BREAKING: Not All Women are Shallow B*tches, Not All Nerds Have Acne

A recent article on Your Tango instructed its female readers to follow four rules when it comes to dating a “nerd.” The rules were pretty simple: 1) Appreciate him; 2) Never knock his nerdy tastes; 3) Take an interest in his nerdy stuff; and 4) Find common ground. 

Perhaps the article should have been titled “Really Obvious Things.” Appreciate him? Never knock his nerdy tastes? Aren't those just rules to dating in general and/or being a decent human being? These fluffy, useless articles (often written by women!) are exhausting because they serve no purpose other than to boost the cliche that women are shallow and attempt to victimize a group of men who really don't need to be victimized.

This article (among many), speaks to women as if in the presence of "nerds," the only thing we know how to do is stand around in heels gawking and whispering to each other like we just discovered a rare new life form. “Some of these boys wear glasses -- HOW DO WE RELATE?”

I find this offensive to both genders. What is exactly is a "nerd?" Well, according to the article's picture and way it’s written, the reader can’t help but picture some gross, socially inadequate, super-skinny or super-overweight computer hacker with cystic acne. I mean, the guy in the pic is literally making the "loser" symbol on his forehead. Could you blame someone for not wanting to date someone like this? A woman preferring her partner to have a job, make an attempt to stay fit and healthy, be able to hold conversation and shower regularly hardly makes her shallow…or a “b*tchy girl,” as the article mentions.

On the contrary, just because a guy happens to like comic books and has a high IQ doesn't necessarily mean he's a nerd or eternal virgin. Since when couldn't someone enjoy World of Warcraft and the company of a significant other? Any correlation between the two is nonsense.  A creepy dude who plays video games 10-plus hours a day in his parents’ basement isn't a nerd. That's just a creepy dude who plays video games in his parents' basement 10-plus hours a day.

Any woman who is worthwhile will respect a guy with passionate interests and intelligence, which is why it's frustrating when articles like this spew superficial advice and try to make us feel guilty for not settling for an exaggerated stereotype.

Of course there are under-appreciated men out there. And yes, there are also some girls who would laugh in the face of an IT guy if he asked her out. And guess what? There are tomboys who put on a dress hoping that her crush will finally notice her and he won’t. There are men who scoff at a woman who’s bigger than a size 2. There are Democrats who date Republicans for crying out loud. But they are all just people -- not nerds or shallow b*tches. The only rule we should be following when it comes to dating is to stop categorizing everyone and just appreciate them for who they are.

Now let's all hug.