As a fangirl, I have been introduced to multiple fandoms, whether it be within the gaming, anime, or comic book communities. Instead of being instantly welcomed and encouraged by my fellow nerds, I was always doubted. Whenever I went to conventions, random men would always question my knowledge of nerd culture. At first, I was so confused about why men would do this. As if there was no possible way I could like Call of Duty or Halo because I was a girl. That’s bullsh*t. I did not spend years of my childhood playing these games or watching these shows for guys to tell me I am not a “real” fan.
Courtesy: Giphy
I have been a nerd since I was little. I was always into anime, comic books and video games (even though I am terrible at most video games). I still remember begging my cousin to let me play Call of Duty on his Xbox because I was not old enough to play. Yes, I died multiple times, but I had fun.
My nerdiness was also a way for me to bond with my brother. He is very passionate about video games and would even cry when he lost a match. I never really understood until he taught me how to actually win games, and it felt so rewarding. We also watched anime together and found different ones that we think the other would like. I remember the times we got into heated debates about our favorite characters, especially if they were not the same one.
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I love how nerdy I am and would never change it. Because of my nerdy personality, I was able to make friends who are just as nerdy and passionate as I am. When I was younger and started getting into anime, I was kind of embarrassed. I thought no one else in my class liked it as much as I did. But then I met my friend Ashley, and she was a bigger fan than I was (which was surprising). I thought I was the ultimate fan, and no one could match me. Boy was I wrong. She helped me become a bigger fan by showing me books called manga and sharing my love of anime. 13 years later we are still best friends, and, yes, we still like anime, manga, webtoons, video games and much more. Our friendship has grown through the years and become more connected because of our shared interests. I love that I have friends that will fangirl with me over the same things. Having similar interests brought us closer together and made us into better people.
Courtesy: Giphy
Whenever people doubt that I am scrutinized in these communities because of my gender, I feel like I am being further insulted than I was before. My gender does not mean that I can’t be as big of a fan of anime, video games, etc. as men. I can like whatever I want, and I don’t need to prove that because of my identity. Being a nerd is such a big part of my personality and my life. When people question it, I feel as if they are calling me a fake fan, which is a huge insult to me because I have been in the nerd community since I was 13. That is 8 years of my life that you are calling a lie. But the most satisfying feeling is when I have more knowledge than the person who dared to challenge me. I am a well-rounded nerd and guess what! I am a girl. So, you better be ready to taste defeat when I kick your *ss in video games or beat you in nerd trivia.
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