Dorks wear unhipness on sleeve

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CHICAGO (AP) -- Maybe it's because young computer gurus are enjoying the millionaire life. Perhaps it has something to do with the unexpected popularity last year of the movie "Napoleon Dynamite," about a quirky, dancing teen and his sleepy Idaho town.

Whatever the reason, being a nerd, a geek, a dork -- whatever you want to call the tragically unhip -- is becoming a source of pride.

Case in point: Steffi Weiss, a 15-year-old in the Chicago suburb of Lake Zurich, who plays violin in the school's orchestra.

This spring, she and a friend bought black mesh sports jerseys -- something like the football team's -- and added "ORCH DORKS" in white letters on the front, their last names on the back and their instrument on the sleeves (VLN I, for first violin, in Steffi's case).

"We used to not be able to stand the fact that we were in orchestra," says Steffi, who's been playing the violin since fourth grade and proudly wore the shirt to her high school this year. "Finally, we realized that's where all our friends are and that's where we have the most fun.

"So why not just say we're dorks?"

There was a time when teens who tried something like that would have been asking for some serious goofing. But today being smart and sensitive, even a little socially awkward, is often considered cool -- and the signs are everywhere.

"The O.C.," a TV show popular with teens, has Seth, a comic-book-loving nerd played by actor Adam Brody. Bands such as Weezer also feed off the dork image, complete with horn-rimmed glasses and a song about being OK with not fitting the Beverly Hills mold.

And, increasingly, people are parading around in shirts that say "Dork Pride!" among other things. Such items have gotten so popular that CafePress.com, an online merchandiser, has created a special category for shirts and other items celebrating geeks, dorks and nerds.

Philip Kaplan, 29, the founder of the startup online ad company AdBrite -- and one who's long played upon his own dorky reputation -- finds the whole phenomenon amusing.