You would probably not find it too hard to point out a geek in a Hollywood production. Oversize glasses, frizzy hair, unearthly level of social awkwardness, an absence of fashion sense and more often than not, obesity. These are the geek stereotypes that have been doing rounds since time immemorial. Sadly, some still maintain them, whereas it has been discovered that this image does not actually represent the geeks in real life.
Yes, you’ll find that they’re not fond of socializing with the general population and that they usually have interests that other people may not pay lots of attention to. While many of the geek tropes on TV have always been a misrepresentation, little by little, change is being implemented.
It’s however hard to imagine anything different from what shows have ingrained in viewers’ minds for decades. If they’re not overweight, they’re extremely scrawny. They also really, really hate physical activities and come accompanied with numerous health issues. When it comes to personalities, the geek is either that nice guy who stays on the sidelines as the douches have their way. That, or they’re the overbearing type who no one wants to cross paths with.
They’re also massively unlucky with the opposite sex, and usually unable to form a complete concrete sentence when in sight of someone they find attractive. Contrary to popular fictional opinion, geeks are actually more impressed in intellectual abilities than physical appearances. After all, you would feel better with someone who understands how your mind works, and who instead of viewing you as a weirdo, eagerly partakes in your weirdness.
Geeks have also been portrayed as know-it-alls. That’s mostly when it comes to video games, comics, science fiction franchises and more. In the same manner, there’s the misconception that every geek is tech savvy. This is mostly untrue because even geeks have their own individual areas of interests. They’re not just into everything considered geeky.
TV shows have also persisted in ensuring that the geek forever and always remains the underdog. They consistently take the place of that character who everyone is made to feel sorry for. That’s mostly supported by the inclusion of such physical characteristics as acne, weight problems and just being generally unattractive. In short, they’re the losers.
Geeks and nerds have definitely redefined themselves in the society. They’re no longer the social outcasts who had nothing interesting going on in their lives – or perhaps, as it appears, that’s just what the rest of the population imagines. Geek culture is getting cooler by the day, and it’s time even TV embraced that. More than ever, investing in creativity, imagination and basically anything else that’s considered unconventional does not make you an instant social pariah.
As time has proved, geeks do not actually rot away in their parents’ basements. They are actually the people who continue changing the world with innovative ideas and not just technology-wise. It’s time TV caught up and gave audiences true, or at least, diversified portrayals of geeks. The current box that they’re all fitted into is just not enough. In fact, the current tropes do not even half represent geeks.
