Geek Girl meets NerdyShirts: A Love Story

"Nerd!"

Once upon a time, hearing that from my classmates made me cringe.

I was the girl in the twisty pig-tails with her nose stuck in a book while the other kids played on the jungle gym; the one who actually took pride in raising my hand in class and knowing the right answer. I was the girl who would really rather go home and play with my brother's Masters of the Universe and Star Wars action figures than go out and play Barbie or Cabbage Patch dolls with the girls down the block. And I was probably the only girl on that block who couldn't decide who she wanted to date more: Han Solo, Gambit or Starbuck. (What? I like the bad boys, so sue me. I totally had a thing for Wesley Crusher, too, if that helps.)

I learned pretty quickly that it wasn't "cool" to be a nerd - especially a nerd of the girl variety. So, I learned to be a little bit "in the closet" about my geek girl tendencies for most of my school years.

But in college - I learned to embrace my nerdiness. Partly because it was around that age that I started to realize that what random people think of me is nowhere near as important and what I think of me. And partly because I found, for the first time, friends who shared my interests.

Suddenly, it was okay to be smart. It was cool to quote scifi movies. It was fun to spend a Saturday in a Buffy marathon.

And it was finally okay for me to buy and wear the awesome "guy" tees that I secretly coveted as a little girl. (I cannot tell you how desperately unfair it was that only boys got to have superhero Underoos when I was a kid. I am still traumatized by the injustice of it all.)

Still, even then, I was buying "guy" shirts. They just didn't make "nerdy" tees for girls.

Today, it's a little easier to find geek girl gear than it once was (yay!), but it's still more of a man's world when it comes to nerdy apparel.

When I find a cool place to buy new and fun nerdy tees and accessories - AND when that place actually sells shirts made to fit over *gasp* boobs and not just skinny basement-dweller torsos and Comic Book Guy proportions - my previously oppressed inner geek girl gets pretty excited.

So when the nice folks at NerdyShirts asked me to check out their site and *ooooo* pick out a free t-shirt to try out ... well, I'm not gonna lie, Marge, I kind of *squeeed* a little. Then I got to shopping.

I have to admit, I spent a loooong time browsing around NerdyShirts. I had a really hard time picking out just one shirt to get my grubby little hands on to review for you, my awesome readers, who I love and would pimp myself out offer up my review services for.

First: My one little criticism ... the selection at NerdyShirts is not as broad as some other similar sites. BUT, the fact that they have a whole section of "girl" shirts that's almost as big as the "guy" section goes a long way for me.

The prices are really pretty good, too - most of their shirts are $14.99. That's better than a lot of other similar online shops by at $5-$10. But the lesser price doesn't mean lesser quality. Based on the shirt that I got (see awesome pic above) these are not cheap, thin, flimsy tees - it's got decent material and construction that should last as least as long as your average scifi tv series. (Kidding! It will totally outlast most of those.) ;)

I also really like that you can easily filter your search results by gender and size and theme - cuz, you know, sometimes you want an XL Star Wars shirt for your favorite geek guy and sometimes you're looking for a size small vintage comic book tee for your gal pal and sometimes you need a last minute birthday present for your medium-sized brother the recovering Nintendo-addict.

My verdict: Overall, NerdyShirts is a great site: Easy interface, quality products, good prices - and, my personal favorite - a great "girls" section. Oh, and apparently, these guys never read the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, because, if you're not happy, they've got a great return/exchange policy, too.

True story: I've already picked out my brother's xmas present from NerdyShirts and I suspect Santa will be doing a bit more shopping there before the end of the year.

So: Geeks and Gamers and Nerds (Oh, my!): Check it NerdyShirts yourself and let me know what YOU think?

Let your geek flag fly,

Zen