The term ‘geek’ is in dire need of an upgrade. What used to be a word that described a stereotypical pasty, overweight and agoraphobic middle-aged man no longer refers to the same thing. Nowadays, pastimes and interests that relate to typical geek culture—love of movies, TV show obsession and varying degrees of game addiction—are far more widespread in mainstream culture.
Movie quote are plastered all over Facebook status updates, TV show obsessions influence career choices (have a look into the increased interest in PR jobs since Sex in the City became hugely popular) and the games industry is now earning more money and, in some instances, more attention than Hollywood. Geeks are no longer a self-outcast minority, they’re everywhere. The chances are that you know a geek… they may be a colleague, a close friend, a family member… they may even be staring back at you from the mirror.
With the ever-evolving definitions of contemporary pop culture, more and more geekisms are entering into the common vernacular. Massive advertising campaigns are making use of internet slang (such as LOL) and even fashion trends are no stranger to the assimilation of geek culture with the everyday.
Take this new Australian shirt for example (featured in the image at the top of this story). It makes use of a koala/kangaroo pouch design logic that allows you to carry your newly purchased iPad on your chest or in the front of your dress. Ladies and gentlemen, we’re starting to hit the point where popularised geek tech is being fully integrated into fashion.
At first glance, the iPad-holding shirt/dress looks as though it’s simply an image of an iPad printed into the shirt—a type of geeky shirt that has seen similar applications in the past—meaning that it works both as a statement of the wearer’s acknowledgement of the popularity of mainstream geek tech (the iPad) as well as a clever and practical fashion statement.
It’s going to be interesting to see how popular the iClothing range becomes and whether it is applied to other fashion-meets-gadget lines of clothing.
Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to tell me whether you’d consider purchasing this type of clothing (either for the iPad specifically, or for other possible future amalgamations between fashion and technology).
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While I love the idea of Geeks becoming more and more culturally acceptable (being one myself) I really dont see myself buying one of those ridiculous shirts. Though the line between “Yuppie” and “Geek” has become seriously blurred since mobile phones started becoming widely used micro computers there are still certain fashion lines I am unwilling to cross. Wearing a shirt with a pouch on the front just so I can put my iPad in it is not one of them (it’s still just a little too “Yuppie” for this geek). Just wear a bag.
It does seem like they’re trying modify geek culture to fit fashion. What self-respecting person would actually walk around with an iPad hanging out of his shirt? Not only does it look somewhat retarded, but it also seems pretty impractical, and unnecessary. I mean, girls tend to always have a handbag on them anyway, so what incentive is there to just carry an iPad in your pouch, when you’re carrying a bag around anyway? Can’t really vouch for men in this instance, of course, but I don’t really know any who would go for it.
As for future instances of fashion accommodating geeks and technology? I just think the two don’t really mix, nor do they need to. Technology is functional, fashion is aesthetic. They serve different purposes and there’s no requirement for them to overlap. At least, I can’t think of any examples where it makes sense for them to do so - happy to hear anyone suggest otherwise.
In relation to what Shonky has said - there does seem to be this whole new sub-culture that ranges from kids to adults, who employ a lot of geek terms (such as LOL) not really knowing where they came from, or even having any part of the geek culture… and worse yet (!!) they still perceive geeks to be the armpit of society. Kinda ironic.
@ Shonky Adonis - As a fellow geek, I really enjoy finding things that make me realise I’m not so far into geek culture that others seem to think I am… this shirt is one such example.
@ Muffin - I guess time will tell! It’ll be interesting to see how well this iPad line of clothing sells, if only for a sign of the times. Fashion can be aesthetic, but it can also be practical: warmth for instance, or to keep us getting arrested for public nudity. I do recall reading a story on PopSci not so long ago about a young man who modified his shirt to flash up with different lights to let him know when he received email… pretty cool, right? Right?
Hm… isn’t that what a smartphone is for? Of course there is a big element of function to fashion, but I find it’s more basic (such as keeping us warm and not-naked) than being concerned with how many Facebook notifications you have.