Label Me This

Read this article, "10 Reasons Geeky Ladies Are No Longer a Boner Killer (and Is This a Good Thing?)," and found it pretty amusing.

Now, I'm by no means a Geeky Lady, at least not by normal standards. I'm not a gamer (don't even own one game console, unless you count my little Ms. Pac-Man joystick thingy). I don't attend cons. I'm not fluent in a made-up language. I don't know much about outer space. I'm not a tech junkie. I do not listen to hipster rock. I do not possess the typical traits found in a Geeky Lady.

I will confess that lately I've become familiar with a side of myself I didn't know existed. Sure, when I was a kid I loved watching The Jetsons and got superexcited about a project that involved creating a home in outer space, but I never thought those things indicated I had an inner geek.

Science fiction was never my cup of tea. I didn't really understand it and the future world didn't really appeal to me. Well, apparently that's changing. I'm almost done with the entire Battlestar Galactica series and I'm sad that it's ending. I watched Avatar last weekend--in IMAX 3D--and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to the return of V this spring. I'm not exactly sure if this is just a phase or something that's always lived deep within me. I used to hate tomatoes, but now I love them. Is this science fiction turnaround the same type of thing?

Lately, comic books have been registering on my radar, too. I guess this isn't exactly new considering I've always had a thing for Superman and Clark Kent, watched the Batman TV show as a kid and really enjoyed the Batman and Spider-man movies. I think what's surprised me is the interest I've developed in actual comic books. Recently, two friends started writing one and recruited me (against my will) to help edit it. With no clue how to edit such a thing, I turned to the Internet to do some research. My research led me to an actual comic book store, where I purchased my first comic books. And yes, I now have a favorite comic book writer. In fact, I found the article I mentioned above on his Twitter site.

Geeks are becoming so mainstream that they're actually cool, which means anyone getting into this world this late in the game could probably be labeled a wannabe. Yeah, I was never really good at getting into the in crowd--any crowd for that matter. Although, I guess if you really think about it, a lot of people in entertainment didn't start out being cool. I'm sure many of them were once labeled freaks and geeks and dorks. Now look at them, they're the ones setting the trends. Yeah, I was never really good at being a trendsetter either.

Anyway, I like what I like regardless of whether or not it's cool or acceptable. I like romantic comedies while some snub their noses at them and dismiss them as formulaic garbage. I like teen movies and teen shows, which to others seem childish and immature. Sometimes I read trashy, cheesy novels that more literary people would find a waste of time. My iPod is filled with so much bubblegum pop that those with a more sophisticated ear would probably rather hear nails on a chalkboard than listen to one of my playlists.

The way I see it, I can't be defined. Can any of us? Some may try to give me a nice little label, but the truth is, that label only describes one part of me--it does not make up my whole being. Basically, I think what I'm trying to say can be summed up in the famous words of John Hughes:

Dear Mr. Vernon,

We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong, but we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us, in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Does that answer your question?

Sincerely yours,
The Breakfast Club