&gt; how does the woman in the hackerspace perceive what a given person conforms to?<p>Stereotypes, basically.  Visuals&#x2F;fashion play a very large role, as you can see in those google queries.<p>How they interact with others also is a factor.  In my experience, shy people are less likely to be considered &quot;dudes&quot;, while extroverts are much more likely to get the label.