Gloria Steinem would be horrified.
Hundreds of geeky girls are demanding to be appreciated for more than their tech chops. They want to be admired for their sex appeal.
The creators of the Sexiest Geek Alive contest -- a spoof of People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" contest -- are surprised by the turnout of female entrants.
"We thought this would appeal mainly to boys because we're stupid," said contest originator Steve Phenix, who planned the contest as a capper for the Austin, Texas, South by Southwest (SXSW)Interactive Contest. "But we've been slammed with girls crashing this silly little boys' party."
To date, 274 women have filled out the online application and officially entered the competition, compared to 2,149 aspiring male geek pinups. The contest even has an "unclassifiable" entry -- for a guy who intends to enter in drag.
Geoff Visgilio, a writer/editor at Maximum PC, says a girl-garbed entry into the Sexiest Geek contest was a goofy stunt he was more or less forced into.
"This is going to do just wonders for my dating life," Visgilio moaned.
He says the marketing department of his magazine cooked up the scheme for his drag entry while he was on vacation and presented it to him as a done deal. His co-workers got the idea after Visgilio posed in full Pamela Lee Anderson drag for the February issue of Maximum PC.
Visgilio says he doesn't habitually wear women's clothes, but if he makes it to the Sexiest Geek semifinalist round he'll vamp it up for the 14 March pageant.
"What do I have to lose? Pride, integrity, they're such small things," Visgilio said. "Be sure to write that I'm straight." Visgilio has some intra-office competition for the Sexiest Geek title from Maximum PC columnist Sherry Monarko.
"The general stereotype of a geek is fat, pasty, a person who never leaves the house, and is completely undesirable," Monarko said. "But some sexy people have these jobs."
Monarko believes she breaks that stereotype with her "trash made fashion" style and ever-changing Technicolor hair.
"I represent both women and all the freaks of the world who think they have to look a certain way to get a professional job," she said.
At least one female contestant is asking for customized treatment if she wins.
As it stands, contest officials have arranged for the Texas Bikini Team to escort the contestants on and offstage during the Sexiest Geek pageant.
But Sexiest Geek contestant Rachel Muir doesn't feel like being escorted by any bikini-clad girl. She wants a couple of Fabios.
"I told her, 'Hey, no problem,'" Phenix said. "We thought having the Bikini Team escort these usually socially awkward geeks around would be just priceless. But if Rachel wants Fabios she can have them -- if she can find them."
Muir thinks the contest is funny, but says she's also entering for a more serious reason: to show young women that being smart can be sexy. Her nonprofit, GirlStart, is a technology teaching center for girls between the ages of 11 and 15 and she thinks that most girls don't want to conform to the stereotypical geek image.
"This isn't about me being sexy, it's about [helping] girls realize that intelligence is sexy and knowledge is power," Muir says. "Being a powerful geek is almost like being a celebrity. It's totally hip to be a geek, and I want to show girls that they can be geeky and sexy, too."
The contest closes at the end of February. After that, sponsors will pick the most interesting 12 contestants and post their info on the site. Although the contest FAQ claims the contest is about "brains, not beauty," the site will include finalists' images.
Online voting for the sexiest geek begins in March and will be factored into the judges' decisions at the 14 March pageant. The event will be webcast at clubcastlive.
Contestant Patrick Seaman, Broadcast.com'a first employee and now the founder of Timberwolf Press, says the outcome of the online votes doesn't matter. He's got a lock on the title.
"I'm a shoo-in!" he insisted. "Other than Bill Gates, I don't know anyone else out there sexier than I am. I want to be recognized for more than just my accomplishments -- I want to be recognized for my body!"
