Face it guys, we would love to be coupled with nerdy female versions of ourselves. Since the Frankenstein/Weird Science approach can often yield unexpected and frightening consequences, we’re stuck trying to find a compatible mate from the pool of available and mostly living females out there.
Every nerd has his crush…that seemingly perfect girl who fills the role. We’ve seen them in movies and on TV and have become enamored by them. Girls interested in video games and comic books use to be nothing more than a myth. In today’s culture where being a nerd is hip, girls make up a large percentage of the nerd population.
But there are still a few who stand out for their extreme nerd-isms, extraordinary hotness or the ability to stand toe to toe with the most skilled video gamers. So we went clandestinely around to get some opinions on who should make up a list of the top 10. After much debate and various objects thrown at us by the female contingent of Word of the Nerd here it is…submitted for your nerdy approval.
10. Adrianne Curry – Who knew that this America’s Top Model winner would actually be a kindred spirit to us nerds. Not only is she a renowned World of Warcraft and other video games player, she is a staple on the convention scene for her sexy cosplay of various sci-fi and comic book characters. Add to the fact she’s smoking hot and you can understand why Adrianne has a spot on our list.
9. Katie Sackhoff – When it was announced that the character of Starbuck in the remake of Battlestar Galactica would be a woman, there was a lot of backlash from the nerd community. Then we got to see Katie on TV weekly as the brash, hot-headed and equally bad-ass Kara “Starbuck” Thrace, cigar smoking, ace Viper pilot. We were in love immediately.
8. Natalie Portman – She started her acting career at an early age, but even then people knew she would be a star. She was Luke Skywalker’s mom in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the love of the God of Thunder in Thor. Natalie is no stranger to sci-fi and her classic beauty and elegance sets her among the elite of the Ladies of Nerdom.
7. Kaley Cuoco – She may not understand the Theory of Relativity or know how to play Klingon Boggle, but her beauty and style make her the object of many a nerd’s dreams. As Penny on The Big Bang Theory, Kaley instantly won a spot on our top 10 list. She can sing Soft Kitty to us any day.
6. Karen Gillan – The companion that every nerd would die to have. Doctor Who‘s Amy Pond is definitely on the top-tier of companions in the long running British sci-fi series. Karen is simply adorable and one of just a few redheads on our list. We’d want her at our side as we traveled through time and space.
5. Olivia Wilde – She has survived working with Dr. House, saved the Earth from invading aliens in Cowboys and Aliens and lived life in exile on “the grid” in Tron: Legacy. No matter what she’s doing, Olivia looks awesome doing it. We certainly wouldn’t mind being De-rezed by her.
4. Emma Stone – Zombie killer and girlfriend of Spider-Man, what more could a nerd ask for in a woman? She knows here way around a shotgun and can cut through the hordes of the walking dead in Zombieland and play a damsel in distress praying Peter Parker shows up in time to save her in The Amazing Spider-Man. She is the nerd chick you’d love to take to home to meet mom.
3. Anne Hathaway – Not since Michelle Pfeiffer has anyone looked so good and kick ass as Catwoman than Anne Hathaway. Although her roles in nerdy films are somewhat limited, she took to the role of Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises like she was born to it. Looks, body, brains and a bad-ass attitude brings Anne just two spots away from number one on our list.
2. Mila Kunis – Most of us know her as the voice of Meg Griffin on Family Guy, but for those who have seen her in movies like The Book of Eli, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Black Swan, we know she is more than just a pretty face. Recently voted Sexiest Woman Alive by Esquire magazine, she’s got nerd cred to spare and just misses out on the number one spot on our list.
1. Scarlett Johansson – The number one spot on our list can only go to Scarlett Johansson. As Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow, she has babysat Tony Stark, taken on the Hulk, help defeat an army of invading aliens and outsmarted the God of Mischief, Loki. And she’s far from finished as Black Widow now that Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers 2 are both gearing up for production. Let a bully try to take our lunch money and I am sure Scarlett would have something to say about it.
So there you have it…the top 10 Ladies of Nerdom as complied by yours truly and Word of the Nerd. There were a lot of factors that were weighed for the ten spots and it was extremely difficult to keep the list at just ten. We do have to mention that there are two honorable mentions due to their extensive nerd cred and past accomplishments, not to mention hotness.
Summer Glau – The dangerously unstable yet vulnerable River Tam on Firefly and the Terminator with the heart of gold from The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Summer has solidified her place as one of the most desired women in nerdom. Now if she can only star in a series that can last more than one season. As much as we love her, she seems to be the kiss of death to genre shows. But we still love you Summer.
Felicia Day – Every gamers dream girl. Cute, smart and can frag your ass faster than a click of a mouse. Felicia has a lot to be proud of. She’s done time on several popular shows as well as successfully seeing her own ventures through. As star of the popular web-series The Guild, Felicia has been instrumental in giving the geek-girl gamer a voice. She’s wildly popular on the convention scene and has earned our honorable mention.
About Bryan Brown
The Nerd – Or Bryan as many of us call him is the creative inspiration of Word of the Nerd. His tireless work makes all this possible. He rules with an iron fist…not really…he’s a great boss and even better leader. He can often be found lurking over our shoulders or in his local comic book store. Bryan is an all around nerd, from Star Trek to comic books to collecting action figures. If it's nerd related, he's into it or at least has an opinion on it..
Adrienne Curry?! I don’t recall being asked about this poll and I would never have suggested her. I just remember her trashy antics on Top Model cycle 1 and her continued, attention grubbing trashy antics since. She gives midwestern girls a bad name. Felicia Day should be #1.
Mila is a WoW fanatic, yes, and obviously Felicia Day is a geek as well. But the others? Eeehhh… far as I know, they’ve only appeared in nerdy films and TV. Dunno if they’d call themselves nerds. Correct me if I’m wrong, I’m not the Nerd Gatekeeper. I’d also add Aisha Tyler.
Totally! I mean, Ms. Cuoco didn’t even know what a Tardis was (none of the cast did, for that matter). Felicia Day, Adrienne Palicki, Aisha Tyler, Rosario Dawson are legitimate nerds.
I’m on Bex’s side. Felicia Day has worked with Joss Whedon more than Scarlet Johansson, created The Guild, and has her own You Tube Channel called Geek and Sundry. How the hell is she a runner-up? Summer Glau was in Firefly, for crying out loud, Sarah Connor Chronicles, and she’s been a frequent guest on Alphas on SyFy. As my friend Mike would say, “I dislike this process!”
This list makes me a sad panda.
“Face it guys, we would love to be coupled with nerdy female versions of ourselves.”
Female nerds reduced to girlfriend material, with their achievements just reasons why men might like them more. That about says it all right there.
No bueno. I’m pretty appalled at the reduction of the nerdy female to a showpiece. I agree that Felicia Day should be number one. I honestly expected more.
I’m also with Bex. Adrienne Curry is a complete jackass. I’ve had to unfollow her on Twitter because of her often mean spirited tweets and CONSTANT complaining. I don’t know how Stan Lee tolerates her. Oh…that’s right. She has nice boobs. Amazing how much you will tolerate because of one’s breast size.
So what I am getting out of this is that if I would have have left Adrienne Curry off the list, everything would have been okay.
I think males and females have the right to lust after or celebrate hot nerds for their looks, but I think for me his error here was going with “they just play nerds on TV/movies.” If the list had been hot nerds with nerdy achievements, I could back that. But I could never back Curry.
Dang, you must really hate my “something for the ladies” posts then. I rank men this way all the time. Sometimes, I give props to their brains and their nerdiness, sometimes I just talk about their pecs and hair and dreamy eyes.
But the thing about your “Something for the ladies” and “Something for the fellas” is that’s the point. Your intent is clearly laid out. And that’s fine, but I think that Bex summed up my thoughts much more eloquently than I did.