What Do You Think Of When You Hear The Word "Geek" or "Nerd?"

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘geek’ or ‘nerd?'

Most people think of fat guys with neckbeards who live in their mother’s basement eating Cheetos and chugging Mountain Dew.  

Hardly ever does the image of a well groomed, physically fit, good looking young man come to mind.  Even rarer still does the image of a woman, any woman, any female at all, come to mind.

Alas, it is true.  We, as female geeks and nerds, are not often thought of when hearing those words.  Many times, it is with a kind of fascination that female geeks/nerds are viewed with. When attending a Comic-Con, females are often seen as, “The sweet wife/girlfriend tagging along with their husband/boyfriend”.  She is not typically seen as a fellow geek/nerd.  

I understand that not a lot of this blog’s audience is female, and I equally understand that not many of the blog’s readers read my entries just because it is so very female oriented.  My apologies.  I wanted to remind all the readers that in this lovely nerdom (that we are all members of), there are a great many females that feel somewhat alienated.  They are seen as an anomaly, not the norm.

I want to use this entry to inform all the males in this group, that yes, there are many females with similar interests to you.  Yes, we do exist.  Yes, it is entirely possible that you have underestimated that beautiful woman you met at that last Comic-Con.  And yes, the Voltron Black Lion she was holding was for her collection, not for somebody else.

Ladies, I am here to invite you, all of you, to let your geek side shine. Post up the pictures of your collections.  Send in those “What’s in the Fucking Box” videos (editor’s note:  send all video submissions to entertherealmcast@gmail.com).  Let us see your nerd life.  In this community, all are welcome.  Come inside and chill at the Cool Table. Bring your figures, your fanart, your folded T-shirts (yes Eddie, I said folded), sit down and enjoy.  

Much love to everyone in the Realm.  Have a great day and remember that it doesn’t matter if anyone else loves your collection as long as you love your collection.

Anna DuBois

First Lady Of The ROC

JUST GIVE ME A TUB OF BLOCKS

In a world where toy manufacturers are having a hard time breaking through the gender divide, Lego has had the key all along.  Open a tub of Lego Blocks in a group of kids and both boys and girls will begin to build. They will build cars, houses, spaceships, pyramids, everything they can imagine. The only limits to their creativity are how many blocks they have.

Lego is the ultimate unisex toy and its popularity is growing. Even adults enjoy building with those colorful blocks (Editor's note: to hear from 3 such adults, check out the "Building Up To It" podcast on the Bricks On The Dollar YouTube channel!). Lego even produces kits to build everything from a snow speeder from star wars to the apartment in big bang theory.  These kits have made it possible for the most unimaginative person to build something cool. The build kits have brought more adults back into Legos than ever before.

Thanks to these little blocks, we have an imaginative outlet for both boys and girls as well as a gateway for budding designers.  We know that using the imagination is good for our brain development but Lego adds another element to this.  Manipulation of the bricks by both children and adults helps with those fine motor skills that are so important in our lives. Who would've thought that these little blocks were that multipurpose.

Lego has made it a point to market to all children (and adults). I was watching TV the other day and saw a commercial which brought a smile to my face. In this commercial were 4 children, 3 boys and a girl. They were playing with a Lego set from the Ninjago line. The interaction between these 4 children showed no gender bias and the girl had a lounger as well as the boys.  Finally, a company has made it a point to not assume that only boys will want these toys.  

I believe, that in the very near future, we are going to see more and more of this unisex marketing of toys.  After years of placing boys in shop class and girls in home economics, we are finally starting to see the end of the divide.  As the years move on, I am looking forward to attending more CON’s and seeing more and more female involvement in the events.  As for the social media groups, I am already seeing more and more ladies joining them all the time.  To all the ladies that read this, I say it is time to let your inner geek goddess shine.  

Just a quick addition and I will let you all go back to your lives.  I am thankful that you have taken a minute to read these words.  My geeky side has been blessed by having so many people accept me with open arms and I, for that, I am eternally grateful.  Thank you all and have a great day.

Anna D

First Lady of the ROC