Tribulations of a Semi-Geek Girl

Or, why guys I’d never sleep with tell me I’m the perfect woman.


Seriously. It happened for the second time on Saturday night, when I was somewhat inebriated at a friend’s party, and when I sobered up Sunday I had to wonder what kind of things that said about me. It’s not like I don’t know why he said it – and before you judge, it’s not because I’m ridiculously hot. I figure most days I’m anywhere between a six and an eight on a scale of ten, and I’m pretty sure that drops all the way down to three or so when I’m sick or you know, really not trying. But anyway, I’m probably cute enough, depending on your particular preferences. Since I live in L.A., slightly-prettier-than-average doesn't usually get me too far.

But the reason my friend’s semi-harmless new subletter called me the perfect woman was only about fifty percent based on my appearance. (I hope; obviously, I can’t read his mind, and my blouse was semi-sheer that night.) It was mostly because I’m a Geek Girl.


Now, I’m hardly the poster girl for the category: I’m only an indifferent gamer and my knowledge of anime is nearly nonexistent. But I can nevertheless discuss the finer points of the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and DS, kick some koopa butt at Mario Kart Wii, and reel off some of the incredibly complicated plots of the Metal Gear Solid franchise. I was in fact kicking butt at Mario Kart and discussing the relative merits of Rock Band on the different platforms simultaneously when he hung the epithet on me. (This multi-tasking undoubtedly seemed more impressive at the time, as the rest of the party was several drinks ahead of me.)


So anyway, I happened to mention that I was considering blowing my entire economic stimulus payment on an Xbox 360 and Rock Band package, and he suddenly looked both amused and raptly interested. I shrugged off both as I went on to win the kart race. After everyone gave up on video games to concentrate on more serious drinking, he continued to follow me around telling me how pretty I was and asking for my number despite the umpteen times I'd mentioned my boyfriend. (If that sounds endearing, it wasn't - I'm pretty sure that without alcohol it would have been beyond irritating.) Eventually I ditched him, called my boyfriend for a ride, and went home.


But the next morning I remembered him, looking goofy and vaguely mulish, saying, "Wow. You might just be the perfect woman." Leaving aside the relative laxity of his standards (he'd known me for all of twenty-five minutes at that point), I was struck by it because nearly the exact same thing had happened to me a couple of years before, when I picked up on a Venture Bros. reference dropped into conversation by the assistant manager at the bookstore I worked for. (He might actually have thought I was perfect for him; unfortunately, his pop culture qualifications were the most attractive thing about him. I ran into him last year at Comic-Con, setting out water for a panel that included Joss Whedon, and for a moment almost wished I'd dated him so he could introduce me.)


It seems that enjoying comic books, science fiction, video games, and being a reasonably attractive (or possibly just recognizably female) girl will get you your pick of a wide swath of geeks these days. Which is not a bad thing, of course. I love geeks (disclaimer: I live with one), and I'm happy to say that they're coming up in the world. Movie studios and television networks seem to finally be catching on to the fact that geeks are people too - better yet, they tend to be college-educated, literate people. Or, as media executives see it, people with disposable income.

But for the moment, Geek Girls still seem to be a rare and almost mythical breed, widely rumored but rarely seen in person. Several of my friends still shudder at being called "science fiction fans", and the rest would still rather go bar hopping than spend a long evening playing D&D. I'm afraid that this scarcity won't last, though - every year I see more girls at Comic-Con, and shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the new Battlestar Galactica are steadily reeling in new female fans. All I can say is, enjoy it while it lasts, Geek Girls. Soon, just wandering into a comic book store and striking up a conversation about the latest Uncanny X-Men won't be enough to get you a date.

Wearing those thigh-high leather boots might help, though.