Are There Fake Geek Girls?

I'm going to take a break from the serious stuff to touch on a more lighthearted topic.  Recently, I've seen a lot of debating over whether girls can truly be geeks or not and whether they're truly interested in geek culture.  I feel that there's no black or white to this, since there's such a huge variety of geeks and since everyone has their own opinion.  But I thought I'd share my own, and I am going to be blunt here.
First off, how exactly does one define the word "geek?"  Merriam Webster says it's a "person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked" or "an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity."  It's a rather broad term, so I have to disagree with the dictionary here.  My definition would be "someone who is enthusiastic about a certain activity or subject."
Digging deeper, however, you'd see that it doesn't necessarily apply to everyone.  There are tons of Twihards out there, but to most geeks, Twilight isn't considered to be truly geeky.  But by my own definition, shouldn't they be considered geeks?  (In case you were wondering, I'd have to say no.)
There is also this wide range of geeks.  There are the ones that can tell you what each country from Hetalia is like, the IT techies who know the anatomy of a computer better than their own, the ones who enjoy putting together steampunk ensembles.  There is no true picture of what a geek should look like.  But there are the ones who get upset over the newbies.  For example, I've seen die-hard Legend of Zelda fans get upset at the newer fans because all they've played is Skyward Sword.  There are also the Harry Potter die-hards who are angry at the fans who have only seen the movies.  So by my own definition, can they all be considered geeks despite the varying degrees of geekiness?  (In case you were wondering, I'd have to say yes.)
So in order to truly determine geekdom, I've created a few rules.  They include:
1) It has to be something directly related to geek culture.  No Twilight.  I know that this seems a bit hypocritical, but I highly doubt the Twihards are going to care if I consider them to be geeks or not.  If they do, they are certainly welcome to shoot me an email.  If they give me some good points, I will amend this post.  But I find it doubtful that anyone will.
2) The geek caste system/varying levels of geekdom is irrelevant.  Unless you are Steve Moffat (in which case, I am highly honored that you are reading this), I highly doubt that you own Doctor Who, so who are you to say who is a true fan and who isn't?  This point will also seem hypocritical later, but I'll get to that.  I don't think you are in any place to tell someone that they're not a true Whovian because they haven't seen the classic episodes or how someone can't possibly be an anime geek because they've never been to Anime Con.  We're all in the same boat!  We're all fans of the same thing!  Why don't we just use our love for the geeky things to work together and have fun rather than get into debates?  (Not that debates are bad.  It's just that it shouldn't be the only thing you do and you shouldn't look down on others.  Just know that they have different opinions.)
3) You don't have to like everything out there that's considered geeky in order to be a geek.  I consider myself a geek, but I don't like everything out there that is nerdy.  I'm not a math geek; in fact, I hate math.  I'm not an anime freak, even though I do enjoy watching it.  But I'm a geek.  I like various things that are considered geeky.  It's that simple.
Now here's the big question: can girls be geeks?  Of course!  There is no reason for only guys to be geeks.  It's a bit silly to say that simply because you are a girl, you cannot be a geek.  That question doesn't require a huge answer.  But there's the other question: are there fake geek girls?
The answer?  Yes.
I texted several geeky friends asking them about this and the majority said yes.  (I actually haven't had anyone say no yet.  Just "I don't know.")  Here's the issue: several girls will cosplay in skimpy outfits, then complain about being "slut shamed," thinking that the only reason why this is happening is because they are female.  And in some cases, that is the reason.  There are some people who are sexist and seriously think women have no right to be geeks.  But in most cases, is that the real reason?  Not really.  Here's my reasoning: let's say you're posing as a character from a popular game, but you've altered the character's image to your own liking, making the photo very sensual.  First of all, you're not staying true to the character.  I'm not saying that the cosplay has to be exactly like what the character looks like, but what I am saying is that wearing just a green hat upon your head does not make you Link.  Link does not run around wearing just his green hat.  That'd be terrifying.  So that is not staying true to his character.  Second of all, if you spend more time doing this photo shoots of yourself as "sexy Link" than you do actually playing as him and trying to save Hyrule, how exactly does that make you a geek?
It is insulting to pretend to be a geek in this way.  I am a female geek and I can tell you right now that I have never gotten flack about it.  Why?  Because I don't pretend to be what I'm not.  I'm not saying this to be self-righteous.  I'm saying it to make a point: 99% of the time (if not 100%), girls posing as these geeky characters but making them racy and scandalous is demeaning to geekdom.  In point 2, I said that this might be considered hypocritical.  Here's the thing.  There may be people out there who proclaim their love for Sherlock despite having only seen one episode.  I have no problem with that because they have a genuine interest in it.  I have a problem when people proclaim their love for the show when in reality, they only enjoy dressing up as sexy Irene Adler without even knowing who she is.
So what's the solution to this problem?  Don't pretend to be something you're not.  You'll get a lot more respect for it, whether you're a geek or not.  It's perfectly acceptable to be a geek girl and enjoy things that are both geeky and girly.  I certainly do.  But if you want to be seen as a true geek, put on some clothes, turn on your N64, and actually play Ocarina of Time.

Love Story

Valentine's Day is never easy for singles.  I think of it as a silly holiday, but I have to admit, it's difficult for me, even though I'm only 16.  While I don't want a boyfriend and am not ready for one, there's still a part of me that gets this little pang of jealousy whenever I see my friends hanging on their significant others.  It used to get to the point where I'd wonder what was wrong with me for not having a boyfriend.  So I was dreading Valentine's Day, knowing that despite the fact that I still had plenty of single friends, I also had many friends who were in relationships.  I signed up for a choir trip to an opera house in hopes of escaping all the "festivities," but it was in vain.  There were still couples giving gifts to each other and adoring each other and such.
As I stated before, I think of Valentine's Day as a silly holiday.  Here, it's a day mostly focused on romance, whereas in other countries, it's also about friendship and family.  As one of my friends said, it's silly to just have one day of the entire year to focus your attention on your significant other.  I used to get so excited for V Day because of all the cards and candy I'd get from classmates in elementary school.  Now I just dread it every year.  Perhaps my cynicism and pessimism contributed to that.
But when you've been single all your life and you watch your friends get boyfriend after boyfriend, it's disheartening, even if your dream is to live up in Wyoming with 82 cats.
I used to always ask myself if there was a reason that I didn't get guys like my friends did.  I wondered if I was ugly.  I wondered if I was annoying.  It would often switch back and forth between those two most days; I'd feel pretty but annoying some days and charismatic but looking more hideous than the goblins from Labyrinth (only recently have I seen that movie, so I did not use that analogy back then) on other days.  Despite always putting myself down, I'd always get my hopes up that someone would come and tell me that they'd secretly liked me on V Day until finally, I just gave up.  And all that hoping and self-loathing really takes a toll on you.
It took me so many years to find the one who loved me to the point where he was jealous for me.  We'd always been great friends, but it took me so long to figure out that he actually loved me.  He didn't think I was ugly and is incredibly patient with me.  He picked me up when I was having issues and celebrated with me when life was running smoothly.  He always listens to what I have to say no matter what it is and he offers some of the best advice.  I've done several things to hurt him, but he's always forgiven me and he knows me better than I know myself.  But that revelation - it finally dawning on me that he loved me - is overwhelming.
Here's the turning point.  He knew of me before I even existed.  He had every little detail about me planned out because he cared that much.  He was mocked and humiliated, then nailed to a cross to bleed freely and struggle for breath because he loved me to the point where he'd die to make sure that I'd have a place by him someday.  That's the best kind of love story.  It illustrates true love, the kind of love that movies try to portray as sex and lust when in reality, love is so much deeper than that.  It's sacrifice and commitment.  Love is not the butterflies you feel in your stomach.  It's a choice.  Love is not always easy.  Infatuation's easy, but love isn't.  But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that it's the thing we need most in this broken world.
Truth is, I still struggle with self-esteem sometimes.  But I found the best kind of love out there.  It's a kind of love that has given me worth and value, something that no boyfriend will ever be able to give me, and for that, I'm incredibly grateful.

Pain

These past couple of days have not been easy for me.  In fact, it's been quite the opposite.  My poor parents have been doing so much to take care of me and it worries me to see others worried about me.  Even my sister, who has no idea what the heck is going on, is concerned.  But it makes me feel so blessed to know that these people care so much for me.  I am especially blessed for my parents, who have done so much for me.  They even sat down and watched My Little Pony with me despite the fact that they loathe that show with a fiery passion.  Gotta love them.
But if I haven't felt a need for Jesus before, I'm definitely feeling it now.  It's so easy to just slip away and not trust in God, but to cling to Him for protection is the thing I need most.  Reliance on other things is going to make the situation worse, not better, so I need to have confidence that He will take this pain from me eventually, whether it takes a day or fifty years.
That said, I'm considering it a blessing to feel this kind of pain.  I don't mean to say this in a boastful way, but the King wouldn't entrust this pain to me if He knew I couldn't handle it.  It's kind of a huge honor.  I feel like He has plans to take it and transform it into something beautiful.  It's happened before - not just to me, but to people all around me.
I am so excited for the end of this - not just for the pain to be over, but to see what it turns into.  See how God uses it.  The very idea of the Lord using me for His purpose just fills me with such joy that I can't even describe it.