or carry that bag, or
hang that poster, or rock that cosplay, or anything related to that. For example, if
a guy is wearing a Captain America t-shirt, I'm betting you you wouldn't think a single
thought about it. But if a girl does, chances are, you'll roll your eyes, betting that she's
never even touched the comic books and has only bought that shirt because of the new
movies.
But the thing is.. so what if she had? You don't need to be a fan of something for a
certain amount of time and exert a certain amount of effort into being a fan, before
you are counted as a 'real fan.' And for some reason, complete strangers feel the need to
walk up to girls wearing nerdy regalia and quiz them on it, to make sure that she really
deserves to wear that one thing.
Have I personally received this kind of treatment? No, actually, I've been lucky. Nobody has
ever made me prove my nerdiness. Instead, I have received the pedestal treatment that
nerd girls can also receive, but that is another topic for another video. (It's how nerd girls
are treated, period.)
But the fact that I have not experienced it does not make it any less real, and for some
people it is very real, very annoying, and actually quite insulting, because the most
common argument used against 'fake nerd girls' is that they're only in it for the attention
and to 'get a man,' which is ***-shaming and incredibly misogynistic. And that's not
to mention how it very rarely, if ever, happens to a guy. Because guys are welcomed into nerd
culture regardless of their reasons, their purpose, or how long they've been a fan for.
Now how do you stop feeling that impulse to judge and assume that any nerd is fake? Understand
that not everyone's lives are exactly the same as yours, or even remotely similar to
yours. They may not have had the time or money to get into something until recently. They
may not have heard of something until recently. Their interests may have recently taken a
more nerdy route. Or, here's a shocker, they just may not be as passionate about a certain
thing as you are. But that does not make them any less of a fan, at all. You cannot tell
someone's depth of interest by how much it is or isn't physically represented in their
lives. As far as you know, that nerd girl you just scoffed at for carrying a batman
totebag could have started reading the comics when she was six, and be a far bigger fan
than you are.
But the important thing to note is: it doesn't matter if she is or not.
I know that kind of supremacy kick is hard to get rid of, since nerds overall are looked
down on in society, and we tend to try to push out people who we feel don't belong.
But we need to stop judging so harshly, or ideally stop judging at all, because we don't
know their stories and how they came to be a part of the nerd world, especially when
women are concerned. Because conditioning and misogyny aside, women are just as likely
to get into nerdy pursuits as guys are. So, female nerds aren't as rare as you think they
are. You just don't think most of them are real.
Because remember, as a female nerd, we're only in it for YOUR ***. Which of course,
makes nerdiness invalid. **Remember women aren't allowed to enjoy sex.** So you can't
have us infiltrating your perfect real-nerd-only space.
I'm sorry, I didn't know I had to be a ***-shaming misogynistic scumbag in order to be a 'real
nerd.'
Just no. Stop that, stop your judging, stop concerning yourself with other peoples' lives
at all. They aren't hurting you, they aren't souring the space, and they aren't ruining
nerd culture. They belong there just as much as you, and you need to grow up enough to
see that.
Period, end of story.
We'll see you for Jenny's video next week. For all you Americans out there, I hope you
enjoy your holiday!