Top 10 Geek Girls
Came across this article, and it seemed promising at first... Til I opened it.
Number 10 on their list is Paris Hilton. Sorry, using a phone (and probably not understanding all the features) does not a geek make. Ugh. That one is all sorts of wrong.
Number 9 was awesome, mostly because I hadn't heard of her. Aleks Krotoski works for the BBC, and apparently has been a big supporter of gals who game.
I won't go through the whole list, but it's a great read, and besides that first shocker, a well written piece. Yes, I know it was published in 2006, but it's on the otherside of the pond so I hadn't stumbled across it before.
Jen
Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Why girls in geek?
Female geeks no longer have to hide behind bulky t-shirts and bad hair cuts. Yea, some of us still have those but it's a choice, not as a result of trying to hide our femininity. When we go to cons we generally have other girls and some guys willing to watch our backs. So why, you may ask, would I start a blog about this subset of geek culture? Are we not equal?
The fact is, no, we aren't. We're still largely out numbered, and many guys (and girls) out there believe that "geek" is no place for a lady. This becomes especially apparent in the "hard" branches of geekdom, where girls are still told No, you can't do this.
To see how out numbered we are, I'll share some stats I came across while poking around CAD. Blind Ferret is the parent company behind a number of webcomics (listed below), and runs their advertising for them. One of the stats listed is the % of readers who are male. You may be surprised.
Ctrl-Alt-Del: 88.6% male
VG Cats: 87.3% male
8-Bit Theater: 91.2% male
Least I Could Do: 83.6% male
Looking For Group: 85.9% male
Pretty crazy eh!
(information found here)
Many guys are cool with having girls around, and are capable of behaving like rational human beings in our presence. However, this is not always the case. We have to deal with stalkers, unwanted attention, and actual threats to our safety, just because we want to enjoy a typically "male" activity.
I know this goes both ways, ask the guy in nursing school, or the male gynecologist, and they will tell you how much they have to put up with. But this is about geeks, and there, the Y chromosome still rules.
Jen
The fact is, no, we aren't. We're still largely out numbered, and many guys (and girls) out there believe that "geek" is no place for a lady. This becomes especially apparent in the "hard" branches of geekdom, where girls are still told No, you can't do this.
To see how out numbered we are, I'll share some stats I came across while poking around CAD. Blind Ferret is the parent company behind a number of webcomics (listed below), and runs their advertising for them. One of the stats listed is the % of readers who are male. You may be surprised.
Ctrl-Alt-Del: 88.6% male
VG Cats: 87.3% male
8-Bit Theater: 91.2% male
Least I Could Do: 83.6% male
Looking For Group: 85.9% male
Pretty crazy eh!
(information found here)
Many guys are cool with having girls around, and are capable of behaving like rational human beings in our presence. However, this is not always the case. We have to deal with stalkers, unwanted attention, and actual threats to our safety, just because we want to enjoy a typically "male" activity.
I know this goes both ways, ask the guy in nursing school, or the male gynecologist, and they will tell you how much they have to put up with. But this is about geeks, and there, the Y chromosome still rules.
Jen
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Boobies!
Any farkers know what I mean (for those that don't get it, google fark filters) by the title.
So, for my very first post I think I will do a quick review of some of the awesome geek things out there just for us!
Number 1:
Ctrl-Alt-Del's Lilah is well known to many gamer girls. Face it, she kicks ass! It only makes sense that a shirt based on her would be just as great.
Found at Split Reason, which carries CAD's product line, for the decent price of 17.95 USD. This is about average for a baby doll T online, and I can attest to the quality of their other shirts. It is also one of the few shirts designed just for women, rather than unisex, or a guy design on a baby doll T. ("n00b I am your father" on a baby doll? WTF?) Yes, yes, there's all sorts of panties out there, but really, as cute as they are one doesn't generally go around showing off your panties. At least you probably shouldn't.
Number 2:
Explosm is a cute comic, known for being... strange. Sometimes their humor is a little much, but that's part of the charm. You can see what I mean with this next shirt:
Also sold by Split Reason (seriously, they have a lot of great products, check them out), this one is good for a laugh. I wouldn't wear it to cons tho, you might get some takers *eye roll*
That was all the shirts I really came up with. Yea, there's lots of baby doll shirts out there, and some are great, but none that are for us only. With that said, here's some more stuff.
Number 3:
Ah, Think Geek, my other love. I could spend hours on their site, wishing away my paycheck. Seriously, if you haven't been there before, GO NOW!
Unlike the previous two products, I actually own this one. It is by far my favorite accessory. The best part? You can take the dice out of it! This means you always have a d20 on hand for those spot checks, or you know, to just pass time. You can usually get loose d20s for pretty cheep too, so it's easy to change the color of the necklace if you want. The next best part? It's only 10 bucks USD! I just tossed it in with another order I was doing for birthdays.
Number 4:
This one looks amazing, but it has a lot more cons than the previous one.
Also offered by Think Geek, but much pricier. At 19.99 USD, it's double the price, and half the awesome. Yea, it looks cool, but it's not practical. The charm itself is too light for the chain it comes on, so doesn't hang well. I had to put it on a silver chain I had which worked better. Also, my cat managed to pull it off, with the loop separating. I have no idea if this is normal or not, but I know my other necklace has survived my cat. Would not purchase again.
Number 5:
Alas Mother's day is past, but there are birthdays and Christmases coming up.
We female geeks have it easy compared to our femgeek forerunners. While we are still greatly out numbered, and still have to put up with "OMG CHIXZOR!", our Moms had to put up with "You can't join." Well luckily many women had the nerve to challenge that, and have become great role models for us today. (Love ya Mom!) While not a baby doll, This loose cut shirt is a great fit!
Number 6:
Ok, this isn't just for girls, but as it's the most amazing product ever made plushie, I had to share it.
That's right! Giant Microbes! These things are a great gift for young and old. I actually got mono for my friend's 4 year old and she LOVED it. It really sparked her interest in biology, and is a good starting point for talking about the importance of hand washing etc.
This sure seems like a Split Reason/Think Geek love fest. Well, it is. Live with it :D
Jen
So, for my very first post I think I will do a quick review of some of the awesome geek things out there just for us!
Number 1:
Ctrl-Alt-Del's Lilah is well known to many gamer girls. Face it, she kicks ass! It only makes sense that a shirt based on her would be just as great.
Found at Split Reason, which carries CAD's product line, for the decent price of 17.95 USD. This is about average for a baby doll T online, and I can attest to the quality of their other shirts. It is also one of the few shirts designed just for women, rather than unisex, or a guy design on a baby doll T. ("n00b I am your father" on a baby doll? WTF?) Yes, yes, there's all sorts of panties out there, but really, as cute as they are one doesn't generally go around showing off your panties. At least you probably shouldn't.
Number 2:
Explosm is a cute comic, known for being... strange. Sometimes their humor is a little much, but that's part of the charm. You can see what I mean with this next shirt:
Also sold by Split Reason (seriously, they have a lot of great products, check them out), this one is good for a laugh. I wouldn't wear it to cons tho, you might get some takers *eye roll*
That was all the shirts I really came up with. Yea, there's lots of baby doll shirts out there, and some are great, but none that are for us only. With that said, here's some more stuff.
Number 3:
Ah, Think Geek, my other love. I could spend hours on their site, wishing away my paycheck. Seriously, if you haven't been there before, GO NOW!
Unlike the previous two products, I actually own this one. It is by far my favorite accessory. The best part? You can take the dice out of it! This means you always have a d20 on hand for those spot checks, or you know, to just pass time. You can usually get loose d20s for pretty cheep too, so it's easy to change the color of the necklace if you want. The next best part? It's only 10 bucks USD! I just tossed it in with another order I was doing for birthdays.
Number 4:
This one looks amazing, but it has a lot more cons than the previous one.
Also offered by Think Geek, but much pricier. At 19.99 USD, it's double the price, and half the awesome. Yea, it looks cool, but it's not practical. The charm itself is too light for the chain it comes on, so doesn't hang well. I had to put it on a silver chain I had which worked better. Also, my cat managed to pull it off, with the loop separating. I have no idea if this is normal or not, but I know my other necklace has survived my cat. Would not purchase again.
Number 5:
Alas Mother's day is past, but there are birthdays and Christmases coming up.
We female geeks have it easy compared to our femgeek forerunners. While we are still greatly out numbered, and still have to put up with "OMG CHIXZOR!", our Moms had to put up with "You can't join." Well luckily many women had the nerve to challenge that, and have become great role models for us today. (Love ya Mom!) While not a baby doll, This loose cut shirt is a great fit!
Number 6:
Ok, this isn't just for girls, but as it's the most amazing product ever made plushie, I had to share it.
That's right! Giant Microbes! These things are a great gift for young and old. I actually got mono for my friend's 4 year old and she LOVED it. It really sparked her interest in biology, and is a good starting point for talking about the importance of hand washing etc.
This sure seems like a Split Reason/Think Geek love fest. Well, it is. Live with it :D
Jen
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