What it Looked Like to Be a Nerd in the 1970s
Most of the nerd culture bloomed during the 80s and 90s, when it was okay to bully a nerd in real life, but they were also great characters for movies and TV shows. But in the 70s, video games were popping up everywhere alongside sci-fi shows with dozens of seasons, tabletop games set in fantasy lands, and dystopian books that could blow your mind. It was the beginning of nerdom as we know it.
It was harder back then, but you could still identify the nerds in high school and college, especially if they started a Dungeons & Dragons club to play every week. Fans of Star Wars then were very different from the ones you can see constantly complaining online today, but it was a pivotal moment in history, where people with particular interests started to deviate from the norm, even if it cost them their lunch money.
But in case you were wondering, here's what it looked like to be a nerd in the 1970s.
Nerd fit check
Here are some parents prototyping the first nerds in existence.
Old Timers
Who said grown men couldn't look like total nerds in the 70s?
Dungeons & Dragons club
The first nerds to play Dungeons & Dragons would tell people it was easy to learn and that it was almost like playing Monopoly.
Arcade nerds
Space Invaders came out in 1978 as a plan to convert everyone into nerds.
Typical nerd
This photo pretty much encapsulates the concept of the 70s nerd.
Bookworm
Wearing glasses made you a bookworm, but in the seventies, that started to change into nerdom.
Cosplay
Comic book conventions were a safe space for nerds trying cosplay in the 70s.
Comic-Con Poster
Comic-Cons back then were actually about comic books.
Reading nerd
There was no big difference between magazines and comic books in drugstores, so you could be a nerd without knowing it.
Computer science
This is what computer science looked like in the early 70s.
Biker
Having a bike was common, so it didn't make you cool if you were already a nerd.
Nerd Wedding
Nerds could get married, too!
Star Trek voiceover
This is what the Star Trek stars looked like then, so it's no wonder nerds wanted to imitate their idols' looks.
Cosplaying at home
Halloween parties included lots of classic costumes, and then, there were the nerds.
Arcade revolution
People would go try the arcades and go back home as fully-fledged nerds.
TV nerd
Your parents told you not to stand too close to the TV, but they didn't know you were a nerd in the making.
High School memories
At least nerds had a community back then.
Tin Man
Halloween could get ever nerdier.
TV trope
This is what a typical nerd would look like on TV.
Star Wars premiere
Who would've thought there were so many nerds out there?
