>But, with the exception of a rare few, it seems that neither male nor female programmers give a rat’s ass about fashion.

Being what this post would refer to as a "programming woman", I can attest to this. And I think this is one of the primary reasons I (and other women I know in the computer industry) got drawn into computers - no one cares what you look like or where you're from. Heck, most people in your industry might not even see you physically. You don't have to dress up (if you do, that's totally fine). That's just crazy cool for an introverted nerd.