Editing Nerd (section)

===Stereotype===
Because of the nerd stereotype, many intelligent people are often thought of as nerdy. This belief can be harmful, as it can cause high-school students to "switch off their lights" out of fear of being branded as a nerd,<ref name="In Praise">{{cite news |last= Anderegg |first=Mr |title= In Praise of Nerds |url= http://www.economist.com/node/10493332 |newspaper= The Economist |date=12 January 2008}}</ref> and cause otherwise appealing people to be considered nerdy simply for their intellect. It was once thought that intellectuals were nerdy because they were envied. However, [[Paul Graham (computer programmer)|Paul Graham]] stated in his essay, "Why Nerds are Unpopular", that intellect is neutral, meaning that you are neither loved nor despised for it. He also states that it is only the correlation that makes smart teens automatically seem nerdy, and that a nerd is someone that is not socially adept enough. Additionally, he says that the reason why many smart kids are unpopular is that they "don't have time for the activities required for popularity."<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last=Graham|first=Paul|title=Why Nerds are Unpopular|url=http://www.paulgraham.com/nerds.html}}</ref>

Stereotypical nerd appearance, often lampooned in [[caricature]]s, can include very large [[glasses]], [[dental braces]], [[malocclusion|buck teeth]], severe [[acne]] and [[Trousers|pants]] worn high at the waist. Following suit of popular use in emoticons, Unicode released in 2015 its "Nerd Face" character, featuring some of those stereotypes: 🤓 (code point U+1F913). In the media, many nerds are males, portrayed as being physically unfit, either [[overweight]] or [[:wikt:skinny|skinny]] due to lack of physical exercise.<ref name=":1">Lori Kendall. "OH NO! I'M A NERD!": Hegemonic Masculinity on an Online Forum. ''Gender Society''. '''14''': 256. (2000)</ref><ref>Ron Eglash. Race, Sex, and Nerds. ''Social Text''. '''20:''' 49 (2002)</ref> It has been suggested by some, such as linguist [[Mary Bucholtz]], that being a nerd may be a state of being "hyperwhite" and rejecting [[African-American culture]] and slang that "cool" white children use.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/magazine/29wwln-idealab-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&oref=slogin|title= Who's a Nerd, Anyway? |access-date=2007-07-28 |author=Benjamin Nugent|date=July 29, 2007|work=[[The New York Times]] Magazine}}</ref> However, after the ''[[Revenge of the Nerds]]'' movie franchise (with multicultural nerds), and the introduction of the [[Steve Urkel]] character on the television series ''[[Family Matters]]'', nerds have been seen in all races and colors as well as more recently being a frequent young East Asian or Indian male stereotype in North America. Portrayal of "nerd girls", in films such as ''[[She's Out of Control]]'', ''[[Welcome to the Dollhouse]]'' and ''[[She's All That]]'' depicts that smart but nerdy women might suffer later in life if they do not focus on improving their [[physical attractiveness]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gateward|first=Frances K.|author2=Murray Pomerance|author2-link = Murray Pomerance |title=Sugar, spice, and everything nice: cinemas of girlhood|publisher=Wayne State University Press|year=2002|isbn=978-0-8143-2918-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ywsajx7jqAMC&q=nerd+girl&pg=PA239|access-date=2009-07-23}}</ref>

In the United States, a 2010 study published in the ''Journal of International and Intercultural Communication'' indicated that [[Asian Americans]] are perceived as most likely to be nerds, followed by [[White Americans]], while non-White [[Hispanic]]s and [[African Americans]] were perceived as least likely to be nerds. These stereotypes stem from concepts of [[Orientalism]] and [[Primitivism]], as discussed in Ron Eglash's essay "Race, Sex, and Nerds: From Black Geeks to Asian American Hipsters".<ref>Eglash, R. 'Race, Sex, And Nerds: FROM BLACK GEEKS TO ASIAN AMERICAN HIPSTERS'. ''Social Text'' 20.2 71 (2002): 49–64. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.</ref>

Some of the stereotypical behaviors associated with the "nerd" stereotype have correlations with the traits of [[Asperger syndrome]] or other [[autism spectrum]] conditions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aspergers101.com/high-functioning-autism-vs-asperers-syndrome/|title = High-Functioning Autism vs. Asperger Syndrome| date=15 October 2013 }}</ref>