The
Alpha Female in the Age of the Geek
“If
this was fifteen thousand years ago, by virtue of his size and strength
Kurt would be entitled to his choice of female partners,” Leonard
Hofstadter explained to Sheldon Cooper in regards to next door neighbor
Penny’s large, muscular ex-boyfriend in the CBS comedy The
Big Bang Theory. “But our society has undergone a paradigm
shift. In the information age, Sheldon, you and I are the Alpha Males.”
Society
has indeed changed in recent years and the cultural, scientific and
technological advances at the root of that change has more often than
not been brought about by the Sheldon Coopers and Leonard Hofstadters
of the world. We are now not only living in an information age but,
as Alec Hardison of the TNT drama Leverage likes to call it,
the “Age of the Geek” as well. This new era is not merely
dominated by males, however, as the opposite gender has likewise played
a significant role in the transformation. And just as television has
changed our perspective on the nature of the male Geek with such shows
as The Big Band Theory, Leverage and NBC’s Chuck—transforming
them from social misfits and introverted stereotypes into relatable
and culturally important fixtures of society—so too with the new
Alpha Female.
To determine
the nature of the Alpha Female one must first look at who best embodies
the qualities of the term. While actress Summer Glau may immediately
come to mind, given her roles in Firefly, Terminator: The
Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse, that is more a
testament of the science fiction characters she has portrayed as opposed
to anything else. The genre, after all, has always been a magnet for
Geeks as long as one can remember—the original Star Trek,
for instance, inspired many intellectually gifted youths of the 1960s
and 70s into the world of science which in turn had a direct effect
on the technological breakthroughs of the era. But while Summer Glau
herself may be a fixture of the sci-fi scene, as well as a fixation
for many Alpha Males, the characters she has portrayed do not necessarily
stand up as role models for the new Alpha Female.
River Tam
of Firefly may be the closest, given her intellectual superiority
and ability to single-handedly defeat an entire army of Reavers, but
the truth of the matter is that River is both a little bit crazy and
kind of creepy. (Think of the scene in the follow-up film Serenity
where she clung to the ceiling while watching her brother and Kaylee
Frye have sex.) Cameron, meanwhile, was a Terminator and thus not human,
so that rules her out. And while Topher Brink gushed such Geek aphorisms
as “totally shy, librarian energy through the roof” and
“imagine John Cassavettes in The Fury as a hot chick”
in regards to Glau’s character on Dollhouse, Bennett
Halverson proved a little too mentally unstable to truly be considered
the personification of the modern woman, Geek or otherwise. At least
one would hope.
Felicia
Day also comes to mind as a possibility—she has Buffy the
Vampire Slayer on her resume, after all. But again, we are talking
characters, not actresses, and while Vi emerged as a very strong and
aggressive slayer in the series finale, we actually know little about
her to be considered. Day also starred in another Joss Whedon creation,
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and although Penny’s
commitment to helping the homeless was admirable, her untimely death
prevents us from likewise knowing the character on any sort of deeper
level.
But there
is an additional Felicia Day role that we do know considerably more
about and fits the description of an Alpha Female in the current Age
of the Geek—Cyd “Codex” Sherman from the online webseries
The Guild. Codex is a committed World of Warcraft-style
gamer. She is meek, shy and insecure, three “must have”
qualities for traditional Geekdom, but despite such flaws has repeatedly
demonstrated leadership skills; in The Guild comic book, for
instance, Codex was the unifying force who brought the Knights of Good
together while likewise being the catalyst for her fellow gamers experiencing
personal development in the ongoing webseries. And lastly, she’s
just plain cute. Not in a “quiet, nerdy” sense, as Captain
Hammer commented about Dr. Horrible’s Penny, but in an
honest-to-goodness “as a button” kind of way.
There’s
another Penny to consider, however, the one portrayed by Kelly Cuoco
on The Big Bang Theory. At first glance, she may not appear
to fit the definition of the new Alpha Female. First of all, she’s
a hot blonde, which is hardly Geek material. Second, Penny has continually
been attracted to Alpha Males of the One Million Years B.C.
variety—tall, muscular, emotionally insensitive and about as dumb
as they come. She’s also a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory
and hails from Nebraska, neither of which screams, “Look at me,
I’m an Alpha Female!”
In terms
of gaming talent, on the other hand, Penny has proven her ability at
both online role-playing games—in the episode “The Barbarian
Sublimation,” she became addicted to Age of Conan—as
well as console games such as Halo. (Cyd “Codex”
Sherman on the other hand, while being prolific in role-playing, could
not handle the console variety when she went up against Zaboo love interest
Reilly in season three of The Guild.) While not fully understanding
the concepts of physics, Penny still attempted to explain Schrödinger’s
Cat to one of her beefy boyfriends and, although it was ultimately insulting
rather than funny, tried to tell a physics joke in the episode “The
Dead Hooker Juxtaposition.” Penny also went on a date with comic
book store owner Stuart in season two of The Big Bang Theory,
giving her additional bonus points.
And despite various
ups-and-downs in regards to their relationship, Penny does indeed have
feelings for Leonard Hofstadter, a Geek in his own right, despite the
fact that she could land any guy in Southern California.
Then there’s
CIA secret agent Sarah Walker from the NBC dramedy Chuck. As
played by actress Yvonne Strahovski, the character may not be any sort
of gamer but is more than adept at handling the high tech gadgetry of
the United States government. While Sarah can be as sexually alluring
as the male James Bond and often exhibits a cold exterior, she is also
emotionally sensitive. Plus, she knows how to use a gun and can kick
ass with the best of them.
Penny from
The Big Bang Theory, having grown up in Nebraska, also knows
her way around firearms and has the added skill of being able to hogtie
farm animals. In fact, the ability to handle oneself in tough situations
appears to be a trait all potential Alpha Females exhibit—any
of the characters portrayed by Summer Glau would not be someone to you
would want to tussle with after all, while Felicia Day spoofed her online
celebrity status in the webseries The Webventures of Justin and
Alden when she brandished a sword and had a team of Ninjas at her
beck and call. All of which is a good thing of course, considering that
most Alpha Males do not have adequate fighting skills themselves.
Sarah Walker
also shares other characteristics with Penny from The Big Bang Theory,
mainly being a hot blonde who, despite being attracted to such rugged
males as the suave Bryce Larkin and Bondesque Cole Barker in the past,
has managed to acquire feelings for Nerd Herder Chuck Bartowski—a
member of the new Alpha Male breed who is technological adept and has
a poster of the 1982 film Tron on his bedroom wall. As an added
bonus, Sarah also dressed up in the infamous Princess Leia gold bikini
for a mock photograph of her attending San Diego Comic Con, proving
she has an understanding of the Alpha Male psyche.
In the
end, however, no one woman—factual of fictional—truly exemplifies
the Alpha Female of the Twenty First Century as there are just too many
variables to consider. Although all of the aforementioned are attractive,
their consideration is based more on the ability to look past the physical
defects of the Leonard Hoftstadters and Chuck Bartowskis of the world
and recognize the more appealing qualities of intelligence, emotional
stability and technological savvy of the new Alpha Male. More importantly,
they each display an independent streak that negates the necessity for
male companionship (but still enjoy it nonetheless) and can be considered
intellectual equals (or superiors in the case of various Summer Glau
characters) to their Alpha Male counterparts. Even Penny of The
Big Bang Theory, while not having a college diploma, displays a
“street smarts” that compliments the scientific intelligence
of Leonard Hofstadter. Gaming skills, the ability to fight like a Ninja
and knowledge of the science fiction genre ultimately adds to the well-roundedness
of the new Alpha Female.
If the modern times
in which we live are indeed both an information age and an Age of the
Geek, then television—as well as the webseries medium—is
ahead of the curve in recognizing not only the changes within society
but the redefining nature of males, females and relationships during
this emerging era. The mediums have also given talented actresses like
Kelly Cuoco, Felicia Day, Summer Glau and Yvonne Strahovski the opportunity
to not only showcase their abilities but help shape the shifting winds
of society as well.
So Geeks
of the world unite… and enjoy the new cultural paradigm!
Anthony
Letizia (September 15, 2010)
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