San Diego ComicCon: Oh You Sexy Geek panel

Well, obviously I wasn't at the SDCC - I wish! - but I've been following the OYSG panel info with some interest. I haven't watched all the videos - there are too many! - and sadly it wasn't professionally recorded, like it was meant to be, so they're all cellphone videos. Pity.

Still, this has garnered much discussion about the "role" of women - sexy or not - in geekdom. One of the best critiques I've read yet comes from Ink-Stained Amazon - a well-thought-out, beautifully written piece on what feminism actually means in the geek girl subset.

Then, over at Blag Hag, is a discussion of the "women being mean to each other" phenomenon (which, frankly, disappoints me coming from Bonnie Burton, of all people - as one commenter pointed out, she actually published a book about girls bullying each other, so she really should have known better).

Not so much about the actual panel, but about strong superheroines in general, and linking to Ink-Stained Amazon's entry, is Kalilily - a 71-year-old geek who's been blogging for the past 10 years.  Read the comment she posted on Ink-Stained Amazon's post - it's quite thought-provoking, given the idea that superheroines are meant to be some sort of 'role model' for girls (geeky or not).

Feminist Fatale focused on what seemed to be the truly cringe-worthy moment at the panel, when Chris Gore of GT4 fame (a programme we don't get in South Africa, somewhat fortunately, it seems) made a horrifyingly inappropriate remark that was met with nervous laughter and Jennifer Stuller of Ink-Stained Amazon literally turning her back on him. Seems he's still riding his wave of "they must be suffering penis envy", though, since he showed up in the comments on this post to berate those who didn't appreciate his sense of humour. (Side-note to Chris Gore: so if a woman responded to your offer of sticking your penis into her with a desire to kick your balls into the back of your throat, would you take it as an appropriately satirical response?)

Shel of Re-orientation: Sex and gender in a modern world weighed in on the Chris Gore faux pas too, as well as the "girls are bitchy" crap (which I am SO OVER, really).


Parenting Geekly looked at the panel from an inclusiveness point of view, and wondered why there weren't any plus-sized women or women of colour on the panel. As a plus-size myself, I do tend to notice these things, but I'm not too sure about this take on it. Still, I do agree that the notion of "sexy" geeks bothers me,; why can't we just be geeks and leave it at that? Does it have to be about looks?


iFanboy gave a basic overview of the panel, but didn't go into great detail. The comments, though, are worth a read.