The "V" Files
A "real life" Velma Dinkley reflects on her resemblance to her favorite character, what is is like to live as a brain and and the long road to acceptance of both.
Maybe it was just a convergence of bad circumstances. It was foggy and cold that morning, something we native San Franciscans like to call "sweater weather." I was running late and had to teach a 9:00a.m. class at San Francisco State. Not giving much thought to my wardrobe, I donned a turtleneck sweater with a pleated skirt and headed off to work. Unfortunately, I had torn my contact lenses the night before, and was forced to wear my glasses. The fifty five minute class was relatively uneventful, until the end, when one of my students mentioned in passing that I reminded her of Velma from the television show "Scooby-Doo." I was rather taken aback. There are some things that a student just does not tell their professor, and a comment on the latter's resemblance to a cartoon character is one of them. "Uh, I never thought of that before," I commented, but the truth was, I had.
Velma was the "nerdier"of the show's two female characters; and, among the show's fans, she often takes a back seat to her prettier (though not nearly as bright) cohort, Daphne. Yet, Velma was a necessary member of the group; without her, the gang would not have possessed the esoteric bits of information needed to solve their cases. Indeed, Ms. Dinkley is the most under appreciated, and most often maligned, member of the Mystery Inc. gang. Television critics Kevin and Timothy Burke labeled her character as "a distillation of every noxious stereotype about smart women that exist," (Burke, Kevin and Burke, Timothy. Saturday Morning Fever. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999.); and some people have gone so far as to question her sexual identity. (Excuse me, but let us not lose sight of the fact that this is a children's show and that she is a cartoon character.)
Are these two playing off the old stereotype of the nerd and the "cheerleader?"
Screen capture courtesy of John Likeglass
It is true that her character is a composite of the most common stereotypes relating to smart women (the glasses, the slight clumsiness and the decision to put brains ahead of beauty); but there is some truth to these preconceived notions. I ought to know, for the same words that I used to describe Velma could easily describe me.
A character on a Saturday morning cartoon isn't most people's choice for a role model; but for as long as I can remember, I identified with Velma. It wasn't that I didn't like the other characters; it was just that I felt some sort of connection with her that I didn't feel with the rest of the gang. (Don't get me wrong, though; the other characters are great, too). While my contemporaries emulated sports figures and rock stars, I chose to emulate Velma. It was as if I knew that I had something in common with her. Like Ms. Dinkley, I maintained a knowlege of esoteric facts on topics ranging from astronomy to European history.
At age thirteen, the smilarities between us took on a physical aspect; my doctor told me that I was nearsighted and needed to wear glasses. For any thirteen year old, that is bad news; but for someone who was already a budding scholar, it was like a death knell.
At an age where people are just beginning to discover who they are, anyone who stands out with a particular talent is often unjustly labeled. There were the "jocks," the "slobs," the "snobs" and the "popular kids." My intelligence and my glasses had earned me the label of "a nerd."
Screen capture courtesy of John Likeglass.
Among young scholars, Velma was somewhat luckier than many of her real-life counterparts. While Fred, Daphne and Shaggy respected her intelligence, and accepted her for who she was; my reputation as a brain had isolated me from my contemporaries. Contrary to the image that Scooby and the gang projected, it seemed no one wanted to associate with a girl who was more interested in studying than going to the mall, dating or experimenting with fashion and make up.
The older I got, the more I hated my resemblance to that girl, I hated my glasses. I hated my intelligence. I kept thinking to myself, "If I have to look like someone on that show, why couldn't I look like Daphne? At least she is pretty." I even grew my hair out, dyed it red and begged my parents for contac lenses. I almost sent my future into the ground as well, when I decided to forgo studying and concentrate on making friends. Yet, despite that external change, I knew deep inside that I was still Velma, and that nothing could really change that.
Call it maturity, but when I entered college, I realized that being smart wasn't such a bad trait after all; on the contrary, it was a highly coveted one. I was now among people who understood my passion for studying and accepted me for who I was.
After my first semester in college, I slowly returned to my old self. I cut my hair and dyed it back to dark brown. And, since much of college involved late night study sessions and early morning classes, I would frequently forgo my contact lenses in favor of glasses. To me, those glasses gave me a more distinguished, scholarly look than did my contacts, a look that I felt complemented my reputation as "a brain." Glasses were also easier to put on when i could barely keep my eyes open.
By this time, it had been nearly ten years since I ended my Scooby-Doo fetish, and I had moved on to other things. Then, one Saturday morning, my roommates and I were flipping channels, when we happened upopn Scooby and the gang. As if knowing about my past, one of my roommates commented, "doesn't Cathy remind you somewhat of Velma?"
There is more than just a passing resemblance at work here . Take the poll and tell me what you think.
As an adult fan of Scooby-Doo, Velma is still my favorite character, perhaps because I see a bit of myself in her. I not only share her physical appearance (although I am slightly taller and a bit thinner), but many of her personality traits as well. Like Ms. Dinkley, I have chosen to put brains ahead of beauty. This decision has led me to make some rather unusual wardrobe choices (yes, a skirt and turtleneck combination is among them) and to turn down (and maybe be turned away by) more than one potential boyfriend. And while I don't completely eschew makeup, I don't wear as much as do some of my girl friends.
There is a deeper side to us "nerds" than most people would believe; and Velma certainly shows this in her personality. Although she is a brain, she can be feisty as well. Her social skills allow her to relate to anyone from her pretty cohort Daphne, to her canine pal, Scooby. The fact that she never had a boyfriend in the original series is probably what led many people to think she was a lesbian. Those of us who share her brainy trait know that it is a personal choice to put our academics ahead of our social lives, thus, dating often falls by the wayside. This is not to say that we do not understand romance. In the recent direct-to-video movie releases, Velma has been seen with a potential love interest, thus suggesting that she does understand romance and perhaps even wants to bring that aspect into her life.
I think that almost everybody can identify with at least one of the characters on Scooby-Doo; perhaps this trait is part of the show's thirty-two year staying power. As for being a flesh-and-blood version of Velma, jinkies, it's something that I am now rather proud of; and the reasons behind my belief are no mystery.
Copyright, 2001 by Catherine M. Miskow. Please contact the author if you wish to reprint this article or use it on another site.
Cathy is a free-lance French teacher living in San Francisco. She has a dog, but no, his name is not Scooby.
