Embracing Your Inner Nerd
[ 31 October 2007 ]
Recently, my friend Nadia & I went to a “nerdcore” themed party. We were trying to think of ways to appear nerdy but still stylish, when I came up with the idea of wearing blinged-out calculators. I bought a couple of cheap calculators for about $2.50 each, then went out & bought cellphone stickers. We then duct-taped a chain onto the back so we could wear them around our necks. The result was pretty fantastic… if I do say so myself.
It got me thinking, though. In each of us there is some kind of secret, some thing that we think is embarrassing or shameful or makes us “uncool”. Why not learn to embrace it? Why not put that on the outside? If you ARE a secret nerd & you DO love calculators, why not wear a sparkly one around your neck?! Why not incorporate that as part of your look?
We remove our shame & seize back power when we are brave & admit to things. Walking around pretending to be something other than we are gives power to other people. You will always be afraid someone is going to call you out on something, or that someone is going to find out what a phony you really are. But if you reclaim those secret parts for yourself, you subvert the power balance. “Yes!”, you can shout to the world. “I AM a dork & I DO love my mother & Where’s Wally? books & physics!”
True style is about personal expression & courage & humour. Allow your clothing & accessories to tell a story about you. Our clothing tells tales about us even if we’re not aware of it — why not tailor that story to who you really are?
It’s yet another way of mixing self-love with style. Who said the two don’t go together?
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala 
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Very inspiring! Thanks :)
OOOH!! that’s so bloody cool!! i’ve just returned to reading blogs after a long period of exam study, and i just finished my maths exam yesterday… so i suppose i’ve been embracing my inner nerd!! And now that i have all this free time, i’m going to decorate my calculator…
I think i need to embrace my inner girly girl and get some poofy skirts.
Those would look excellent as earrings. Fabulous idea.
PS. I like my geeky side aussi.
I saw those photos on flickr a while back and LOVED them (I just cannot be arsed signing up to flickr solely in order to comment on your photos!).
I love what you’ve written about things we think are uncool – and they’re things WE love/worship/adore, but we think “other people” think they’re uncool. It’s a very powerful force, What Other People Think, but so often it is used for evil and not for good. You are so right, we need to own up and Own It, and let me tell you from my nearer-35-than-25 perspective, it gets easier with age and makes life so much simpler. Life’s too short to repress enthusiasm!
Blinged-out calculators x Gala = life lessons!
This is such a morale boost!
Very nerdy chic.
Nerds all around the world are praising you!
P.S. I did this to my calculator last year, and everyone thought I was a nut. But, during exams, my teachers love it.
<3
Tht has inspired me to let ppl know tht i love
comic books, all things marvel & starwars!!!!!!
And now i am finally gonna go to tht comic book
store in perth ;)
xx Strawberry Kisses
Ps: those calculators ROK!!!!!!!!!! have you
blinged up anything else????
Hoorray for blinged out calculators and black rimmed suare glasses. Nerds rule! I’m one of them, I love physics, my mum, and my little pony.
I tried wearing contacts because poeple thought my glasses were secretary-like but my poor eyes just couldn’t stand it, so I changed back to glasses but I bought a punked out version of the others, they look so much better on me. I’m not saying that wearing contacts is wrong, just that they weren’t part of myself and who I really am.
Your article is very inspiring. Style is to show who you really are, not to be an “acceptable” copy of society.
You are an inspiration.
Kisses.
Gala, you’re brilliant! Your posts always come at the most appropriate moments! :D I love the blinged-out calculators, but I especially love the real reason of the post… I’ve gone around for the longest while trying to cover up certain things about me that I didn’t think were socially acceptable, and it just makes me miserable!! :p After all, that’s why there is chocolate, vanilla, rocky road, cookie dough and rainbow sherbet (for the lactose intolerant ;)!! The world is made up of so many different people—why not allow our difference and what makes us unique show?
♥♥♥
Being a huge nerd myself, I have to say I truly love this post. I am a read books about being organized and successful, buy highlighters post-its every chance I get, and I have been completely obsessed about reading up on blogging, open source software, and web design.
I am a nerd and I’m very proud of it.
I’m a big, big nerd, and very proud of it. I don’t care if people know that I’m addicted to World of Warcraft, or that I red all Harry Potter books and all Tolkien’s or that I was an otaku. Now you all know! :D
I don’t like too much the “nerdy” clothes, though I would love to have a pixelated mario shirt, or something like it…
Oh god. My facebook information says “Hi, I’m Vanessa and I am a big nerd,” and by god it’s true. I work at a library, I wear thick-framed glasses at times, my parents raised me on Star Trek and Star Wars and The Hobbit…Recently I have taken to wearing knee-high grey socks with these amazing brown pointy-toed loafers I call my “librarian shoes.”
Fortunately my boyfriend thinks it’s sexy.
Yay for embracing the nerd within! Only you could come up with something so amazing as a blinged out calculator, Gala.
those calcs are awesomeeee!!
it kinda makes me wanna bling out my DS…
p.s. I love Harry Potter, Pokemon, and Warhammer 40k and I’m proud! teehee.
Yay! I realized this last semester when I was abroad [in Australia, no less]. I finally gave up on trying to be soley preppy and gave in to my guilty nerdy pleasure of drawing manga. I met a group of nerdy artists and made a few really nice friendships [as well as sparking good ones with awesome computer nerds back home]. I find these relationships a lot more rewarding than the fake ones I used to have when I tried to be someone I really wasn’t. Be true to your inner geek!
haha, that is absolutely adorable.
hang on/ no one told me that harry potter/ pokemon/ glasses and calculators were for nerds?/
i love all of those things and still maintain my ( self appointed ) status as coolest person on the planet//
gala/ your penchant for the dramatic and bling never ceases to amaze and impress//
My boyfriend calls me Tiny Nerd for the very reason that I am a complete nerd at heart. I love graphic design, Macs and fonts and the whole shebang. I collect frames and DVDs and use Mr & Mrs Potato Head as book ends. There’s no shame in showing the geekyness in you! You’ll get to shine your true self and you’ll be assure that people will love you for who you are. Geek chic is in, people! xox
Great stuff Gala – very inspiring. I loooove Spiderman and my friends and family all laugh at me for it – but I don’t mind – when I pop on my spiderman earrings it makes me happy and boosts my self confidence if I’m having an ugly day. Hooray for the Spidey earrings!
Ps. I also have a pair of Spiderman earrings where he’s in soccer gear and has a soccer ball. My partner’s mum and my mum both think they’re the grossest things every, but I love wearing them to my partner’s soccer games ;)
i hate to say it, Gala, but you are out of the loop on this one! nerdcore has been my baby for years now, especially what with the popularity of Mac as a company, of MC Chris as a rapper, of adult swim, xbox360… and everyone going back to their childhoods that revolved around nostalgic tv cartoons and their NES’s and you know, original x-men and batman and transformers.
my favorite way to play around with it is to enjoy things like anime t-shirts, tokidoki (which is tre awesome in style but also caters to japanese trends), emo glasses, vintage shirts for shows like the ones mentioned above or star wars or battlestar galactica… i carry around old-school metal lunchboxes instead of purses often (when not using my tokidoki lesportsac, mmm), and give in to every urge to bust out my MacBook Pro in WiFi hotspots and play guitar hero three and go to geeky movie nights with friends.
(i am an out-of-the-closet uber-nerd, have been forever! but i also love me some decent style)
they also call it “geek chic.”
http://www.myspace.com/mcchris (give it a listen; “fette’s vette” is probably his most famous, great for star wars lovers like myself)
In Japan we call them Otaku! There are whole suburbs reserved solely for geeks to play in. Japan really is the land of the super geek, while some steer clear of the nerdy life and adorn themselves in pure style there are MANY who only know the way of the Otaku.
Nerdism is taken to whole new levels here, truly something to behold!!!!
Anata wa cho kawaii otaku desu (You are a very cute nerd) Nadia mo (Nadia too) Sugoi kira kira (Super sparkly)
You are too cute and clever. You’re building up quite a collection of sparkled up things! You are a little fairy elf pixie in disguise I think.
My boyfriend completely embraces his inner nerd, he has a collection of tshirts from threadless and other graphic design online stores… and more importantly has THE MOST HUGE collection of basketball cards. I find it utterly adorable, which does show how your shameful secret passions can be what other people see as cool individual quirks!
My secret is my obsession with Paris Hilton.. But I think everyone knows it by now.. I need to work on not apologising for it hehe!
i’m a huge split personality when it comes to the whole nerd thing; i’m allergic to anime, fantasy, maths and mmorpgs, but i’m head over heels in love with anything language-related, from computers to extinct languages to grammar to sociolinguistics, as well as spending too much time being an angry young woman/bitter skeptic and wearing clothes that would make any grandmother proud. i guess that proves nerds come in all shapes, not just the american high school film cliché type.
gala! where did you get those amazing heart shaped jewels and other lovely jewels?!
Amen to that! we should never be ashamed of ourselves.
love it!
great lesson :)
i think this is really great because i do just that with everything i wear. people look at me funny sometimes, and others take it as inspiration, but i couldnt really care less about what they thought; it’s me and thats who i am.
i was pulling all of these things out of my draw in my caravan we own, and i havnt cleaned it out for years. i found these cut swimmers from when i was four and cut them up, they are great lycra short now.
i make my own bags with giant ducks and lace on them
and i wear a tic tac toe board around my neck.
and love it
Now I can say it: I’m famous on the Internets.
:D
I’m a big, big nerd.
It’s reflected in my style…my clothing style is more mod/parisian/indie/50s, but I show my nerdiness by: – badges supporting things I love: Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Alice In Wonderland…
– Covering my uni notebooks and other notebooks in collages of pictures of my geeky obsessions, including the Lord of the Rings and Hitch-hikers Guide and things – A few really obvious geek accessories/clothes; a 13 foot hand-knitted scarf, a replica of the Fourth Doctor Who’s; a t-shirt with “Don’t Panic” in iron-on letters; a t-shirt with “What would Buffy do?” and a silhouette of her on it; Oxford University scarf, oxford university pullover; tank top with the logo of a fanfiction archive printed onto it…I love it!
OMG. NO!
maths is everywhere!!! AAARGGH!!
im revising for a maths test this very moment!!
i hate maths.
:(
but i do love that ultra-funky calculator!! I’d so do that with mine…but im not sure my maths teacher would be very happy…
you both look so uber cute!
xxx
Great post: I’m an out and proud nerd, and I’ve always thought that what we love is what helps us get through the day.
I use japanese manga themed notebooks at uni to perk me up during long ours of taking notes, and I put on silly hats whenever I’m feeling down. I covered a boring bag in badges that went from “Severus Snape is my master” to “It takes balls to be a fairy” and even went to a particularly bitchy exam last year with a cloche from the 30ty’s, complete with feathers!
As long as you’re confortable with who you are and what you’re wearing nobody is going to point&laugh.
AAAAHHH i love this post!
bling-bling calculators=GENIUS!!!~
i love tokyomade’s comment too,
because i am a japanophile, and when i learn new phrases like “sugoi kira kira” i want to do a scottish jig across my lawn!
but
i am so NOT a nerd. it’s not me. believe me, i’ve tried. sometimes i feel i really need to be, it’d make my world so much wackier and interesting..
well unless bookworming counts..hmm..there may be a germ of an idea in there now..
As always, you are SO, SO right. I spent more than 1/2 my life feeling left out, strange, rejected, just because I didn’t fit into my school and surroundings. It damaged me so much that I became hugely depressed and, for a long time, I thought I just didn’t belong in this world.
Until I got fed up with my own attitude, I decided: “you know what? I don’t fit in! SO WHAT???? They can hate it or love it. I choose to love it!!!”
Right now I’m a happier person, I’m not saying my life is perfect – whose is? – but I feel so much more comfortable with who I am. I wish I’d known this when I was 11 or 12, things would have been really different.
My favorite way to embrace my blindingly high nerd factor (as it’s not so much my ‘inner nerd’ as I just geek out 24/7) fashion-wise is to add subtle or surprising little touches to outfits. I mean, I love my XXL Obi-Wan shirt that doubles as a dress as much as anything, but there’s no reason you can’t be a nerd and be fashionable! I have about 30 thrifted Star Wars shirts but they can only go so far!
Some of my faves are:
1) My huge (prescription) nerd glasses. I’ve had them for years (yes yes, before all the indie hipsters haha) and they are just… FIERCE! My face doesn’t translate well into glasses (they cut my nose off at the thinnest part and make it look HUGE) so I figured the best way to deal was to make it not about the face and only about the glasses! I almost always get compliments whenever I wear them out (I wear contacts too) and, as my boyfriend says, “Only make passes at girls who wear glasses!” haha.
2) Brushed Silver Star Wars Imperial pin. It’s a really nice, subtle little piece of jewelry that I wear on my blazer. To people who don’t recognize the symbol, it’s just another silver pin on a blazer lapel, but to those who do it’s just plain sweet! I get a lot of “That isn’t a… oh my God it is!! Where did you get that?!! (nerdgasm)” when people notice it.
3) Jedi/Sith Boots. SO practical for Canadian winters! Flat-soled or with a bit of a heel and a few keen straps, no one has to know you’re secretly imagining Force-leaping to the head of the line or Force-choking crabby customers.
4) Vintage Sheer Umbrella Corporation T-shirt. It’s super comfy and flattering and looks like just another worn in t-shirt. The logo is eye-catching but not over the top so it’s really just another case of people either liking it based on its aesthetic value, or people totally reppin’ the nerd fact0r!
Everyone has something they’re at least a little nerdy about and even wearing a little charm on a bracelet or having a keychain can start some really awesome conversations with people with the same nerd-tastic tastes! Like many people, I used to try bury my inner nerd, but I eventually just figured “Hey, if people even get to know me a little it’s going to come out anyway! May as well get it out there and look awesome while doing it!”
The way I embrace my nerd: I tell everyone I meet that I’m a nerd and damn proud of it. _ Technically I’m 99% nerd anyhow.
Gala, you’re amazing. Thank you for this article. :D :D :D
Nadia, you’re adorable!
i’m a huge comic book nerd. wait til you see my halloween costume.
ahh! Blinged out calculators I looove it! All my ‘geeky/nerdy’ accesories, like my game boy advance…well I just put my own spin on it. i.e. my gba is bright pink and covered in stickers
I just wanted to say, the other great thing about being an obvious nerd is that it really encourages other people who are to talk to you.
For example, I took my Harry Potter pencil case to uni with me, and the girl sitting next to me in a tute started talking to me because she was a Harry geek too, it was great!
And when I wear my badges, random people or casual acquaintances will say, “Oh, you like x? Me too!” It’s such a good conversation starter. I’ll always be more likely to talk to people sporting some “nerd-wear” (“nerd-bling”?).
My ‘inner nerd’ is always on display and I think there’s nothing more stylish than having the courage to be YOURSELF!
Very cute blinged up calculators, gals!
P
x
I’m not sure if my personal interests are considered nerdy, probably more perverted…I love collecting books, aritcles, anything on unusual sex fetishes. This is weird as I have the libido of a dishrag! I do display my books, as some have amazing coverwork, but others I definately have to hide (I share a house with my gandmother!).
Nadine — Right onnn! I love your comments, you always get what I’m trying to say :D
EmmaRose — Yay for you! I haven’t done a lot of blinging in my time, haha. I blinged up my Camelback last week though!
Juls — Absolutely. Style is about your point of difference, whereas fashion is towing the line… Very different things…
Casey — Yes yes yes! & strangely enough, the things that we think people will shun us for end up being the things that make us happiest… & attract like-minded people. It’s a win/win!
Eli Skipp — Well, the point wasn’t that nerds are in, more that being yourself is awesome. It doesn’t matter whether your “secret” is that you love Star Wars, Paris Hilton or dressing your dog in strange costumes. Just that you make the most of it & use it to express yourself :>
Iris — Ahhhhhh your comment totally cuted me OUT! Hahah! My ex-boyfriend also has lots of Threadless t-shirts & folders full of basketball cards, weird! Maybe they’re the same person! ;D
lila — They’re actually cellphone stickers, I bought them from a little Japanese shop called ‘Pink’ here in Melbourne!
Chelsea — Tic tac toe board as a necklace? Wow! Awesome!
Nadia — You know it baby ;D
[a} — Like I said above, you don’t have to be a nerd. I’m not, really. Not in the typical sense. But I do love good spelling & I admire anything well-edited, haha! It’s more about embracing the parts of yourself which aren’t socially sanctioned as being ‘cool’.
Bere — Good for you, honeypuff. There are so many people who feel like they don’t fit in. It’s not true, of course. It’s just that you haven’t met the people who understand you yet…
Alycia — Your comment is awesome :>
zara rose — I look forward to it darling!
Reading your blog puts a smile on my face :)
Thank you!
Purple Proze, that’s not perverted – embrace sexuality! :) Like heaps of you I hid things I liked for most of high school because I was afraid my friends would think I was weird. Well you know what? I am weird – and it’s great! There are few happier times than when I’m taking a long drive and blasting the Beegees, half giggling and half singing along. I love the Beegees, Meat Loaf, Neil Diamond, I’m a complete guinea pig nerd, a spelling and editing perfectionist, I have Buffy on dvd and I collect vintage Littlest Pet Shop toys. It’s all part of who I am and it’s become too important to me to hide :)
Lani — I love the Bee Gees too :D
your calculator looks tarina tarantino-esque. nice!
anna — Hahaha, funny you should say that. As I was decorating it & realising how truly uncoordinated I really was, I was thinking, “F—- this! Tarina Tarantino can keep her job as queen of bling!”
Since I’ve started knitting, crocheting and sewing I feel quite nerdy sometimes. And wearing handmade stuff quite adds to that image. ;-)
Thankyou so much for writing this post!
It inspired me to seek out some of these pretty gems to stick on my phone.
& today while walking past a little cart filled with goodies from japan, were lots of glittering sticky phone gems.
I’m having such a fun time decorating things with them!
Great post.
Nerdcore parties worldwide.
Yes, I AM a dork, I love my mother to death and physics is amazing.
Cheers!