History Main / GiveGeeksAChance

* The trope is played with slightly cynically in later ''Webcomic/MenageA3'' strips, as hopeless geek Gary is frequently pursued by various members of the comic's stunningly attractive female cast (plus at least one gay guy and one {{transgender}} woman). However, not many of them like him ''for'' his geekiness; their reasons include his blushing, bumbling cuteness, his supposedly glamorous status as a (wannabe) artist, and his fabled skill at cunnilingus. Zii’s attraction to him fits the trope more closely, but she fights it furiously.

A trope common in {{Romantic Comed|y}}ies and Teen Comedies, in which a dorky ([[NerdsAreSexy not necessarily]] ''[[NerdsAreSexy ugly]]'', just... geeky) guy ends up with the totally hot babe. Generally, the geek begins the story as an outcast to whom the beautiful girl would never be attracted. He may be a band geek, or a scientist with all the social graces of a tube worm, or a ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'' player who still lives in his mom's basement. And through the course of the story, she begins to see through his spaz-like exterior to the [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan decent, love-worthy man within.]]

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[[caption-width-right:300:Wait till he tells them about his comic book collection.]]

!!Examples

** Creator/ThKoboldNecromancer also features this trope in his work, although not quite to the same extent. In particular, he LOVES shipping Harold with Bridgette; if the two aren't an actual couple (or in the process of becoming one) in one of his stories, then chance are they will be part of a major OddFriendship with numerous ShipTease moments between them.

*** ''Fanfic/UnbreakableRedSilkenThread'': Heather, the girl whose tag on Total Drama Island was 'The Queen Bee' decides to date the guy whose tag on the show was 'The Geek'.

Compare SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl and NerdNanny. See NerdsAreSexy, {{Adorkable}} and GeekyTurnOn for when the attraction isn't despite nerdiness, but ''because'' of it. Contrasts with AllGirlsWantBadBoys. Often overlaps with JustFriends.

* Played with in Music/DavidBowie's ShortFilm ''Jazzin' for Blue Jean''. His {{Adorkable}} protagonist Vic, who tells his frosty dream girl a CelebrityLie about knowing a handsome rock star ([[Main/ActingForTwo also Bowie]]), [[spoiler: loses her to said star, whom she knew all along. At this, Bowie breaks character and objects to the "too obvious" unhappy ending]].

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'': [[spoiler: [[ButtMonkey Johnny Sasaki]] and Meryl got married at the end. Although this was a subversion, as Johnny revealed himself to be BeautifulAllAlong and his [[ToiletHumor bouts of diarrhea]] immediately stopped. So most of his geeky qualities were dropped once Johnny unmasked.]] [[spoiler: [[{{Adorkable}} Otacon]] on the other hand averted this trope, the [[OverlyLongGag tradition]] of [[CartwrightCurse every girl he dated would eventually]] [[StuffedInTheFridge die once per episode]]. Alas, poor Otacon, he could [[DidNotGetTheGirl never get a girl alive]].]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'': Athletic Patti and the clumsy, shy, {{Adorkable}} title character.

* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}''. [[LovableAlphaBitch Quinn]] gets an older, brainy tutor named David, and begins to become smarter as they work together over the summer. She falls for him and asks him out, but he turns her down, noting that she lacks the "depth" he looks for in a girl. Quinn is heartbroken, since David is pretty much the only guy to ever turn her down (or for that matter, the only one she ever seemed to like for more than just looks or popularity). Daria, feeling bad for her sister, ultimately helps her to feel better by pointing out two key things:

## While David thinks otherwise, Quinn's clearly got some "depth" to her if she's willing to go for more in a guy than just looks, money or social status.

** Some of this dynamic is there in the LoveTriangle of[[spoiler:Snape, Lily and James. All of them were brilliant students but Lily and James were popular and socially charismatic while Snape was asocial and unpopular. Nonetheless Lily and Snape, owing to their childhood friendship remain friends Rowling states that if Snape had never gotten into the Dark Arts and the Death Eaters, a romantic relationship might have developed between him and Lily. She only dated and married James long after their friendship was over, thanks entirely to him]].

** Kida herself is a princess in a stripperiffic outfit, (for the standards of the era) but she soon learn to appreciate Milo. She always had interest in him though, because he can read her forgotten language.

* The beginning of ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' [[ExploitedTrope plays out like this]], with nerdy and shy Ken Kaneki smitten with a beautiful and mysterious woman that frequents the same cafe. His best friend advises him to give up, because she's completely out of his league and a book-store date is a ''terrible'' idea. But Kaneki manages to work up the courage, and scores a date with the beautiful Rize Kamishiro. The two have a fantastic time and he walks her home, before mustering the courage to ask her on a second date. Rize admits that she's interested in him as well......as a meal, that is. Turns out, Rize is a [[OurGhoulsAreDifferent ghoul]] and she likes to eat her dates.

* What the Wife did in ''Manga/SpottedFlower'' and likes to make the Husband remember that so he can be more confident in himself, despite being a hardcore oraku, he got a girlfriend, had sex with her, they married, and now she's is expecting their child.

* Averted and played straight in ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'': IntrepidReporter [[BrainyBrunette Roxanne]] [[WhenSheSmiles Richie's]] camera guy Hal is introduced as a painfully awkward nerd who is completely in love with her, but she just sees him as a workmate. Later, [[spoiler:after he gets superpowers]] and makes his move, he's revealed to be an EntitledToHaveYou [[spoiler: [[PsychopathicManchild Psychopathic]]]] ManChild who doesn't take rejection well. Just because he's a nerd and likes her doesn't automatically make him [[spoiler:a good person]] or secretly the man of her dreams. However, Roxanne eventually falls for Megamind, who's quite the "dweebie intellectual" himself.]]

*** ''Fanfic/UnbreakableRedSilkenThread'': Heather, the girls whose tag on Total Drama Island was 'The Queen Bee' decides to date the guy whose tag on the show was 'The Geek'.

* The happiest married couple in the ''Roleplay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'' is mathematics professor-turned-mystic-superhero Moishe "Doctor Kabbalah" Rothstein (5'8, skinny, glasses, jewfro) and his wife, the smokingly hot former supermodel Greta von Hapsbach-Rothstein (6'1", statuesque Nordic goddess).

* [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGallery Dr. Victor Fries]] was quite the shy, timid, and introverted scientist, but that didn't stop him from marrying the late Nora, a smoking hot blonde. [[BlatantLies And they lived happily ever after.]]

* Milo and Kida from ''Disney/AtlantisTheLostEmpire''. Milo fits perfectly the nerd description being lean, with glasses and a bookworm; Kida even lampshade it when they met:

* Doctor Doppler and Captain Amelia in ''Disney/TreasurePlanet''. He's a bespectacled doctor in astronomy and not quite fitted for adventure. Thus the [[ActionGirl Captain]] and him develop a BelligerentSexualTension until they're kidnapped together and begin to warm up.

* In ''Webcomic/DisneyHighSchool'', when [[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast Gaston]] decides to get a girlfriend, he initially asks out the most beautiful, popular, and wealthy girls in school but after all these girls immediately reject him because they know he's an egotistical {{Jerkass}}, he decides to follow Hans' advice of going after a "pretty little nerd" instead with the reasoning that an unpopular nerd would be grateful to get the attention of a guy like him. He chooses Belle as his "pretty little nerd"... who, contrary to his expectations, is just as repulsed by his advances as the more popular girls were.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderGirl'' has another GenderFlip: one of the school's jocks, nicknamed Moose, incorrectly believes that geeky Courtney is Spider-Girl and becomes infatuated with her. Their romance extends after he figures out the truth. PlayedStraight with May's other geeky friend, Jimmy, who hooks up with the school's [[DefrostingIceQueen Defrosting]] AlphaBitch.

** Peter Parker started out in his teenage years as an average-looking nebbish guy in glasses with an interest in science, burdened by poverty and taking care of his aunt. But he still managed to date three bombshells before marrying Mary Jane, one of the most beautiful women in all of comics.

** He's also recently caught the attention of Comicbook/MsMarvel.

* [[http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/valentines/5c89/ This T-shirt]].

* Author Creator/RufusTSerenity is certainly a fan of this trope. Many of his ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' fanfics feature the geekier contestants (Cody, Harold, Cameron, etc) having girls considered far out of their league (Lindsay, Heather, Bridgette, etc) coming onto them.
** ''Fanfic/DreamsScentedOfCoconutAndApple'': Lindsay moves to Cody's school and quickly becomes friends with him. When Tyler breaks up with her after forgetting his name one too many times, she starts trying to convince Cody to make a move on her.
** ''Fanfic/ThreeTestsOfValor'': Lindsay reveals to a shocked Harold that she is far more attracted to geeks and nerds like him than she is to the jocks that she is ''supposed'' to be into.
** ''Fanfic/SecondChanceAtLove'': After everybody else from the show hooks up, Lindsay and Leshawna realize they both have feelings for the last single guy left, Cody [[spoiler: and both love him so much and are such good friends that they'd rather share him than leave one of them single.]]
** ''Fanfic/LunchDateWithAGothAnIndieChickAndAWideEyedBubbleBoy'': Gwen and Zoey playfully tease Cameron about this, about how he had been hinted as a possible couple for either Gwen herself or Courtney.
* ''Fanfic/TotalDramaCodysRedemption'' has an older, miserable Cody being sent back in time into his younger self to before season one of the show started [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong so he doesn't end up like he did]]. The changes he makes not only makes him a lot more friends but also gets him the romantic attention of Lindsay.....[[LoveTriangle and Bridgette]].....[[ChickMagnet and possibly Courtney]].
** Gwen however [[AvertedTrope averts]] this in the worst possible way. Despite Cody being nothing but nice to her [[note]] He knows better from future/past experience that she will never be interested in him, so doesn't even try to pursue her romantically [[/note]] and even getting her and Trent together, she can't stand him on principal ''because'' he is a geek, and as far as she is concerned [[AggressiveCategorism all geeks are creeps and perverts who only pretend to care about girls to get in their pants.]]
* This is the entire point of ''Fanfic/ACodetteWorldTour'' - to develop a romance between the scrawny, tech-savvy ExtravertedNerd Cody and the beautiful GranolaGirl surfer Bridgette. However, getting to that point is easier said than done when Bridgette believes [[BitchInSheepsClothing Alejandro]] to be the man of her dreams...

%%* There are a few examples in ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':
%%** In ''Island'' Harold is in a relation ship with Leshawna, though it's an on-again off-agian one.
%%** In ''Action'' Beth's ghost boyfriend turns out to be real.
%%** In ''Revenge'' Sam gets with Dakota.