Is Geek the new Chic??


Ever since America fell in love with Seth Cohen, the adorable if slightly self indulgent geeky guy from Orange County, geeks have become the new fashion accessory to the fashionably inclined, gym going, pretty, if slightly arrogant, females of the American youth. We like our guys quirky, we like their hobbies to include weird obsessions with comic books, Star Wars, and indie movies. Undone hair is the new style and metrosexuals are on their way out. The question is, is all the weird obsessions and quirks reserved only for the geeks? American television seems to think so.
My boyfriend is a really big geek. Now gather he is a sexy geek but a geek nonetheless. I find myself learning more about comics than I ever cared to in the past. I am going to some Vulgarthon film festival in which I get to sit all day and watch geek movies whilst wearing a cool geek t-shirt just like all the other geeks in the room. I get to learn about the wonders and greatness of baseball card collecting while looking at a collection that fills an entire walk in closet. I get to hear about how by dating me; my boyfriend is breaking the “after Empire” rule that he and his buddies made up back in the day. Translation: I was born after Empire Strikes Back and they all made a pact not to date anyone that young. Yes their deal breaker was a Star Wars movie. Somehow, I love this man.
Then there is me. I love to shop. I love shopping like nothing else. Shopping can be therapy, a nice outing with a friend, a chance to make you feel good for a few hours, and even good old-fashioned escapism. I love literature but many times you will find me on a Sunday afternoon reading cheesy romance novels like the “Shopoholics” series and, “Bridget Jones Diary.” I love romantic movies and cheesy television shows. Now my favorite show in the world was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, I never reached the Buffy geek status by attending the various festivals around the country. I don’t belong to any clubs. I have no obsessions that I know of. I like what I like. I love what I love. I know what I know. Nothing takes up much time in my head. I think this might be what separates the geeks from the other people. Summer (The OC again) had no obsessions like Seth did. All she had was Princess Sparkle. Oh I have my special toys no doubt but, like Summer, I am not so obsessed with something that an outsider could tell I was obsessed with it by looking at my belongings. A part of me gets mad that pop culture only gives those “geeks” cool things to love and relishes in making the rest look like shallow cocky bitches (or assholes). Yet part of me sees some truth in the fiction. So where is the attraction?
This Summer/Seth dynamic seems to be a growing trend nowadays. The geeky guy is now appealing. The indie rock nerd, the comic book junkie, and the sci-fi geek all seem sexier. Maybe it seems they have more depth than the average beer guzzling, pot-smoking loser out there. Opposites are attracting. I don’t know a thing about baseball or comics and I have never seen Star Wars (although I remember a scene with cute furry animals from my childhood so I could have caught part of it). Yet, I am in a relationship with a geek as so many women today are. No one wants the Ryan or the Luke. They want the Seth. Seth is the new cool. Seth is the new sexy. God help us all.