Geek Chic Smart Women in Popular Culture

Using popular culture as a fertile environment for challenging the stereotype that the most brilliant geeks or nerds must be men, the essays in this book demonstrate how the popular media repeatedly affirms stereotypes of femininity while paradoxically challenging the stigmatization of smart women. Contributors salute a wide range of popular characters and real female role models, from Daria to Hillary Rodham Clinton, weaving in references to television shows like Gilmore Girls and analyses of classic icons like Sabrina.

Sherrie A. Inness is Professor of English, Miami University. She is the author and editor of over a dozen books including Action Chicks (Palgrave 2004) and Secret Ingredients (Palgrave 2005).