Monday 5 May 2014

A Sad Geek...

When in life did being a geek become the coolest thing???
When did knowing all the Marvel comic heros become cooler than knowing the latest pop stars whereabouts?
I do not know the answers to this. All I know is I AM THRILLED!
I never really liked boy bands in school(although I was a massive Spice Girls fan...I am not ashamed. GIRL POWER!) I never conformed to the "must have" fashion style, or the latest sports wear. I didn't care if a boy fancied me or if my cupboards were filled with no frills food and my charity shop school blazer lasted me 3 years because I would "grow into it"
I was cool. I was cool because I had the confidence to pull off all these high school faux pas'
Some people didn't. I made friends with a lot of these people. They became cool by association, with their winkle picker shoes, daft conversations, sad fan fiction obsessions, AWFUL hair cuts and clothes that had seen better days 3 people ago.
I know that sounds so deluded and I sound a little too self assured, but I only know all this because they have all told me. I loved each and every one of my friends, geek or swat, popular or wall flower. I didn't care.
One thing I couldn't stop though was the geek teasing! It was not cool to be a full on geek.
Glasses were NOT the one. Knowing all about Star Trek was not cool, being teachers pet did not do you any favours.
THIS HAS ALL CHANGED!
HOW?
WHEN?
WHY?

I have no idea. I think programmes like the Big Bang Theory have helped, along with a lot of celebrities admitting they are closet geeks and tweeting pictures of themselves looking cool in glasses.
I have to say I love the geek revolution. I can have conversations with my boys that I actually understand. Turns out it is cool to be clever, comic books are awesome and Enid Blyton is for girls AND boys!

My eldest goes to a high school where all the kids remind me of shaggy sheep dogs with their untamed hair and heads facing the floor as they scuff their no name shoes by dragging their feet.
All their blazers look like they grew into them a few years ago or have a few years left to reach that goal.
I see young girls unashamedly speaking out about their feminist views. They are no longer going to be objectified by boys or worry about being cool because the popular boy fancies them.
They are gathering on social media sites, not to discuss the latest lipstick shade but to discuss the art and culture they see around them.

Now obviously not all boys and girls are like this. I myself still love flicking through magazines and cooing over pretty handbags and dresses, and we all blush when a handsome chap or lady offers us a smile, but being who you are seems to be more OK now.
I know this is a very random post but each time I have conversations with teenagers I get so excited, mainly because I can have conversations with teenagers...I found this difficult when I was a teenager hehe!

So here is to all the people in the world.
Here is to acceptance and friendship. May it long continue.
And here is to my new, fabulous glasses...



10 comments:

  1. Hooray for our youngsters feeling confident to be who they are and accepting others for who they are too. My own boys seem to have stopped asking for designer labels lately and love science/natural history programmes
    Your glasses look gorgeous by the way pretty Emma.
    jacquie x

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  2. You're adorable. I'm pretty geeky myself but I think I always was. I embraced it, it wasn't going to change and I knew it. Haha.

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  3. Love your new glasses. You're gorgeous-geekiness and all! :-)
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  4. yay geek chic all the way
    Clare x

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  5. First of all Emma, you are darling, I love your spirit and your spunk. I am a LOT older than you so I come from a time when you really had to be like everyone else, I love that today you don't. You can be who you are and you are cool. You can have purple hair, tattoos, or be artsy. You can be yourself and be just who you want to be and no one blinks an eye. I love that. I swear at 49 I am still trying to find the real me, good for all the younger folk who figured it out long ago.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  6. Like Mereknits, I grew up in the same era - imagine being a Punk in a bogan culture in a small city like Canberra? Well I can tell you you I still get upset with the beatings I copped. I am in shock that I am different to my parents as I really don't care about how my kids look - I let them chose their own look as I believe it is about learning who you are, yet they are so ok with looking vanilla ! Go figure!

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  7. Yay to acceptance ! I hope that people in general are becoming more enlightened and the no bullying has progressed to more acceptance in schools allowing for everyone to appreciate each other for who they really are as they grow and learn:))
    I love the Big Bang theory

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  8. They look fabulous on you!! You are a very beautiful young woman!!

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  9. A great post Emma, I really admire your talent and ability to write like this! When I was young I wouldn't say 'boo to a coo' and am so relieved to see the youngsters of today being so much more relaxed and happy than they appeared to be in my day!
    You look even more gorgeous in your new glasses! xoJoy

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