Headlamp -> nerdy is a new perspective to me. It has never even occured to me. Now that I think about it, it still doesn't seem nerdy. Looking in the mirror, it also doesn't look a bit nerdy to me. Where do you live? Maybe your friends are not outdoorsy. Then again, I do most of my shopping for even things like everyday clothes at REI. I see about 100 times more people using headlamps than flashlights when I'm out at night. I don't even own a reasonable hand held flashlight, just a 2AA Maglite that I bought 10-15 years ago (and has seen less use in that time than I put into a headlamp in one or two nights).
I've use my headlamps for backpacking/around camp, reading in bed, walking the dog at night, running, cross country skiing, during blackouts, walking upstairs after turning out the lights, walking downstairs or to the bathroom at night if I don't want to turn on the houselights, looking for stuff or working under the sink, looking for stuff in a dark car (dome light doesn't work in my car), etc... All the folks I see out on the trails at night have headlamps or bike lights (sometimes on their head) if they are biking. By the way, many people I see skiing/biking/running on the trails at night have higher powered headlamps than are generally discussed in this forum (much brighter than my Eos). Stuff like 10-20W or HID bike lights or 10-20W Silva or Mila type orienteering/skiing headlamps.