Jeri posted a question about Geek Women & Clothing, and my first thought was, “are you kidding me?”

Jeri’s questions were raised by this essay on Clothes & Geek Feminism, which addresses the question in a slightly different manner, but still, it bothers me.

I am who I am. I dress in a manner that makes me comfortable, and I feel makes me look approachable–after all, my job is to help people. I rarely wear make-up, because that’s who I am and it’s the way I’ve always been.

This question puts my hackles up, because I’ve spent a great deal of time getting comfortable with myself in my own skin, and I don’t see why I should have to dress in an manner as dictated by anyone just to properly classify myself as a true geek.

In my opinion, what people see when they look at me is shown as much by my projected attitude as by what I wear. My goal is to look competent, approachable, and helpful, and in my opinion, I show that through my attitude. I do not dress to conform to anyone’s ideas and attitudes of who I am, I dress to be comfortable and to do my job.

For me, the point of being a geek is taking delight in who I am and the things that make me happy. If a geeky t-shirt makes me happy, then that’s great. If a silk suit makes someone else happy, good for them.

If people think I lack “geek cred” because I dress–or fail to dress–in a specific manner, that is their problem, not mine.