Rufus R. Noble “You’re such a nerd!” This was the infamous insult my second-grade classmates shouted at me when I walked into the class with my glasses for the first time. They presented a wealth of evidence to prove the claim. I was called “gifted” by the school system in Chattanooga, Tennessee, thanks to my high test scores. Then, as a preteen, Jessica was a fan of making cartoons cartoons and characters and playing games on video. Even today, I still like Marvel films and Lord of the Rings. All actual nerd behaviors. However, why is this term frequently interpreted as derogatory and sexist? Not to mention white-adjacent?
In the past, items like comics, video games, or science labs were seen as a place for whites only. That’s because we didn’t see faces of color in these. Truthfully, Black minds have contributed to these areas for years, but their creativity has been unnoticed. For some time, Black folks have felt disregarded by mainstream fandoms or made to feel that their passions have made them “less Black.” But in 2023, we’ve arrived at an age when being called a “Black nerd” is a privilege. It is a sign of belonging to a fantastic community of people, and I’m one of them.
You may be asking yourself, what do Black geeks have to do with beauty? They’re the people creating their new Disney characters that tell multicultural stories. They’re creating Black hair skins and accessories for games such as Sims or Minecraft that allow us to appear in the virtual world looking like our authentic selves. Chemical chemists are responsible for formulating cosmetics that have darker skin tones. They all have an impact on the way we view ourselves and the things we think of as beautiful.
The most recent edition of Melanin Edit honors all the folks who had to be told that they could not be nerdy, along with the communities they created. We collaborated with Olay to highlight Black individuals taking steps in STEM. The company has set out to double the number of women and triple the number of black women in STEM jobs in 2030.
We also highlight those with a more artistic approach, such as our cover star, Doechii, who was once a vast Paramore fan in middle school. Her passion for alternative rock influenced her style, which turned off her friends. “I remember feeling extremely constantly anxious. I felt very viewed but not the kind of attention I deserved. It was obvious that I was different, or people were able to make me feel as if I was different,” she says to the writer Lakin Imani Starling. “It was always, ‘Why do you act in this way? What is the reason you’re wearing this? What is the reason you’re doing it?””
In her popular TikTok video “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” Doechii demonstrates the virtues of being self-described as an eccentric woman: ” In my black Taylor Chucks, the ones that laced up to my thighs / Lisa Frank lipstick on my eyes.” These words resonated with a lot of geeks just like me.
In this brand all-new Melanin Edit series, we will also showcase fandoms such as Black adults who are obsessed with everything Disney and cosplayers who are united to prove to the world that Comic characters come in a variety of shades (despite the way they were drawn). In all these places, Black nerds needn’t feel like outsiders, whether in the mainstream or from their friends. Although the snide remarks of my schoolmates caused me to feel hurt, now I’m a Black geek. This is a superpower that I did not need to be exposed to radioactive substances to acquire.
