Topic: When did She become the nerd?

[DJ Doena]

When we think about the 80s and its television shows, women have mostly been the (very good looking) (secondary) sidekicks. Jody in The Fall Guy, Daisy in The Dukes of Hazzard, Caitlin in Airwolf and so on.

And when it came to computers the nerd/geek has always been an either fat or skinny but in both cases pale male who did nothing else but to hack. Murray in Riptide for example.

There have always been exceptions to that rule of course. Bonnie in Knight Rider.

But when did it become regular that the nice looking lady was also the computer crack? Dax in Deep Space Nine, Chloe in Smallville, Willow in Buffy, Sam Carter in Stargate SG-1.

[Najemikon]

Interesting idea, because I've been working in IT for 15 years and the cute female nerds I briefly met at college never reappeared in the workplace. Where do they go?

Have you heard of a UK sitcom called Peep Show? It's a clever idea as it follows two flatmates and it's always strictly from one of their points of view. I can't think they've ever been in one shot together. Plenty of monologues and very funny. In one series, Mark meets a girl who does tech support for their office. Very nerdy, even carries her own block of cheese with her!

But, Karsten, I'm not sure you can include Willow. In a show about fit women, it was bound to be a fit woman who got the geek role. Could have been Xander, but that would have been way to obvious!

[richierich]

the nice looking lady was also the computer crack?

 

[lyonsden5]

Add Abby from NCIS to the list as well.

Then there's Garcia from Criminal Minds. But she fits more into what you called:

And when it came to computers the nerd/geek has always been an either fat or skinny but in both cases pale male who did nothing else but to hack.

except of course she is a woman