Why I Love Penelope Garcia From Criminal Minds

by T M Testerman in Crime, November 15, 2009

If you enjoy crime drama, then chances are you’ve watched Criminal Minds, which revolves around the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) of the FBI. It’s difficult to pick between the different characters and personalities to find a favorite, but if I had to choose, it would be Penelope Garcia.

Penelope Garcia is the character name played by Kirsten Vangsness, an incredibly talented actress. This character is the Technical Analyst of the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. She spends her days (and nights) using her tech savvy to save lives and put the terrible people behind bars.

A remarkable woman, indeed, but the reason that I just adore her is that she glamorizes being a computer geek. I, myself, am a woman in the IT field. Sure, I wear glasses, but like Garcia, that’s where the stereotype stops. In fact, as a woman in the field, she challenges stereotypical gender roles, and that alone is a super sexy aspect of the character. She is confident, lively, infectious, and brilliant. She touches a computer and it bends to her will.

What is not to love about the child of hippie parents who went off grid and taught herself code, who was recruited to the FBI after becoming a master hacker?

So, much love to my girl Garcia, making AV and Techies desirable… as we should be.