What is Hip?

Celebrities let their Geek Flag Fly

Geek Chic Rules the Day

According to Wikipedia “Geek chic” refers to the embracing of stereotypically unpopular “geek” characteristics such as (taped) glasses, comic books, and video games.

“It has a lot to do with the computer revolution, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs,” says Lynn Bartholome of the Popular Culture Association. “Those guys were quote-unquote geeks, and for baby boomers, they’ve now got what’s important: prestige, money and power.” She defines a geek as “someone who is inquisitive, thinks on his or her own, who is a little bit off-center, who doesn’t follow the crowd.”

The entertainment industry has simply wised up and pushed geek-friendly fare into the mainstream. Most, if not all, celebrity exponents of geek chic have emerged from the entertainment field. Actor David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, has described the look of his character as geek chic.

It’s become a ubiquitous part of 21st century culture; you can see it on the runways on models and in the magazines on musicians like André 3000 and starlets like Natalie Portman. Portman sports a degree from Harvard and has long been an icon of Geekdom after her starring role in Star Wars, Episode II. Even the glamorous Scarlett Johansson got her geeky start in 2001’s Ghost World based on the graphic novel of the same name.

Geek Chic rules the Runway

These days clearly it’s hip to be square with The Big Bang Theory ranking as one of CBS’ highest rated shows and online RPG World of War Craft becoming so massive it has its own virtual economy. There are popular blogs such as Nerd Girl and websites like Geekchic.com devoted to the fashion, culture and lifestyle. And Comic-Con International takes over the city of San Diego every summer with passionate fans of sci-fi, fantasy, movies and comics  from all over the globe.

As they say, when a movement reaches criticle mass it’s simply too big to ignore. I say: embrace your inner geek and go with the flow.