A group that is represented in various films and television shows are nerds. By definition, a nerd is a foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious. In the media, nerds have a few distinctive characteristics. These characteristics may include: glasses, lots of books, braces, lack of friends, and dorky clothing. There are two examples of movies that represent nerds that I will talk about.
In the film Napoleon Dynamite (2004), the main character is a socially awkward “nerd” who has two friends at his school, living up to the nerd stereotype. He wears dorky clothing and glasses as well. This character’s costume design greatly contributes to the representation of nerds in this film. In the film She’s All That (1999), the main character is a dorky, solitary, art student. In the film, she wears glasses and dorky clothing as well. These characteristics contribute to the stereotype of nerds represented in film.
Some of these nerd stereotypes are not always fair. For example, not all studious people are socially awkward or wear glasses. Not all studious people wear dorky clothing or have no friends. I myself am a very studious student but I wouldn’t say I’m socially awkward or wear dorky clothing. Therefore, I think “nerds” or studious people should be kept from being labeled by certain stereotypes in the media.
Stereotypes of nerds that I would retain in a film are probably glasses. I wear glasses, and so do many other people, and personally I am not offended by this stereotype. Glasses are a significant element of costume design when it comes to placing a nerd in a movie that can help the audience easily identify the character as a nerd. Stereotypes I would challenge are lack of friends and and dorky clothing. There could be a nerd in a movie who has plenty of friends and dresses nice but he’s just extremely studies and could be considered a “nerd” by his peers.
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