This trope seems to exist just to pander to nerds. The trope should be more focused on "Person A sees Person B as undateable or not in their league, but warms up to them when they get to know them more". That covers many things that aren't even remotely nerdy and makes much more sense as a trope in fiction.
I don't think the Metal Gear Solid 4 examples are this trope. Otacon and Naomi doesn't fit at all - they are both nerds, they are both good-looking (although Naomi is more of an outrageously hot model-type and Otacon is just a very good-looking normal person, Naomi explicitly comments on how gorgeous Otacon is), and Naomi isn't really "giving him a chance", since she has to hook up with him in order to use him, and the fact that she liked him is a bonus. So that doesn't fit at all.
The Meryl/Johnny one is better, but again, Meryl only "gives him a chance" when Johnny turns out to be Beautiful All Along and his Irritable Bowel Syndrome turns out to be a symptom of his superpower. I'm not sure if that's an example of this where the Double Standard has been softened, or whether it's not even an example at all.
Hold on ... this is a trope that features a description about how female geeks are typically all beautiful ("Beautiful All Along") and women as an entire sex have the magical ability to see the inner beauty of a man rather than his geeky exterior, right? Meanwhile, male geeks, of course, aren't all attractive and men as a sex will insist on trying to do something about a female geek's looks because, obviously, we're all incredibly shallow ... and yet a troper had the audacity to state in the description that the Double Standard is somehow against women?
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Yes. Because women must be hot above all else. Unattractive, nerdy guys will get the beautiful girls exactly the way they are, but a girl must either be Beautiful All Along or change herself to have a chance with her Love Interest. As this trope is basically Give Male Geeks A Chance, I'd say the Double Standard is definately against women. The description may sound prejudiced against men, but the way it's portrayed in media is certainly unfair to females.
Mm. Guest1001, a lot of sexist Double Standard tropes are outrageously sexist towards one gender (usually women) and less sexist, but still sexist, towards the other (men). You are right in observing that this trope makes men out to be shallow, and it assumes all male nerds are automatically unnattractive, and that is sexist, and that is not okay. But the trope's assumption that women, regardless of what other traits they may have, are only interesting because they're beautiful is also sexist, and much more sexist because it comes under a big, big sexist narrative that has been used to oppress women (there are certainly women who believe men are all shallow and unattractive, but men haven't been unable to vote or work for equal pay because of this). Therefore, on balance, the Double Standard is against women. It's still okay to feel offended if you're a man, though - sexism is sexism, end of story.
Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: Contradictions (and arguably some strawmen) in the trope description.
, started by HiddenFacedMatt on Feb 15th 2012 at 3:20:14 AM
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman