Wonderful way to introspect on nerd culture and how it has evolved.

It’s doubly interesting to me how nerd culture has evolved from the perspective of a young Indian woman (two of us “Dweebs” are young Indian women) from the Silicon Valley.

My (Isvari’s) stages as a nerd were:

1. Ugly and unpopular in the 2000's-early 2010’s. Kept saying I wasn’t a nerd because I wanted to be popular.
2. Realized I was a nerd. Wasn’t accepted because I was a girl.
3. Moved to D.C. Realized I was DEFINITELY a nerd. Spent all my time playing board games.
4. Wasn’t accepted because I was a cultural minority. Yes, I think it was culture, not race, but they are very intertwined.
5. Got pretty. Was accepted as a pretty outsider to hit on.
6. Still am a part of nerd communities, but people generally think I’m not a real nerd and continually underestimate me in gaming.
7. Which is how I win, so I’m not complaining as much.