Cinema has a fine tradition of making movies about, or involving, nerds. From the bucktoothed, lab-coat wearing genius of Jerry Lewis's The Nutty professor, to the loveable loner having sex with baked goods in American Pie, filmmakers have always had a fascination with the geeky underdog.
Perhaps it’s because most filmmakers fell into this category themselves before finding fame and fortune in the make-believe world of celluloid? Or perhaps it's because they know that the vast majority of us out in the real world have at one time or another felt a bit like John Cusack standing outside some girl's window with a boom box in his hands and his heart on his sleeve? Whatever the reason, the portrayal of the nerd that comes good is omnipresent in cinema.
And television has been no slouch when it comes to picking up on the trend. Steve Urkel and Screech in the 1990s spawned a whole generation of terrible laughs and even more obnoxious fashion trends.
But notice, if you will, the distinct lack of a female nerd icon amongst this distinguished list. Sure, there have been notable movie exceptions, like Drew Barrymore in Never been Kissed, or Sissy Spacek in Carrie, but I'm not counting that last one. And of course you've got the nerdy-girl-who's-actually-hot-falls-for-a-guy-only-to-realise-it's-a-bet girls, but I'm DEFINITELY not counting them, as the entire purpose of those movies is to de-nerd said ugly-pretty girls. And don't even try to tell me Diane Keaton in Annie Hall was an early female nerd prototype: having a number of unusual neuroses does not equate, in my books.
Until Liz Lemon busted onto the scene with her glasses and extensive knowledge of Star Trek, girls like me didn't really have a TV role model. Her total lack of interest in fashion and her appearance is in direct juxtaposition to 30 Rock's other female leads, Jenna and Cerie. Her passion for board games and politics and relative social awkwardness put her squarely in the geek genre. Feminist icon of the 2000s? It's too early to tell. But what I do know is Liz Lemon's popularity has given girls like me a chance to shine. Who knows - maybe she'll make geeks sexy... Well, a girl can dream, can't she?