Geek - Geek Chic

Geek Chic

"Geek chic" refers to the embracing of stereotypically "geek" characteristics including black-rimmed glasses, T-shirts with geek in-jokes, and more technically complex accessories.

There are multiple interpretations of the term "geek chic", with heavy black-rimmed glasses being the sole defining trait as far as the press is concerned. Wearing them is sufficiently notable to have celebrities like David Beckham, Justin Timberlake and Myleene Klass being reported as "trying geek chic". David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, has also described the look of his bespectacled character as having "a bit of geek chic".

Many NBA players wear lensless glasses with thick plastic frames like horn-rimmed glasses during post-game interviews, geek chic that draws comparisons to Steve Urkel.

To geeks themselves, the term is used for "reclaiming the geek identity as something not only meaningful, but also stylish." - for this usage, more than mere spectacle frames are required, and so the term has a wider remit, being applied to home furnishings and objects as well as oufits. In this usage, the term "geek chic" can even be used as a positive contrast to the somewhat more negative term "geeky".