and yet they overperform it without us even asking them to ;) i think it's not only women who overcompensate -- 'nerdy' masculinity is also against the 'perfect' male type of jock/warrior. it's a pity that nerdy blokes so often seem to feel the need to put down women in order to 'prove' they're really 'men', despite the intellect and sedentary pursuits. being 'nerdy' presents a gendering problem to both men and women, the inequality proceeds from institutionalised selection of men and exclusion of women rather than 'nerdiness' being 'more natural' to men. it's a pity both don't refuse the stereotypes which perpetuate their emotional suffering. Paula Suely Fragoso wrote:
As far as we (all) don't oblige the men to "perform (or overperform) their gender role" to validate whatever tendencies either...
Sue
stuszyn@UTNet.UToledo.Edu 18/06/08 11:38 >>>
I had a feeling that godawful Newsweek article was going to come up. Because it's only okay for women to be geeks/nerds/"fill in intellectual stereotype here" as long as they "sex it up" enough? grr.
Broadsheet wrote about that article last week as well: http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2008/06/12/nerd_girls/index.html
There's a big difference between being able to be yourself without suffering the repercussions and *having* to perform (or overperform) your gender role in order to validate or offset your non-conformist tendencies.
Rar.
Stephanie Tuszynski Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Theatre and Film University of Toledo
Message: 7 Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:26:56 -0400 From: Steve Cavrak <Steve.Cavrak@Uvm.Edu> Subject: Re: [Air-L] nerd culture and new media To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Message-ID: <09B29B8B-B795-45AD-B832-FF2A387B3FB1@Uvm.Edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; delsp=yes; format=flowed
A post on the Chronicle of Higher Education Wired Campus points to a Newsweek story on "nerdchic," the follow up comments provide interesting reflections on the value of nerds and role models, etc.
'Nerd Girl' Group at Tufts U. Seeks to Challenge Stereotypes of Engineering June 16, 2008 | 4 comments http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/3092/nerd-girl-group-at- tufts-u-seeks-to-challenge-stereotypes-of-engineering
The latest issue of Newsweek features an article about?and plenty of glossy pictures of??Nerd Girls,? a student group at Tufts University. They group is working on building a solar car that they plan to drive around the country visiting schools and encouraging girls to pursue engineering?and making a documentary about their adventures. ?They?re ?Beauty and the Geek? all in one package!? says their Web site. ? Jeffrey R. Young Posted on Mon Jun 16, 03:25 PM | Permalink | Comment [4]
[1] Revenge of the Nerdette, http://www.newsweek.com/id/140457 "As geeks become chic in all levels of society, an unlikely subset is starting to roar. Meet the Nerd Girls: they're smart, they're techie and they're hot."
[2] NerdGirls.org, http://www.nerdgirls.org/
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