To Geek Or Not To Geek

Put down your clear-lens black framed glasses and take off your ironic Yoda t-shirt: Geek Chic is not “in”. In fact, there is so such thing. Don’t be fooled, these guys with retro 80s trainers and a copy of The Dark Knight on Blu-Ray aren’t geeks: they want to be Seth Cohen.

Tags: Seth Cohen, The OC, Geek Chic, X Men, Forbidden Planet


If you aren’t familiar with the name, he’s a character from The O.C. who became the poster boy for Hellboy posters, and thanks to his ability to seduce beautiful women with his passion for ninja games and Star Wars, he instigated the birth of said Geek Chic. Cohen’s finest hour? Sharing an upside-down kiss with his beautiful girlfriend in a Spider-Man mask. In the rain.

I, however, am not Seth Cohen. As I write, I’m sporting my incredible new X-men t-shirt that I purchased proudly yesterday. People didn’t seem as enthusiastic as me, however, especially when I proceeded to name the characters on the shirt to my friend with short, albeit very useful, biographies. I’m currently awaiting my heroic upside-down Spidey-themed kiss in the rain, and coming to the conclusion that it might not come any time soon. What is it that separates me from the 8ft model in Urban Outfitters decked out in an Iron Man t-shirt with a bobble hat?

Over the years, especially from the age of about 14, I’ve had to conceal signs of “geekery” from the general public- covering up the bookshelf of graphic novels, wincing in silence as I notice plot holes and mistakes while watching Spider-Man 3 and struggling to resist sulking as my friends casually walk straight past Forbidden Planet. These acts of sacrifice, however, are required in a society that shuns the geek. Get a group of Batman enthusiasts and you’ll be conditioned to endure at least 15 minutes of graphic novel, movie adaptation and gaming chat- but finding such a group of people is deceptively difficult when they’re confined to the internet chat room or repeats of Adam West in spandex.

It’s time the geek was pushed to the foreground, and society learned to embrace the oddities we celebrate. This Valentine’s Day (if you have managed to bag a geek) you better have got them what they really want: whether it’s a 12” C3PO figurine, a Buffy hot water bottle or a life-sized Wolverine to treasure/practice combat on, you need to celebrate their inner nerd and reinstate their geek Pryde*.

*As in Kitty Pryde from the X-Men, a character that has the ability to walk through walls. I think I’ve reached a new low.

Jonny Stone