I am a self-proclaimed geek. You heard me… a geek! A bookworm, a Potterhead, a cartoon aficionado, and last but certainly not least, a Gleek.
I have always felt a little nervous to let out the inner geek. Will they think it’s too childish? Will they laugh at me? Will they have no idea what I’m talking about and look at me like I have three heads!?
Not only does this apply to social situations, but it also applies to my outer presence, including my clothing.
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think I’m a pretty stylish gal. I love to dive head-first into the racks of thrift stores and not come out for hours on end. I love to find an odd piece that really can sometimes ride the border between so cute and ugly.
While I love to rock my thrift finds, if someone were to do a search of my closet, they would find an alarming amount of Harry Potter-themed clothing pieces. That’s right, I’m a Potterhead… and what about it!?
I was Hermione for Halloween a few years ago. I wear two Harry Potter necklaces every day. I have a wild collection of Harry Potter socks. I even have Harry’s Christmas sweater for goodness sake! But that’s neither here nor there…
I truly think clothing is one of the most unique methods of expression for us as human beings. As much as I love my thrift finds, my Harry Potter or Taylor Swift pieces are just as significant to who I am and shouldn’t be hidden away in my closet like they sometimes are.
There are so many hidden benefits I’ve found to letting the inner geek out whether that’s through fashion, decor, laptop stickers or even just plain conversation!
It really helps me build deeper connections with people who I might not have otherwise. St. Bonaventure just held a Harry Potter trivia night last night and I received a text from a friend and fellow Her Campus member that said “GIRL, I just KNOW you would absolutely destroy Harry Potter trivia tonight!”.
That one simple interaction made my grin grow from ear to ear because, in a world full of people who enjoy Harry Potter, she decided to text ME and say I would kill it. She went out of her way to say that and though it seems small, it made me feel seen and forged a deeper connection between the two of us.
I also believe that when one specific brand of geek meets another person who is that same brand of geek, the world might possibly implode with the number of rabbit holes of geekiness they can go down. While this is true and maybe even a bit alarming to some, these conversations are some of my favorite ones to have as I am so passionate about the media that I love.
I guess this has kind of ended up being an apology letter to my inner geek as I’ve realized that she is nothing to be ashamed of or hidden, she is something to be celebrated! Sharing my inner geek from time to time shows that I am passionate, a deep thinker and a HUMAN! It doesn’t make me any less adult, or less intelligent, or less cool, or less stylish, it just makes me, me, and that’s all I want to be.