What Does A Nerd Girl Look Like?

The question started to nag me after Adam and I watched an episode of Good Omens. He didn’t like the casting choice of Anathema. Something was…not quite right. The description in the book made her seem nerdier than the actress looked. Having the book on my want to read shelf rather than my read shelf left me at a disadvantage in this conversation so it died and we carried on with our evening.

The next morning on my run, our conversation replayed in my head. I wasn’t sticking on this conversation because the “looking nerdy” comment came in a judgemental or aggressive way. Adam’s vision of the character didn’t mesh with the show’s interpretation. An innocent and common enough statement. My brain decided to take a left at Albuquerque and go down an entirely different avenue.

I almost pulled the book up when I got back inside to find the passage where the author detailed Anathema. Sadly, there is an eighteen-week wait on Libby for it. I didn’t want to wait that long for an answer. So rather than do the sensible thing. You know, look in the mirror or Google actual Nerd Girls. I immediately went to fiction to curate my sample list. 

Anathema from Good Omens
Rory from Gilmore Girls
Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries
Hermione Granger from Harry Potter
Jenna from 13 Going on 30
Diane from Love Potion no9
Laney from She’s All That
Josie from Never Been Kissed
Suzie from Stranger Things
Velma from Scooby-Doo

Not the most extensive list ever created. These are all prime examples of one of the typical representation of nerd girls. That of the “Nerd Next Door.” Although short, the list highlights two physical attributes, in particular, being brunette and glasses. Having unruly hair isn’t uncommon on this list either. What this means is, I could have just looked in the mirror and called it a day on this post — kidding, kidding.

After compiling this list and a first draft, I did circle back to find other examples of nerd girls in entertainment. The compilations I found were more diverse but damn it all I couldn’t shake the glasses. How having a vision impairment got equated to being a nerd is beyond me, so we aren’t going to deep dive to figure that question out.

I found the high percentage of brunettes on even my sample list odd. Anyone who has spent five minutes standing in front of a Comic-Con entrance line can tell you; nerd girls come in every shape, size, color, and hair structure. I was ready to blame Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The two are both beautiful women, but Russell is the sidekick. The less ostentatious option. But, the division between blonds and brunettes was already starting to be visible before 1953. That scene from It’s A Wonderful Life where George meets Mary in Clarence’s alternate reality springs to mind. The creators of the classic were going for the timid spinster and nail it. Framing her on the steps of the library sets Mary up to be a predecessor to the Nerd Girl. 

Fast forward to 2019, and not much has changed other than the frequency the Nerd Next Door is rolled out for use. And so often, she is in the context of metamorphosing. She sheds her natural state to become the “hot nerd.” Hair sleeked back and styled. A whole new wardrobe. No longer under an invisibility cloak, In essence, confirming to the societal standard for beauty. Now, I liked these movies as much as the next girl. Their entertainment value is by no means lost on me. I think I own just about all of the “Ugly Duckling” movies on that list up there.

Where are the Ellie Sadlers? Having a character nerd out over a leaf on-screen has entertainment value too — an extreme example to be sure. Ellie being a character from a movie so full of nerds that even the kids are nerds. She is though an ideal representation of a nerd girl. 

Ellie Sattler is a beautiful woman, but her presence on the island isn’t because she’s Dr. Grant’s girlfriend or bombshell. Her opinion has equal weight to that of Allen and Ian Malcolm. While Hammond is blind to her physical appearance, Malcolm isn’t, but that makes little difference. His advances aren’t lost on her, but neither is she consumed by them. Throughout the interaction, she is interested in what he has to say relating to his field, not with his advances. When the shit starts hitting the fan, Ellie isn’t relegated to wallflower or damsel status. She is a fully contributing member of the remaining human inhabitants of Isla Nublar.

I’m not saying she’s the only character in thirty years to give audiences a glimpse at what a nerd girl really is. That would be sad and ridiculous. Ellie and others like her though are still the exception, not the rule. 

I’ve taken a WIDE left at Albequerque here. This whole thing started as a banal comment about a mismatch between what Adam imagined a character to be and how creators of a TV show imagined the same character. But there’s a reason I didn’t just look in the mirror to see what a nerd girl looks like.

I have been waiting to see myself reflected in a medium I spend a lot of time with. Sure I share the brown hair and glasses attributes, but being a nerd girl isn’t a Clark Kent disguise thing. Larry Miller isn’t going to stop by my house and give me a makeover. The last place I am going for self-discovery is back to high school. The first time was more than enough. And if I don’t see it from the vantage point of a brunette with glasses and hair with a mind of its own, there are a lot of other nerd Girls out there who don’t.

Talking about a lack of diversity in such a niche group of people sounds ridiculous. There are more significant battles to be fought and won. In some cases, there are fights for representation that have been going on for hundreds of years. All of that is one hundred percent true. But looking at a massive offensive is daunting, especially when progress comes in hot and cold waves. Smaller skirmishes can be valuable assets to the larger objective. An inch is the key to a mile. Nerd Girls today. Girls tomorrow. And beyond.