"I choose bimbos. Bimbos make me happy.
Bimbos make me feel alive."
The "bimbo" is a label that for a long time has been seen
as purely negative.
After all, it traditionally describes a woman
who has nothing of value underneath her sexy looks.
"God, Karen, you are so stupid!"
But who gets to define who or what a bimbo is?
And is there anything positive about being a bimbo?
Here's how to a spot a so-called bimbo onscreen.
This woman is usually defined by two inverse qualities:
she's as well-endowed with attractiveness
as she is under-endowed with intellect or depth.
"Mr. Schue taught me the second half of the alphabet.
I stopped after 'M' and 'N.'
I felt they were too similar and got frustrated."
She tends to have a breathy voice,
"Daddy, I'll bet you'll make me the happiest girl in the world!"
and a hyperfeminine look, which might not be all natural.
"You know what else I heard?
Magnetic waves shrink silicon molecules." [both scream]
Whether she's actually dim or just superficial,
the bimbo isn't perceived to have deep interests
besides her looks and lifestyle, or to boast much of a work ethic.
"So I have to learn things about things?
About topics? Can I even do that?"
She might be condemned most harshly by other women-
often in the context of blaming a bimbo for attracting
the attentions of a man.
"But you guys ditch us for some big-breasted bimbos!"
Ultimately, the bimbo label is associated with a woman
who's known primarily for her sexuality
(and is likely shamed for not being chaste).
"Regina says everyone hates you because you're such a slut."
"She said that?"
In recent years, we've seen plenty of sexist, racist,
or derogatory terms
get reclaimed by the people they're supposed to dismiss or insult.
But while the himbo (or male bimbo) has been on the rise,
for a long time it seemed like the female "bimbo" label
was too unambiguously critical to be salvaged.
"Call them brainless... but don't ever call them... bimbos!"
"Didn't I tell you never to use that word around me?"
Now, at last, the bimbo movement has begun, led by a series
of semi-ironic TikTok videos that call for respecting hyper-femininity
and redefining bimbo culture as an inclusive, empowering mindset.
"Do you not care about society's elitist view of academic intelligence?"
Here's our Take on pop culture bimbos, and why it's important to include them
on the spectrum of femininity.
"At the end of the day, my heart belongs to bimbos."
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"Bimbo" is actually a contraction of the Italian word bambino,
meaning "male baby"-
the feminine version would be bambina or "bimba."
And originally, in 20th century American English,
"bimbo" typically referred to a dumb or unsophisticated man.
Over time, the term became more gender-neutral,
and by the latter half of the twentieth century,
it was more commonly used to describe a certain kind of woman.
As the name's roots imply,
this is a character who's often treated like a baby or a simpleton.
"They're easily confused.
I love their vacant, trusting stares, their sluggish, unencumbered minds..."
Onscreen, this character type was developed in movies
of the 1950s and 60s like Born Yesterday
starring Judy Holliday or the work of Marilyn Monroe.
"Blonde. Beautiful. Brazen. And, oh, brother."
"Are you one of these talkers
or would you be interested in a little action?"
What in the past might have been simply "dumb blonde" routines
took advantage of loosening content standards
by adding stronger hints of sexuality.
They also offered images that could be difficult
for other women to live up to.
"Maybe it's over here by this manhole... ahhh that is fuckin' hot!"
These examples established that the bimbo was a strange combination of
above other women (in her sex appeal)
and beneath them (in her intellect)-
setting her up to be an object of both envy and disdain.
"I don't wanna be perceived as a bimbo."
In the 90s and early 2000s, Playboy-models-turned-screen-stars
Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy, and Anna Nicole Smith
were instrumental in creating the image of the bimbo
as a buxom, usually blonde, vacuous-seeming sex bomb.
"In a bookstore? Me?"
"Her?"
"Here?"
Supposedly, these women
were only beloved for their sexy appearances,
and the increasingly common "bimbo" term was widely understood
to be a throw-away insult.
"The bimbo liked spreading her legs, but only on satin."
In the '80s and '90s, the word "bimbo" became especially prevalent
in descriptions of scandals involving politicians or public figures.
Of course, the women in these affairs were always the designated bimbos
in question, even when they were more likely the victims of powerful men.
"I... am not a bimbo!"
Bill Clinton's presidential campaign was even rumored to have been trained
in how to deal with "bimbo eruptions" that would result from
his extramarital affairs.
It's striking that in the history of the bimbo it's often other women
who attack her with this label.
A schism in second-wave feminism
(which came up in the 1960s and addressed issues beyond
the legal rights to equality)
led to disagreements about whether pornography was harmful to women,
or should be accepted as part of a sex-positive ideology.
"Does this promote violence against women?
Does this promote unhealthy sexual attitudes?
And just as importantly,
does this cater to women's needs in any way, shape, or form?"
As beauty standards continued to expand and evolve,
it was easy to dismiss bodies like Anderson's or Smith's
as pandering to stereotypical male desires, rather than
belonging to real people.
"Hiring an archaically superficial reflection of the male fantasy?"
The bimbo stereotype has plenty of overlap with other
female character types in pop culture:
like the Dumb Blonde, who is seen as beautiful but ditzy, naive,
or easily confused;
"What is Walmart? Do they sell wall stuff?"
the Mean Girl, who is sometimes portrayed as having a vacuum
of humanity underneath her pretty exterior;
"Most people are losers."
or the Girly Girl, who has a similar emphasis
on superficial and traditional femininity.
"Whoever said orange was the new pink
was seriously disturbed."
But what ultimately differentiates a bimbo from other stereotypes
is the emphasis on her sexuality.
"People hear you had sex once and, bam, you're a bimbo."
While desirability and sexuality can certainly play a part
in the portrayals of dumb blondes or mean girls, those types
can be conveyed without it.
A bimbo needs to have perceived sex appeal to qualify-
and she's typically painted as promiscuous.
"You were hanging out with that bimbo Allison Poole.
Hot number."
"What do you mean?"
"If you had a platinum card, she'd give you a blowjob."
Arguably, the bimbo hatred boils down to an expression
of the madonna-whore complex:
vilifying a woman for being openly sexual
and reducing her identity to only that.
This label turns a person into a two-dimensional image,
like a page ripped from a magazine:
a combination of an old-style pin-up girl, a bit of "dumb blonde"
vacuousness, and a more explicit, contemporary expression of sexuality.
"There's two main adjectives that people think when they see us:
Bimbo... and slut." [laugh]
Many onscreen bimbos are portrayed as not just dumb or ditzy or bubbly,
but actively vacuous- almost a caricature of a caricature.
"I can put my whole fist in my mouth! Wanna see?"
Bimbo characters tend to be denied humanity by popular culture.
They're treated as things, whether they're a married man's plaything,
a trophy wife, an object of fantasy,
or a vehicle for jokes about their vapidness.
"I have a fifth sense."
"What do you mean?"
"It's like I have ESPN or something." In plenty of stories,
the bimbo is used as a device to show that a male character
doesn't have depth or the right priorities.
"Somebody I could spend all my time with.
Somebody I could really respect. Hey, look at the cans on that bimbo."
Men in these stories are even implied to like the bimbo more
if she lacks smarts or intellectual interests.
"I can be smart when it's important. But most men don't like it."
Undoubtedly, this cumulative cultural portrayal of the bimbo
makes the term difficult to reclaim.
For a while, there was one thing that chauvinists and feminists
could agree on:
that bimbos aren't real people.
Actually, so-called bimbos do have plenty of positive attributes,
and there's a lot we can learn from real and fictional bimbos alike.
"The first tip is to not let people dull your shine.
You're a diamond, not a rhinestone."
First, they model self-assurance about their physical appearance.
"Confidence is what makes someone truly hot."
To be perceived as a bimbo, you have to really have confidence
in your body, your hair, and your sense of fashion.
The bimbo's ability to let go of inhibitions and hang-ups,
and enjoy her physicality, is really kind of a superpower.
She also understands how to enhance natural beauty,
"First, we must highlight your eyes. The eyes are the nipples of the face."
and wield her feminine wiles if she so chooses.
"I'm an expert at parties and boys!"
While there's an assumption that her looks cater to men,
both real and fictional bimbos express that they cultivate
their appearance because it gives them pleasure.
"I don't do this for the male gaze. I do it for my gaze!"
Bimbos also don't conform to the idea that women in particular must dress
or present a certain way to be taken seriously.
"Nice outfit!"
"Oh, I like your outfit too, except when I dress up
as a frigid b*tch, I try not to look so constipated."
The sexual politics of fashion change all the time,
and often for arbitrary reasons:
Is a woman wearing a suit showing her commitment to her job,
or acting "too masculine"?
How fashionable is too fashionable?
These concerns can seem ridiculous and pointless
compared to the much simpler guidelines a bimbo uses:
Do I think I look good in these clothes? Do I enjoy wearing them?
"Wear anything that makes you feel confident."
In this, the bimbo enacts a broader rejection of the elitism
that says you must adopt particular looks or mannerisms
to be considered smart or valuable.
"l wanna be an anchor.
That is never gonna happen if everyone in San Diego
thinks that l'm your bimbo gal pal."
The bimbo is a symbolic figure of fun.
Overall, she embodies a sense of joy and positivity-
which she can also unlock in others.
Despite all of her positive attributes, there isn't a wealth of stories
that offer a flattering view of bimbos.
"I feel like you're being super judgy! Like, I'm getting a real anti-me vibe."
But looking more closely, we can see that a lot
of bimbo characterizations are full of tongue-in-cheek humor,
"No one ever bought me drinks at a bar because my brain
just popped out of my shirt."
or self-aware stars using this persona knowingly,
while being fully in on the joke.
"I'm not a dumb blonde,
I'm just really good at pretending to be one"
The bimbo can surprise people with hidden likability or depth.
Stories that are sympathetic to a bimbo character
often pit her against more traditionally respectable people
and allow the bimbo to prove her worth to skeptical or dismissive onlookers.
"I once had to judge a tighty-whitey contest
for Lambda Kappa Pi.
Trust me, I can handle anything."
In Legally Blonde,
Reese Witherspoon's Elle Woods rises to the top of her class
at Harvard Law,
transcending dumb-sexy-blonde stereotypes to show how her
seemingly bimbo-esque qualities can be strengths.
"How did you know Chutney was lying?"
"Because she's brilliant, of course."
"The rules of hair care are simple and finite.
Any Cosmo girl would've known."
The screenwriters of Legally Blonde also wrote a movie that engages
with the bimbo specifically as a type.
The House Bunny stars Anna Faris as Shelley,
a model who is ejected from her life at the Playboy mansion,
and winds up becoming a den mother to
a college sorority full of outcasts.
"I know that there's nothing better than just being with your sisters,
sharing, talking all night..."
Though Shelley does learn to be less superficial,
she finds her bliss by doing what the bimbo does best:
embracing her natural positivity, not worrying about what people think,
and helping others.
"You said you needed to raise money.
Well, washing cars is a fun and sexy way to make all the money that we need!"
On The Big Bang Theory,
Kaley Cuoco's character Penny might seem like a bimbo,
but Penny grasps plenty of real-world matters
that puzzle and vex the socially clueless nerd characters.
"Have you told Amy what it was like for you growing up in Texas?"
"No."
"Well why don't you tell her?"
And eventually, they learn to value her for a lot more than her looks.
"You are one of my favorite people.
So if what you need is to spend your birthday in a bathroom,
I'm happy to do it with you."
In Romy & Michele's High School Reunion,
the two central supposed bimbos learn the lesson that
they don't need the validation of other people's approval.
"I think we should go back out there and just have fun, like we always do."
Their self-acceptance doesn't have to be predicated on popularity,
wealth, or a man because they succeed on their own terms.
"I never knew that we weren't that great in high school.
I mean, we always had so much fun together.
I thought high school was a blast."
And while '90s figures like the Spice Girls
were sometimes derided as bimbo versions of feminism
repackaged as capitalist "girl power,"
"Friendship never ends!"
there is value in pop culture that reminds us that feminism and fun
are not mutually exclusive.
At its best, this mindset can result in a character like Cher in Clueless.
She may have bimbo-like characteristics-
like great hair, a love of shopping, and a tendency to be underestimated.
"Just go back to the mall or something."
But she's a fully realized protagonist
who can also be witty, creative, sexually inexperienced, and kind.
"l'm captain of the Pismo Beach disaster relief."
"l don't think they need your skis."
"Daddy, some people lost all their belongings.
Don't you think that includes athletic equipment?"
"Who is the Gen Z bimbo?"
Today, our culture is showing newfound respect for bimbos.
People increasingly acknowledge a woman's choice to make her living
as a model, exotic dancer, or sex worker, and to use
her body however she sees fit.
"I want to give you the key to the city."
"Oh, what for?"
"Your confidence in the choices you make,
and your ability to celebrate your body!"
A figure like Kim Kardashian-
who was once derided for becoming famous largely
for her appearance and a sex tape-
is one of the most successful businesswomen on the planet.
And the bimbo movement (which is thriving on TikTok)
aims to re-orient the "bimbo" image as a more socially conscious,
satirically minded Gen-Z woman.
"She's actually a radical leftist, who's pro-sex work, pro-BLM,
pro-LGBTQ, pro-choice."
This new-age bimbo espouses progressive and inclusive ideas
while making fun of bimbo stereotypes, defending hyperfemininity,
and encouraging respect for all women.
"Do you support all women regardless of their job title
and whether they've had plastic surgery or body modification?
I'm no doctor, but I think you may be a new-age bimbo."
Morgan Sung writes for Mashable,
"The modern bimbo is hyperfeminine, embraces their hotness, and rejects
the capitalist mentality that they must showcase marketable skills."
The modern bimbo isn't necessarily uneducated or unintelligent,
but their personality doesn't revolve around their degrees and resúmé."
"Bimbos don't have to be dumb.
If they're dumb, whatever, but we just don't think we're better
than anyone else because we have a degree or don't have a degree."
This gen Z bimbo is also no longer limited to being
a cisgender heterosexual female.
Now we have the "himbo," which is closer to the original Italian word;
the "bimboy," who can be smaller and more feminine
than the traditional "himbo;"
and the gender-neutral "thembo," and bimbos of color.
"Bimbos of color here on TikTok, I'm gonna start off with myself:
I'm Mexican-American..."
All these variations offer a more intersectional idea of a bimbo,
and they shift away from mocking traditionally feminine qualities,
with the accompanying assumptions
about who should be taken seriously and why.
Ultimately, judging bimbos as unworthy is a lot more superficial than anything
they could do or say.
"We only did it because we wanted you to treat us
like human beings."
So today's bimbo moves beyond the stereotype of a thin, blonde,
vacuous, sexual woman, but also points out that it's OK
to be thin or blonde or unintellectual or sexual.
And this inclusiveness eliminates the reason the bimbo label became
an insult in the first place:
to control or degrade another human being.
Now, being a bimbo is your choice, not a word that anyone
can hold over you.
"You must always have faith in people.
And, most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself."
Hi everyone, I'm Susannah, I'm Debra, and we're the creators of the Take.
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