Listen up, ladies! It’s time to step out of the shadow of the Spice Girls and embrace the new era of girl power! Let me explain to you why GEEK is the new chic!

One of my favourite people, Jane Espenson (writer of awesome things like Buffy, Game of Thrones and BSG), tweeted last weekend about attending the first annual Geek Girl Con in Seattle – something I didn’t even know existed. What?! When did girls who are geeks get such fancy acknowledging things like conventions?

It seemed weird to me – until I realized how ridiculously incredible it was. I wish I could have been there!

As a Geek Girl myself (some days more geek than girl, honestly), I know just how important it is to take that label and own it. Because if we don’t, who will? Some say Geek Girls are girls who like programming computers… sure, but it’s also girls who like sci-fi more than romance, who’d rather be blogging than gossiping, who listen to podcasts instead of pop songs and who generally just don’t think traditional conventions of what it means to be “girly” apply to them. All of us, reading this website, thinking fandom stuff is cool, we’re the geeks. And it’s up to the girls in the crowd to make their voices heard, just like guys have been doing for decades.

Through history, women have struggled to find their place in a Man’s World. They’ve struggled for the right to work, to vote, to wear trousers, you name it. Some claim that girls in the Western world today have it easy, that past generations have waged and won our battles for us, but any sensible woman in society knows that this is simply not true. I know that I at least struggle with frustrating preconceptions and stereotyping on a day-to-day basis – of both sexes, to be fair. “Men suck” are as common a phrase used in my circles as “Women are [insert stereotype of choice].” What bothers me most is how generalizing these statements are, how impossible it is for most people to see beyond what they think they know… but I digress.

Specifically for girls in our position, who struggle to maintain normal lives while still engaging in behaviour which society at large has deemed “lame” or a waste of time, we have to fight really hard to be accepted. And maybe that’s why we flock to science fiction, because it’s a place we can fit in? As Jane Espenson has stated:

I think [sci-fi has] a great history of inclusivity. There’s always been a pretty good presence in sci-fi for women…. People think sci-fi must be the worst boys’ club in TV. No, that’s sitcoms.

And I think she’s right; I know that’s at least one of the reasons why I enjoy coming online so much, why I seek out communities based around my favourite TV shows. But here’s the thing though: our online refuges should not be the only place we can be ourselves. Look at the success criteria for the modern woman: she has to be not only beautiful, stylish, and manage family and career, but she also has to be well read, up on her pop culture, and be able to join in with (and I cringe as I write this) “boy discussions.” You know, video games, computers, science fiction, cars, whatever. And as Geek Girls, we are helping to break down this notion that there are gender-appropriate interests. By actively engaging in online fandom and the like, we are taking “boy topics” and making them our own – while still being proud of our gender and not trying to be anything we’re not!

It’s this aspect of female success we emulate. So what if we care more about reading and fan culture than malls and gossip mags? That doesn’t make us lame, or abnormal – look how many of us there are!

What matters now is just to keep going out there, doing what we love and being good at it. Being successful. Being content with who we are and where we find our passion. And not just online but also in real life, because at least I’ve found that the most difficult transition isn’t finding similar souls on the Internet, but taking your passions out into the sunlight, “outing” yourself as a Geek Girl while still maintaining a normal life of school and shopping and hanging out with friends and gossiping about boys.

We need to show the world that we can do it all! We aren’t loners, we don’t have to hide online. Look to inspiration from the likes of Jane Espenson, Julie Plec and Fran Walsh. Own it. Be your girliest, geekiest self, and be proud of it.

Before I end I want to share some more Geek Girl inspirations. Earlier in the week I asked my Twitter followers to share their own favourite Geek Girls, and got some very varied and interesting responses. Look what some of you had to say, and be sure to share your own  inspirations in the comments:

And finally, to wrap up this giant love fest, I’m gonna pull a Time Magazine 2006 and share my own ultimate Geek Girl inspiration: it’s YOU. You, who go on sites like Hypable, who actively engage with fandoms and transcend the barriers of time and space to form communities around the things you love. In my book, that puts you right up there with Hermione Granger and the rest of the coolest girls in the world.