Exploring the 'geek' in Netflix's Geek Girl title is far beyond the literal meaning of the term.
Harriet Manners (played by Emily Carey) is described as an 'awkward' and 'neurodivergent' teenager whose normal life as a secondary student turns upside down when she gets spotted (and recruited) as a runway model in the series.
The main character of the story has always found it difficult to come to terms with the word 'geek' whenever her bullies labeled her as such, so what is the significance of it in the series?
Don't Take 'Geek' in Geek Girl Literally
Harriet first discovered the term 'geek' when her bullies called her that in the hallway and the first thing she did was search for its meaning in her carry-on dictionary.
While 'geek' is a generic term that bullies use to condescend their victims to feel bad about themselves, Harriet took it differently. Since she found out that 'geek' is a term used to describe people who are 'obsessed about an interest or hobby,' she supposed it was true.
Harriet doesn't necessarily find the word 'geek' offensive, but at one point, she transformed the painted word on her bag into 'Greek' just to get back at her bullies.
If anything, it's Harriet trying to seamlessly blend in crowds, in school, or in this case, even in the fashion industry as a model, which is honestly easier said than done. The portrayal of Harriet as a 'Geek Girl' is a story of how she reclaims the term and accepts it as a part of herself.
The Geek Girl author, Holly Smale, has the perfect response as to what the term means for the series.
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Author Shares Where Geek Girl Was Inspired From
Ever notice how Harriet is treated by her friends and family? She would be called 'sensitive', or be highly commendable by their headmaster but still get bullied by people like Lexi and Poppy.
At one point, Nat helped Harriet stop herself from fidgeting with her fingers when she was anxiously waiting for their first day as recruited models.
This is because the series is meant to tackle neurodivergence in a subtle way. Smale wrote Geek Girl book 6 before she was diagnosed with autism and dyspraxia at age 39 but has confirmed that Harriet has both conditions, as well.
"I wanted to make peace with myself and accept myself in a way I didn't as a teenager," Smale shared, "I didn't have to worry too much because I'm autistic, I have my own life experience so I can own that voice."
The Netflix series is based on the novel series created by Holly Smale, who titled every book included with the term 'Geek'. The last published book even had the title Forever Geek as though to commemorate and accept the label entirely as a part of Harriet.
Ultimately, as Smale added in the same interview, "This character is so much more than being autistic — Harriet is so many incredible things."
By the end of the ten-episode series on Netflix, instead of feeling bad about Poppy trying to sabotage Harriet's runway by being labeled as a 'geek' again, Harriet no longer denies it. As she proclaimed, "I am a geek."
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