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BY DANA SEAY

In print | February 17, 2005

When I heard They Might Be Giants were playing Swarthmore, I was a tad perturbed. I mean, would it have killed us to bring some crazy, cocky, rock star energy to campus? Couldn’t we have found an act that would shock us with its raw power and depravity, causing mild-mannered Swarthmore boys to mosh uncontrollably, and normally unassuming girls to tear off their clothes, tossing their panties on stage in rock ’n roll fits of passion?

Yeah, I know my vision is laughable. That’s not Swarthmore! The choice of a band composed of a bespectacled guitarist and an accordion player makes a lot of sense: Dork rockers are more our speed. And who says nerds can’t be cool? We are nerds, and we shouldn’t fight it. Instead, we should embrace our nerddom during these uniquely accepting four years, letting it thrive to its fullest in everything from our musical taste to the way we dress.

While you may have to closet your obsession with Dungeons and Dragons in the real world, there is good news when it comes to dressing like the nerd you are: Geek is chic. The current trends towards hipster and emo attire are undeniably grounded in the assumption that flouting a superior intellect is becoming. Whether your stylistic icon is Napoleon Dynamite or Maggie Gyllenhaal, there’s plenty of wiggle room for turning your nerdy leanings into fashion capital.

But don’t take my word for it; there are other, nerdier people out there reaffirming the fact that intelligence and style are kissing cousins. Agoura Hills, Calif., natives Myke Armstrong, 22, and Jacob Fatoorechi, 20, recently started an online clothing company, nerdyshirts.com, specially targeted to our Nintendo-lovin’, book-crackin’ generation. Bold and bright phrases range from “USB: fun for you and me” to “The Internet is for Lovers.” There’s even a Street Fighter “Haduken!” reference.

As a Swattie, I was skeptical about the nerdyshirts.com creators’ claims of true nerddom; after three semesters at Swarthmore College, I consider my nerd palette to be highly refined. So I slipped on my dark-rimmed glasses and signed online, ready to out these boys as the “normal” kids they are.

My interview of the young entrepreneurs was conducted in the nerdiest manner possible: a chat room, allowing the subtle nuances of “winkie face” emoticons and my spelling of cool with a “k” (undetectable in daily speech) to shine through.

Defending the arguably dubious connection between nerds and fashion, Armstrong unabashedly proclaimed, “Nerds always had great fashion.” His favorite decade for nerd attire? “I like the 1920s nerd. He had class.”

While the nerd aesthetic has been around for quite some time, the boys believe their products are blazing new trails. “There are a lot of companies who claim they make clothes for our generation,” co-founder Jacob Fatoorechi pointed out. “But they’re missing an important part: The fact that we grew up with Nintendo and the Internet.” Commenting on the competition, Jacob continued, “We wanted clothes that displayed our nerdiness … but didn’t make us look creepy.”

“Some ‘nerdy’ clothing is so deep into the ‘nerd’ idiom that you won’t understand it unless you program C++ 10 hours a day,” he clarified.

While we Swatties often consider our nerdyness to be an anomaly, Myke and Jacob want to reassure us that we’re not alone. “I think we’re a good example of what most of our generation is made up of,” Jacob said: “Guys and gals that are nerdy, but don’t walk around with taped-up glasses and pocket protectors.”

Like the creators, the models on the nerdyshirts.com Web site are refreshing in their refusal to deny their geekiness for the sake of fashion conformity. Look closely and you’ll see a few honest-to-goodness, un-Photoshopped pimples on the nerdyshirts.com hotties.

After a nearly-three-hour chat, complete with a TLC dance break in the middle, I realized that Myke and Jacob were indeed on the level: Their nerdly leanings weren’t a front. More important, I left convinced of the merits of their burgeoning company. The products boast the finest-quality materials, all American-made and sweatshop free. They’re smartly cut, avoiding the baby-doll debacle of the ‘90s but still providing a sleek fit. The phrases and designs are cute and colorful. There’s even a message board on the site, making the charming co-creators accessible to their customers as well as providing the chance for geek-to-geek contact, a place for members of the literati to unite.

So perhaps instead of dressing to accentuate our legs or a shapely waist, we should all dress to accentuate our brains. Killer style has never looked so smart.

Dana is a sophomore. You can reach her at dseay1@swarthmore.edu.

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