And why the fuck is it that women get asked about make-up and men get asked about welding? A fair few ladies don't wear make-up. I may have a uterus but I've taken a class on metal working, fencing, and various other topics.
"without help" implying nerd-girls don't exactly enthuse the typical beauty regiment favored by more mainstream girls.
the follow up "that doesn't look like a movie/TV/comic character" holds true for me. i can do borg, cenobite, darth maul, day of the dead skull, the crow... cover girl has proven problematic.
and the welding question.. i am guessing most nerds own the ass on soldering. any not so much mig/stick. same with weight lifting. a yes to benching ya bizzaro twin would be damnation in nerdville.
Mr. Fullkilt was pointing out nerds/geeks/such don't roll with gender expectations.