13 Jul Seven Ways to Embrace Your Geek
Every year on July 13 we celebrate Embrace Your Geekness Day. Being a geek is one of my favorite things about life. Believe me, it took me a while to fully accept myself for all my geek-centricities, and some of the people in my life still look at me like I’m from another planet, altogether; but I have no regrets and I love living this geeky lifestyle.
I am especially excited this year because it’s the official (soft) launch of ‘This Geeked Out Lifestyle Blog’!
If you’re here, then you’re geeky, as well. Welcome! Or you may be geek-curious and want to just peek your head in to see what this is all about. Welcome to you, too! Starting a geeky lifestyle blog is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and I’m glad that you’re here.
But what is being a geek, exactly? How do I know if I’m one? How do we live a geeky lifestyle? All very good questions… where to start? Well, we should start with how to identify and embrace your geekness. But first, what even is a geek?
Now, I searched the inter-webs and even Bing’s AI for a definition to the word ‘geek’ that didn’t send me into a spiral of self-doubt and flashbacks of high school bullying. In fact, a lot of the definitions provided by Google, still, will have you rethinking even being on this blog. No one wants to be a social outcast who smells bad. Yep. That’s a definition. So as part of my goal on this blog to encourage you all to love and live your geekiest lives, I’m hoping to redefine the word, and then put more meaning behind being a geek.
What is a Geek?
A geek is a person who expresses energetic enthusiasm for a particular hobby or passion – the most common involving fandoms of tv and movies, comic books and manga, books and collectibles, and other similar subjects of fascination. Identifying as a geeky person is not about any specific interest, topic, or activity; and it is not a title earned based on how much you know about a particular topic. Being a geek is unique to each individual and is all about embracing the part of yourself that loves what you love.
How Society Sometimes Defines a Geek
I checked in with Google, and the results that come up are taken from three dictionary definitions. These are pretty similar to most other online definitions. Is defining the word a geeky thing to do?
“Perhaps (Thrawn, all day, everyday).”
But I am a geek, after all, and I’m all about the more you know, am I right? Well, in case I think you’re better off the less you know about what society thinks of geeks.
Sigh.
The first definition describes a geek as “a person who is knowledgeable about and obsessively interested in a particular subject, especially one that is technical or of specialist or niche interest.” The second definition is, well, more of a stereotype and less of an actual definition: “an unfashionable person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious.”
The third definition is the actual origin of the word, from the Victorian era: back then, a geek was “a performer at a carnival or circus whose show consisted of bizarre or grotesque acts.” These acts include biting the heads of snakes and other such horror movie nonsense.
Honestly… :: rubs nose in frustration :: I thought we were above this. But here we are, still “unfashionable” in 2023.
Now that we know what the world thinks of us (rolls eyes, profusely), we can talk about embracing this whole geeky lifestyle. But mostly about taking the common stereotypes and misgivings about geeks and throwing them all away.
Throw the whole head away.
What Being a Geek Means to Me
I believe in my geeky lifestyle – I’ve come to accept myself and realize that this is who I am.
I believe in the things I love and realize that although they are different that the mainstream, they are no less important to me. Star Wars, anime, video games, Marvel movies… these are the things that excite me, and I believe that we can incorporate those very geeky and amazing things into our everyday lives. I mean, why not? Don’t some people love and collect vintage and then decorate with it? What about sports and music collectibles? How is our geeky lifestyle any different?
Because I also enjoy self-expression, I believe that you can express yourself through your own personal style, collections, home decor, hobbies,… all the things. I mean, I light up and come alive when I’m being and living my most geeky self, and I bet you do too. Geeking out about my favorite fandoms is one of my favorite things to do; I love being a geek and doing geeky things. Everyone should feel comfortable and passionate enough to geek out about what they love. Period. I am committed to encouraging everyone to incorporate the geeky things they love into their everyday lives and to be free to live their authentic selves no matter what mainstream society tells us to do, eat, buy, say, and be. Period.
That sounded like a manifesto, didn’t it? lol
Seven Ways to Embrace Your Geek
- Define your own geek.
- Wear your geek out loud.
- Be authentically you.
- Find your people.
- Start a collection.
- Be accepting of other geeks.
- Have fun with your geekness.
It is so important to embrace your geeky side, especially today. So if you’re not sure how to do that, then here are eight ways to embrace your geek:
Change your geeky mindset.
We should start with our mindset – geek is not a bad word. Being a geek does not make you an outcast or uncool, or whatever it is people say. We have to stop allowing people who don’t matter to define who and what we are. I think this is the first and most important step to becoming your best geeky self.
Like are we still even putting people down in the year of our Sith Lord 2023?
We are all geeks of something – some just choose to embrace it and others prefer to hide it. I get it, not everyone is lucky enough to be around other geeks all the time. Sometimes we have to do what we have to do to blend in. But once you can own the geek that you are and accept yourself, then others will also accept you. And if they don’t? Well, I like to say that you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.
If you’re hung up on the word ‘geek’, just remember that geekiness is an expression of a thing we love. Period. Sports fans are geeks. Shoe enthusiasts are geeks. Bookstagrammers are geeks. Geek can be expressed as a cozy aesthetic or a stadium full of enthusiastic K-pop fans. Either way you spin it, the people who love what they love with all the intensity they have are geeks.
Don’t let others define your geek – you define what being a geek means to you. Once we can change that high school clique mindset, then we can all geek out how we want.
Wear your geek on your sleeve.
Some of us cosplay to show our appreciation for our fandoms. Knowing that not every place or situation is a comic convention, I choose to express my love for my fandom in other ways: T-shirts, bookbag purses, makeup, and hairstyles are a few of my favorite ways.
But it doesn’t have to be in your face, and others don’t have to accept what you love. We are not going to force our geekdom down everyone’s throat. Part of geeking out about a thing involves having that thing be part of you in some form or fashion even if it’s subtle. And people who know will know, but most importantly you will know. So show off your fandom and wear your geek out loud.
Be authentic.
Don’t force it. If everything I mentioned above feels forced or extra, don’t do it. Not every geek wants to be extroverted about what they love. Sometimes the fun is in the secret. Like a hidden tattoo with your favorite movie quote.
Yes. Yes, I do.
Do what feels right to you. Expressing what you love means being authentic. And if your authentic self prefers to enjoy video games in the quiet of your bedroom after work then that’s how you express your geek.
Find your people.
To me, work is a place where we’re all cosplaying at being professionals. It’s mostly a show. And we’re not always being our truest selves when standing around chatting it up with our colleagues. But most of my social interaction has come from work and mingling with my coworkers. Probably like many of us. I mean, if I had a choice, I’d go to work rocking purple hair and Converse, but most employers like to keep that cookie-cutter aesthetic (different post for a different day).
Coming from an expert-level introvert, I could care less about being anywhere near a crowd of people outside of work. If the past few years have taught me anything, it’s that people suck and I’d rather gather quietly in my home. By myself. This means that
But my people don’t. As someone who hates crowds and noise, I feel the least comfortable surrounded by my coworkers and most comfortable at a crowded convention. Right – it makes no sense when I say it like that, but hear me out. There is just something about being surrounded by a bunch of cosplayers and fellow fans that makes me feel at home. I don’t feel like I’m standing out or like I have nothing in common with anyone – quite the opposite. It feels like home every time I walk into MomoCon. Or DragonCon.
Being a geek is certainly better when you have at least one other person to geek out with. When I’m not attending a convention, I geek out with hubs. He is my best geek friend and when it comes to knowing how to embrace your geek, he’s an expert!
Start a collection.
Now, this is not a requirement for being a geek or having a favorite fandom, but sometimes investing in something that you love is worth every penny saved. Collecting all the things that best represent your fandom makes the journey that much more exciting. For me, being surrounded by all my favorite things makes me sublimely happy. And thankful that I am able to indulge my inner Geek.
Some people collect art. Others love to collect music. Jewelry. Shoes. I know people who collect vintage, and still others who collect old books. We all invest in what we love when we can – this is no different than being a geeky collector of geeky things.
Do you love Pokemon? The excitement of the hunt means you may scour every Etsy shop until you find that perfect Terrarium. The satisfaction and joy come when you purchase what you love and display it alongside other pieces that represent what you love.
Honestly, there is no better feeling.
Be accepting of other geeks.
Hubs and I were leaving a convention and ran into traffic. This wasn’t traffic from our convention because we realized that the costumes were much different. All around us on the sidewalks and city streets were people walking towards the stadium in red jerseys and t-shirts, dresses, hats, and matching shoes. They were going to the game, and they were all in costume.
It’s funny how so many sports fans made fun of geeks like me in school, but when it’s time for them to show love for their favorite team they go all out. I’m certainly not judging – I love every minute of anyone showing love for their fandom.
We often have reflective car conversations after a convention, and hubs pointed out that the fact that most sports enthusiasts either rock their teams’ colors through merch or face paint means that we are really not that different, after all. Their convention is just held at a sports stadium during a game.
If you want others to accept you and the things you love, you have to be willing to accept theirs, as well. It’s like the golden rule of fandom. You also have to accept yourself and embrace your geek if you expect others to love it as much as you.
Have fun with your geekness.
Honestly, have fun. Embracing your geekness and living your best geeky life should not be a chore. Geeking out about something should be the best part of your day; it should add something amazing to your life. Like hobbies, collecting, watching, playing, and attending should all be things you look forward to.
Just have fun with it. Don’t try too hard. Don’t stress about it.
:: sings Don’t Worry Be Happy :: Sorry, the song just came to me out of nowhere.
But seriously, if you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right. Or it isn’t right for you. You will feel free to enjoy the things you geek out about when you worry less about those you think will judge you for it.
Speaking of judgment, I wanted to touch on one more thing: Immaturity and being a geek.
Geekness is not a measure of maturity.
Repeat after me: being a geek of something does not make you a child or immature. Maturity is not an age.
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard my mom call hubs and me “toys-r-us kids” because we love to collect comic books, cosplay, and use unconventionally geeky decor in our home. It isn’t really meant as a compliment, even though she says it in a joking tone. I know that underneath the layers she is insinuating that we’re immature. Whatever. It doesn’t bother me because I fully understand that a lot of people just don’t get it. Many people don’t accept the things they don’t understand. This is why I surround myself with people who get me.
Loving the geeky things you love and getting shit done in life can exist simultaneously and in the same place. We can spend hours wandering around 2nd & Charles looking for our newest Funko Pop obsession, while on the same day cleaning the house and doing meal prep for the week. Evolution into your grown and geeky self is a balancing act and learning how to use the Force is essential to the evolution process.
So love what you love and spend time doing what you love. But don’t forget to do what you have to do, even when it isn’t pleasant. It’s called adulting. And being immature can manifest at any age. Like how immature it is to call someone else immature for not being interested in the same things you are. So there.
And by the way, we will always be proud Toys-R-Us Adults, thank you very much!
So how have you embraced your best geeky self? What’s one tip you would share with someone trying to find their inner geek?
Once upon a time, being a geek may have been unpopular, something that was frowned upon; but now it has become a bit more mainstream – a symbol of creativity and passion and I am here for it.
Happy Embrace Your Geekness Day! Let’s celebrate each other together – what are your passions, hobbies, and fandoms?
No Comments