Although Saturday Night Live has made fun of Zooey Deschanel with their hilarious “Quirky Girls” sketch, I’m glad that smart, quirky, off-beat women like Deschanel, Mindy Kaling and Tina Fey are finally getting their place in the spotlight. It’s no secret that I’m a huge New Girl fan – I love the endearing dynamics between all of the friends and Winston’s obsession with cats and puzzles. However, most of all I love how much I relate to Jess’s quirky antics.
Although I’m not exactly like Jess (I don’t wear polka dots or have a bunny shaped iPhone case), I can relate to her – mostly because I’ve always considered myself more of a “Jess” than say, a “Serena Vanderwoodsen.” I’m not the golden “it” girl that every guy wants, I’m the smart, glasses wearing, slightly off-beat girl that a select few have the privilege of loving. I’m the Veronica, not the Betty. Most of all, I’m proud of who I am. Do guys like quirky girls? Well, they should!
Never dated a self-proclaimed quirky girl? Here’s a few reasons why we rock –
1. We’ll give you the coolest gifts –
Think about it: we’re the kind of person that has a cellphone case shaped like a bunny rabbit. It’s almost impossible for us to buy you a boring gift. Instead, quirky girls are usually super creative and crafty. We’ll hit e-bay to find that vintage GI Joe toy you always wanted as a kid, bake you a cake and likely pick up that handmade item off of Etsy that you never knew you needed until now. Either way, date us and you’ll never receive a bag of tube socks and a gift card to Outback Steakhouse from us for your birthday – unless of course it’s part of an elaborate inside joke.
2. We like that you’re quirky too –
One of the coolest things about dating a quirky girl is that you don’t have to hide your quirks. In fact, we likely chose to be with you because we were attracted to your quirks. When you’re with us you’ll never have to hide the fact that you love vintage Sci-Fi novels and 2Pac in equal measure. We want you to be yourself, which means you never have to be afraid of revealing your nerdy, neurotic tendencies – most likely, we’re just as weird as you are.
3. We’re not afraid to let our freak flag fly –
Whether that’s divulging our interest in something really nerdy and obscure, owning up to an embarrassing childhood moment, or getting dressed up in a ridiculous costume to fulfill a sexual fantasy, we’re not afraid to be ourselves and let our freak flag fly.
4. You don’t have to act cool around us, we’re just as awkward as you are –
You don’t have to be “Mr. Cool and Confident” around us. In fact, we prefer it if you let your awkward side show because it makes us feel better about our own inherent awkwardness. This means that you can moonwalk away from us and we’ll still love you. We might even love you a little bit more.
6. We’re cool around food –
I can’t speak for every quirky girl here, but one of the things I love about Jess’ character is that she doesn’t shy away from food. Whether she’s baking a fantastic birthday cake for someone she cares about or eating Chinese take-out, Jess is completely unapologetic about the fact that she’s well acquainted with carbs. So, yes – we eat delicious things and want you to do the same. That sounds like a Win/Win, right?
7. We’re not opposed to breaking into song and dance. A ukelele and an Elvis costume may or may not be involved.
Like Jess, I have a habit of singing to myself and dancing around the house (sometimes to music that only I can hear.) I’m not insane, I’m just quirky and have a love of musical theater. Us quirky girls aren’t afraid to flex our musical skills – whether that means letting loose at karaoke or dressing up as Elvis because we know it’s the only way we can make you feel better – dating a quirky girl means that your life will never be devoid of boredom or the occasional ukelele solo.
8. We know who we are –
The thing I love most about Jess’ character is that despite beingachingly vulnerable and unlucky in love, she knows exactly who she is and never wavers on that. She wears her quirks as a badge of honor and knows that loving things like polka dot dresses, peter pan collars and cupcakes doesn’t make her any less of a bad-ass. We’re the girls who survived high-school by hanging out in the art room and joining drama club. Now that we’re adults, we own the hell out of who we are. That’s pretty awesome when you think about it.
9. Life with us is never boring –
We’re goofy. We’re quirky. We knit things. We love adventures. However, beneath all the homemade scarves and impromptu musical performances, we’re loyal, compassionate and aren’t afraid to take a chance on love. Other than being smart and adorably weird, nothing has really come easy to us in life, so when we do find our “Quirky Guy” we know not to let go.