Just out of curiosity, what would the opposite of a bimbo be? There's the meme of the Bimbo transformation, but not sure what the girl opposite would be called. Like book worm?
Karen from "Mean Girls" is probably the best known example, but what she lacks in brains, she makes up for in heart, and is the least malicious of the Plastics, since she genuinely doesn't know any better. 💜
It's sad that so many of us felt like having girly style, wearing pink, not taking ourselves seriously 24/7 when we were growing up was bad! I'm 22 and having so much fun reclaiming a part of me I felt had to be toned down to be taken seriously! Bimbos really stress just having fun and doing what makes you happy!!
I think as young girls a lot of us had that phase because of the way feminine sex roles and stereotypes were pushed on us. Girls are forced into uncomfortable dresses , told they need to alter their bodies to fit into the female beauty standard, socialized to perform domestic and emotional labor, told to be quiet and prim and proper, to aspire to be princesses, all while seeing boys getting to just...exist, naturally, as they are, wild and carefree and comfortable, with aspirations to be superheroes and scientists...and so of course we fight back against those norms. An 8 year old might not have the ability to vocalize that sort of critical analysis but they do know that "dresses and pink are for girls" and they don't want to be restricted by such things, they want to be more, they want to be different, and so you get the "I HATE PINK" phase you see a lot of young girls have. I think as we get older we're able to see that some of those interests and traits aren't inherently negative, they just come with a lot of baggage and so we can pick and choose what feels good for us. Dresses are fun to wear, pink is a really lovely color. But I also think that critical analysis of the social pressures that exist for us as women that may cause us to "choose" to engage in certain feminine activities or embody certain feminine traits is important. That rejection of femininity we had as young people may have been overly simplistic in execution but to some degree the idea behind it wasn't all wrong.
@@Shaylanswanson who is telling you this? Your parents? Literally there are no boys running around demanding girls wear pink, so you must be internalizing your misery from elsewhere like your own house... or perhaps some other girls you hang out w tell you to be that way. Bc boys literally couldnt give less of a fuck, so these gender roles being pushed onto you must come from hollywood or sth
@@MrEvldreamr I'm speaking more to the implicit socialization that girls go through rather than this being explicitly said by any one specific person - though that happens too. I also never said it was coming from boys, it's something I've seen women and men perpetuate alike and yes, Hollywood and media (social media especially, nowadays) is a large part of it.
@@Shaylanswanson oh. =/ I mean... if its implicit than why dont ppl care about how these same tropes hurt men possibly more than women. Male stereotypes are actually explicitly taught to men, not implicitly absorbed like it is for women
I love how the concept of the bimbo is being redefined because one cultural stereotype that I hate is that women cannot possess both hyperfemininity and intelligence. Like seriously I as a woman can be smart , be articulate , have deep interests , and overall be intelligent while also truly liking hyper feminine things. I also love fashion , makeup , heels , investing in my looks and looking good overall shit even sexy. I also value education and intelligence and I shouldn’t be boxed into a stereotype to do that. I will make a speech about law in my class while rocking a great face beat and killer heel no issue. Women should be free to be both intelligent and overtly and hyperfeminine unapologetically regardless if they decide to fit into the bimbo mold or not.
It took me a while to learn this and I'm so glad I did. Amber Scholl here on UA-cam for example seems like your typical bimbo at first glance but her confidence and go getter attitude have inspired me a lot. It feels like she is an entirely species of woman than I am, but I know now that she is just living her best life and we should all aspire to be like her. She is also rather obviously a clever business woman. The more I learn about other people and especially other women the more I learn to appreciate different qualities in people. It's also eye opening how much of our opinions as women about ourselves and others is just internalized misogyny. Let's all just be however we want to be and lift each other up!
Right! All three of the girls on The Girls Next Door had college degrees. One of them even took their final test for their Masters degree the same day as her Playboy photo shoot.
There are a lot of reasons why she’s still a household name. Part of it is the fact that she was able to encompass such a huge amount of femininity. Plus, even her dumb blonde characters have some depth. She was a fascinating historical figure
@@Pink_pr1ncess exactly how was she smart? I keep hearing she was smart but how? I know she dated philosophers and did charity but what else makes her smart?
Yes, please. He's usually the "Dogged Nice Guy" who is persistently friendly to his best friend in the hopes that she'll eventually reciporate his feelings. However, if she only likes him as a friend, then he may turn aggressive and entitled.
Yes! This is definitely a different type than the Nice Guy though there are often overlaps. I think the best friend from The Kissing Booth would be a great example of this!!!!
Yess danica mckellar, love winnie cooper and im so glad she didnt let her image hold her back from doing what she wanted to (basically becoming a mathematician)
@@jennerick92jm I kinda disagree, for the most part it's acceptable for men to never get married and to live that bachelor lifestyle. Not saying that no man wouldn't be shame but not enough where I feel that this is accurate. Look at the James Bond character forever a romantize bachelor. Now if they were asexual bachelor's then that's different because men do shame other men who don't have a lot of sex.
Being against pornograph has nothing to do with being against attractive women. It's about defending these women: the actresses who work in porn industry suffer a lot of abuse and have a really short life expectancy
What's worse is that a lot of them are in the industry because they don't have money for basic necessities. What they need is safer employment options. While the porn industry is dangerous, for a lot of poor women, it's the only way they can survive.
sure, but too many women outside of that industry have a patronizing way of "defending" these women by speaking FOR them. so before we as onlookers deem something to be "unsafe" we should hush and listen and ask questions and let sex workers speak for themselves. a lot of actually harmful legislation came from good intentions to defend sex workers
@@GenerationNextNextNext : any woman who need the porn industry to survive we're talking a Third World situation. Otherwise, it's not hard to choose to work somewhere else than the sex industry. And this is from someone who had no problem with the sex industry existing (though I think it should be heavily regulated).
It really bugs me that female stereotypes always fall under 2 categories: 1- the hot pretty girl- and she is either a terrible person or plain stupid. Or 2- the "different" girl- (and in some movies she turns out to be beautiful without her glasses) who is brainy, nerdy ,unpopular ,weird- and usually the protagonist. It's so sad that society deems girls to be either pretty or clever. And then people are wondering how can there be so many "I'm not like other girls" +I'm not a native English speaker, please correct me if I have any grammar/spelling mistakes
I wasn't taking about tropes, I'm talking about categories, if you look at a lot of tropes they still fall under those 2 categories. EG- hot girl: the mean girl, the dumb blond, the bimbo, the bombshell, the gold digger, the femme fatale, the girly girl... The "different" girl- the weird girl, the smart girl, the Tomboy, the tough girl, the strong female character, the funny girl....
I grew up watching himym and I thought it was what u called bondes as a kid, so I wrote "happy birthday bimbo" in my sister's birthday and I got grounded lmao I cringe remembering this because my sister was 15 and I was 8 Truly a repressed childhood memory that my family feel the need to constantly bring up smh
As a “Bimbo” of color I unapologetically love makeup,clothes,shoes,shopping,and accessories however there is more to me than that.I’m still a human being.Also I’m still a Paris Hilton,Marilyn Monroe,And Anna Nicole Smith fan lol...
Paris Hilton and Marilyn Monroe are much deeper people than people think. Paris is actually very smart and kind, and is a genuinely interesting person. And Marilyn is a special case of a woman who had a much darker life than most people care to know, with very real struggles and feelings. She was very smart, and talented, but got treated like nothing but a pretty face because that's how male directors purposefully cast her off. There's a reason we use the word "typecasting", and she was a victim of that to an extreme. To this day, people are shocked to find out that she wasn't just a "pretty idiot", and that's just sad to me. I will always love Marilyn more than almost any other actress, and I relate to the struggles that she suffered through that she was made to be afraid to talk about. The poor woman suffered through severe depression and anxiety, the loss of many unborn children, parental neglect, abusive relationships, and societal mistreatment, and yet nobody wanted to hear it because she was told it would "ruin her image". Poor Marilyn. She wasn't even allowed to be a person of her own in the end because people just wanted to see her as a pretty, perfect blonde.
I do not want to squash a fellow woman, but have you ever stepped back and examined your place in the world? As per your description of your interests, to the outside world, you're viewed as inwardly focused and catering to the male gaze. Does that ever cross your mind? As a feminist, I have to admit that, even though I LOVE The Take video essays, they've recently taken on theses about feminism that are actually really contradictory to feminism. In truth, I know it's desirable and easiest to adopt the belief that "Because I'm a woman, everything I do is feminist", but it's not true. Feminism is about gender equality, and how can women truly be equal when we mold every aspect of our appearance to appease men? And you can say "I wear make-up and shave my armpits for ME", but I've been there, done that. Went a whole summer without shaving my armpits and I could tell that both men and women were grossed out, which made me feel bad, so I went back to shaving them. With a little examination, it's kind of unsettling how society is the true decider of our appearance, and not ourselves. Anyway, that's just my take. "When everything is feminist, nothing is."
ur amazing queen but pls no more paris hilton.. shes racist and has said the hard r multiple times!!! i understand giving credit where its due tho since she was one of the more popular 'bimbos' of our time
@fire work Shaving isn’t a part of hygiene, it’s a personal choice that has been forced as as standard by men who prefer hairless child like bodies on women but are hairy monsters themselves. Body hair is natural and shaving is as unnecessary and cosmetic as wearing makeup. It’s a choice.
I swear, there's an entire community and they even exist on Tik Tok. They seem like genuinely nice people plus although they act air headed, a lot of them are very educated. 🤣
I can assure you just because someone is educated, doesn't mean they are actually smart. I've met plenty of stupid people at university. They usually learn things by heart.
Notice how 90% are portrayed as blonde.I really dislike that on shows that shows the bimbos bereated by another women in order to appeal to internalized misoginy (in the sense that they say "we are superior women, a completely diferent species" )instead of making audience feel angry for people taking advantage of them
Exactly the whole bimbo thing just teaches you that if your blonde skinny white, and have big cans you have an easy enough life to not care. It’s an evil trope that’s rebranding itself as “inclusive” because a few people Of color have said they are bimbos.
@@DonMyersOfficial uhhh, wrong? The bimbo trope has, in quite few movies actually, shown that being pretty and stupid doesnt yield an easier life (neither does being blonde btw). Movies like house bunny and mean girls clearly showed this. I think its sexist to say that bimbos are toxic even if the girl is kindhearted while himbos are great even if the dude cant perform even the most basic of tasks, this is essentially what the take is saying.
@@williamspears1627 This video is not about the "dumb blonde trope". The Take clearly laid out the film history of the bimbo trope, which did originate with BLONDES in the 1950's. Even more recently, bimbos in 90's-2000's movies were nearly always portrayed as blonde. In the middle of the video, timestamp 6:45-7:24, The Take even ADDRESSES the crossover with the dumb blonde trope, mean girl trope, AND girly girl tropes, but FURTHER clarifies that what sets the bimbo trope apart is the particular focus on her sexuality. I'm confused on how you missed so many context clues/actual explanations.... they were made all throughout the vidoe. You did watch it, right?
I grew up resenting "bimbos" because I was quiet and smart and as an insecure teen, it sucked that it was so obvious that my way of being was not as desirable at that age. It gets easier, and the playing field levels out after you leave school but sometimes it is a long haul to overcome chronic challenges from our formative years. That is only one example, and everyone is different, but it isn't a stretch to consider that scenarios like the one I mentioned are part of the reason that the "bimbo" is viewed negatively. A side note: I think that covid and working from home has made many people who thought that they made themselves up for their own pleasure realise that they actually are much more comfortable/themselves without doing those things. And for others it has confirmed that those things make them happy even if no one else sees them. It would be interesting to collect stories from different people.
In some cases the pleasure of getting dolled up is to do with the reaction is causes or is perceived to cause, so doing it for yourself would be pointless, like acting without an audience. It doesn't mean the actor takes no pleasure in acting, just the reason for doing is removed without people to watch.
@@_Sakidora_ If an actor takes pleasure in (the act of) acting, then there is a reason for doing it, even without the audience. While other actors might specifically be in it to make other people feel things, or for the positive feedback from the audience.
You should seriously do a comparison between FRIENDS and How I Met Your Mother. They are basically the same show set in different time periods with different generations as the main characters. That should be interesting.
Not really different generations though, both sets of characters were GenX. The Friends and HIMYM characters are only about 10 years apart. But I'll admit it was a surprisingly big jump culturally hitting adulthood in the 90s (as in Friends) vs the 00s (as in HIMYM). I was in high school when Friends started but was right about the same age as the HIMYM characters, and enjoyed both shows.
@@basmalasaad3039 The only one that brings to mind is Barney from HIMYM. After the Robin divorce he goes back to his hoeing ways and after a full month of one night stands, he gets number 31 pregnant and has a daughter. The next time we see him at the bar, some dudes are trying out his tactics and he cockblocks them and ask the women what their fathers' would think of them.
I hear that irl a lot. If a man has a daughter that’s punishment for what he’s done to/with women and having a daughter will “teach him a lesson”. It’s disgusting. In movies The teenage daughter almost gets raped most of the time and the dad has to save her, Or kidnapped, or cat called, sexually harassed, etc etc, and only then will he see women as human.... NOT. He only sees his DAUGHTER as human. He raised her and always protected her, she isn’t a woman in his eyes, she’s his daughter. Still, it’s gross that a girl/woman has to pay for the sins of her father because he was an ass... that trope is just wrong and creepy for a number of reasons
I'm also really interested in the way ideas about body shape/size permeate society's understandings of female intelligence. Putting aside body modification for a moment, women who have naturally smaller breasts are portrayed with grater complexity, while women with curvier figures are often cast as either matronly or hypersexual. Not only do these ideas justify treating larger/curvier women with disrespect, but they also limit smaller women as they work to claim sexual agency and power. These understandings are rooted in colonial-era conceptualizations of race and intellect. Women of color have always been imagined as hypersexual and animalistic, and these ideas have been used to justify rape as a tactic of war and conquest. Bottom line: everything is intersectional, and the problematic racial dynamics that underpin this trope have been with us for a long time.
Very insightful. I know this bit is probably the most minor part of what you were saying, but I was glad to see Margot Robbie prominently featured in the bombshell video. It's a first world problem, but a lot of women feel really inferior about being less endowed.
@Colette de la Creme No one is denying that white women also experience sexism related to their body shape...the video highlighted many instances of that. My comment was intended to highlight the ways in which the sexualization of curviness as a trait has been rooted in the conceptualization of women of color (particularly black and brown women). That analysis doesn't discredit your experience, but adds additional context that I felt was missing from the video.
What scares me in this trope is the fact that those women have got personality of a child. Or a person with mental development problems. So basically they're portrayed as children or ill people, but only sexy.
A lot of you ladies are seeing it from a female perspective, most men do not care that much about intelligence and yes men like women who are playful and innocent its feminine. Perhaps some men, intelligence is 3 or 4th on their list, but most men are visual and its looks first.
@@makegeorgeorwellfictionaga9268 it's not just about intelligence. A person should not necessarily be clever, but a person should be mentally developed on the level of an adult. Many of Monroe's characters behave and don't know basic things like children. It's impossible for an adult unless they have some problems. Fantasising about women who are basically children, but only in a hot female body, is scary. And condescending - makes even the dumbest guy a genius compared to her.
@@makegeorgeorwellfictionaga9268 So, men don't want an equal partner, they want children they can f***. And you're genuinely surprised women say men are pigs? You do realize how subhuman you make men sound?
@@red_calla_lily Your still not getting it, that is what men are attracted to sexually, your just fighting nature, just like no matter how much men complain, female hypergamy will not go away either.
Marilyn Monroe’s character in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is my absolute favorite. I think she was this trope done realistically. She knows how she’s perceived and it’s something she does consciously and even explains herself.
This video reminded me of a conversation I had with my friend. She was upset about the look of Netflix's Winx Saga because she is a big fan of the cartoon and it looked so different. Yet, the biggest annoyance was the fact that it appeared to remove itself from the hyper-femininity of the cartoon, and replaced it with a more masculine edginess (neither of us watched the new series, but I hope others enjoyed it). I almost jumped out of seat in feminist agreement, as I have never liked the rejection of the girly-girl traits, nor the attempts at pushing women to adopt masculine traits in order to fit into male dominated aspects in the world.
It's quite different to play "Bimbo" part from time to time in few movies, or in real life, than being considered Bimbo as a person. A lot of women who were considered this trope as their personalities (though they were really not) ended up highly depressed, miserable and died way too young, usually from drugs overdose. One thing is having few roles or having fun in real life playing this trope to enjoy yourself, and the other is being branded as no-use-but-sex, brainless but pretty thing in life, as your main personality. It made those women miserable and it was downright cruel to them. Most famous examples: Marylin Monroe and Anna Nicole Smith, but there were many others too. It's just not real, it doesn't exist, it's just a play. No one is that happy-go-lucky brainless pretty thing and to brand someone as a thing is cruel.
But making the bimbo something more 'respectable' or even aspirational to some degree might reduce the hate (a mixture of jealousy, lust, snobbery, puritanism and condescension) which led these women to be depressed and feel persecuted, as well as addressing the problem of sexual exploitation in the entertainment industry.
I dunno - most guys who sleep with a bimbo on any sort of regular basis probably end up falling in love with her, if she's nice. Men are weak and simple, face it. Women who dressed up as bimbos to do porn or be strippers are a different story, of course - they get judged too harshly, even today.
Glad we're empowering women for embracing their sexuality and femininity. Kim K wouldn't be my example personally, not that it isn't cool for her to find success in her sex appeal but a large part of her and her family's credit is because they're culture vultures...
@@paris5056 not being down with white people being praised for appropriating cultures as if they invented box braids or kimonos doesn't make sense to you?
I was literally just thinking about The Take doing this when I was listening to a playlist and P!nk's "Stupid Girls" came on. I'm glad we've progressed past just seeing people as one thing now. I feel like as much as things aren't perfect people are realizing you can be more than just one category of a person now.
I agree with that, but I've also heard arguments about the Stupid Girls song that say it's more about not trying to change yourself for a man, thinking for yourself instead of just trying to appeal to what they might want, and I agree with that idea.
@@picklesthewise thats a good interpretation and I get what she was trying to say but it definitely comes off as anti-bimbo, almost the "not like the other girls" stereotype. I hate that media tried to hammer that message in so hard in the 2000s and 2010s, that girls would eventually put down other girls so harshly for being hyperfeminine, sexy, or liking mainstream culture while upholding homophobia, lowkey racist shit and frat bro culture at the same time lol. I think thats why stuff got so hyper-liberal at one point in the 2010s.
@@Blue.1889 I wouldn't say it's gotten hyper-liberal at one point - we're in the middle of a period of it right now. As much as it is good that more people are being accepted and loved for who they are, there is also a great deal of people condemning things for being offensive that weren't even intended that way, and the people being offended aren't even the people that the thing was supposedly targeting. You see a lot more of it being said online than you do in real life, which I think adds to it. I'm not talking about the Stupid Girls song, because I think that it's in a grey area and up for debate. I don't believe in being against all women who fall into stereotypes, but there should definitely be more factors to a woman's self esteem than her appearance, and teaching girls that, even if it's in a kind of edgy way, is still valid if they get the point.
@@picklesthewise That song just rubbed me the wrong way, even though I like a lot of P!nk's other songs. The part in the music video where she makes fun of other celebrity women like for being ditzy felt petty and the part where she pretends she's a "stupid girl" with bulimia, those parts stood out as being against people who annoy her, more that their "stupid" actions. Even as a preteen I thought that bulimia part was wrong, and I get joking about bulimia in something like a comedy movie or parody, but it seems wrong to inject it in a music video about young girls' (in a song targeted TO young girls) with behavior that's stupid is wrong cause eating disorders are a mental disorder and body dysmorphia doesn't only affect the "stupid girls." Just calling it stupid isn't helping know how to deal with dysmorphia. I would add that P!nk's song "Perfect" is a lot better with regards to acceptance. Personally the song just comes off as a huge "I'm Not Like Other Girls" anthem and it's hard enough for a teen (especially a girl teen) to figure out how to balance gender expression and know who and what they want to be when everyone is judging and telling you what's right and wrong and being so image focused. I think that's what I like about the general consensus today where you don't see people not pigeonholing others to be just one thing. You can be like both feminine or masculine hobbies or neither or any combination of interests.
An alternative version of "The Bimbo" is one who pretends to be dumb in order to preserve their popularity, because it's "uncool to be smart." Examples include Cordelia Chase or Lydia Martin.
So, wouldn't that be the bimbos judging other women for being smart or "less fun"? I doubt that their motivations are quite as innocent as the way that they're presented here.
Would The Nanny’s Fran Fine apply to this trope? I always thought she was a great example of a sexy not too smart woman who is constantly put down as a bimbo, but proves she has a big heart and who uses her positive attitude and kindness to help people.
Perhaps its the shallow reaction to her dark hair, but Fran always stuck me as clearly having street smarts. Haven't seen the show in years, but I saw her as somewhat of a middle class or working class heroine who held her own around the Sheffields.
I might be wrong, but she might be in the "bombshell" category like Mae West - a sexualized woman who is renowned for her big heart but also quick wit. They're not "smart" in the academic sense, but they have a specific form of intellect that leaves men dumbstruck.
@@cheri31 I agree, she is uneducated but very smart. She sometimes gets into trouble because she's too determined or she says clearly what she thinks, and she always finds a way out of them. She is by no means dumb.
Reminds me of Lindsey Ellis’s take on Megan Fox on Transformers- the text gave her characterization and an arc- the _camera_ made her a shallow sex object
Could you do a video on how mental illness is portrayed and vilified (especially in the horror genre)? Many movies and TV show’s portrayals are dangerous because of their inaccuracies. Many projects also don’t seem to have any consultants to help get the portrayal right, not to mention the fact that the actors/actresses cast do not have any experience with and/or are not diagnosed with the disorder themselves (ex: Sia’s new movie is a bout a girl with autism but the actress playing her does not have autism). I love all of your videos! They are wonderfully made and bring up great points! Thanks!
Just the other night I was watching some movie from the late 90s or early 2000s, and the big reveal/twist was a murderer with multiple personalities. I hope that can't be considered a spoiler!
As someone with Autism, I'd wish you wouldn't speak for people with ASD. A lot of us struggle with the stress of even having a job because most employers don't know how to deal with someone with ASD like when having miscommunications due to our poor social skills, neither do they create an enviroment suitable to us or allow us to create such an enviroment. Try dealing with fame on top of that! I applaud every actor with ASD like the guy from Black Balloon, but I'm aware it's unattainable for most people so I'm perfectly okay with normal people playing an Autistic character. Do you even have ASD, because most of the people I've seen complaining about this yet, are people without ASD and are speaking out of ignorance about the struggles we have with the workforce.
I would love if you guys did a video on Harley Quinn and other lovable villains. While Harley is definitely a villain she’s a beloved character in the DC universe. She funny, and smart but very dangerous and sick. It’s so interesting how many characters that are villains but are loved and even rooted for by fans.
I've been following Bimbo Tik Tok for a while and the fact that its being featured on The Take is amazing! Fauxrich and all the people in this movement are killing it! I've always feared being bubbly and not taking myself seriously made people look down on me, bimbos make me feel so confident to just be myself, enjoy the things I like, and do it all for my own happiness! 💗💕🎀💘✨
I wouldn't call myself a girly girl, (more of a geek girl/punk girl) but I *do* get annoyed when my older brother thinks I wear makeup to attract boys, I DON'T. I wear it because I like to feel pretty and take pride in my appearance. Why do men assume that any girl not dressed like a slob is doing it for the male gaze? 😤
Why are you putting down women who don't enjoy dressing up and wearing make up by calling them slobs? Make up is itchy and some of us live in tshirts and sneakers because it feels good to us.
@@carlathedestructor2454 That's not what I meant by "slob." I wear t-shirts and sneakers all the time. By slob, I meant clothes like a raggedy sweatshirt and dirty sweatpants.
Literally I wear makeup with eyelinered hearts on my eyes and everyone was like "who are you looking nice for?" Like, myself? I literally can't see anyone? Why would I do it for anyone else?
•really rich •dad is usually a lawyer/ceo/school principal and mom is a housewife •dumb but gets her way cuz of ✨daddy✨ •has a Pomeranian or chihuahua •connected to royalty somehow •has tons of celeb friends •is a bully
Charlotte of The Princess and the Frog Is a great deconstruction of the trope. She Is spoiled by her dad, but she Is so kind and funny. And not racist , wich Is important considering the era in wich the film takes place.
I'm an intelligent woman, but I still want to be like Mae West in my 40's and 50s. There is nothing wrong with being perky and having a personality, and being hyper feminine from time to time.
This seems to overlap a lot with the Dumb Blonde trope.. I'd be interested to see more videos discussing tropes centered around people of colour. I've seen a lot of requests for these before- the exotic asian, the shamanic Native American, etc.
As glad I am that women are taking away the power of the word by reclaiming it, I have a hard time looking at this one and saying it's a reclaimed slur that has a lot of good qualities when the word is so inherently negative. Other reclaimed slurs like queer etc were generally just a derogatory word for a minority that can be reclaimed as a more positive label for the minority by saying "Yes I am queer, because I am gay and I refuse to let a word that means 'gay' be derogatory." But bimbo doesn't just refer to women, or to hot women, it specifically calls the women dumb, useless objects, so owning the label doesn't equate to "yes I am a bimbo, because I'm a hot woman and proud of it." Instead I think it sounds more like "I am a brainless object and proud of it." More power to women who are able to use this image to their advantage, and I understand that words change meaning over time, but I don't think this word is at a place right now where it can be reclaimed.
I can't see a lot of difference between calling someone gay a queer, which originally meant not normal and calling a hyperfeminine woman a bimbo, which means brainless. In both cases it is meant to hurt and diminish the target of bullying. Adopting a bully's insults as a positive label works in both cases. In the case of a 'queer' person it declares that to be outside the sexual majority is fine and in the case of the 'bimbo' it says that to be hyperfeminine is also fine, as is not being an intellectual or academic.
All video was nice except for the revindication of Kim Kardashian, which to me, is a harmful figure. She is literally a person that is famous just for exposing her lifestyle and excesses (not gonna shame her for a sex tape) but she is not the kind of businesswoman I admire, she is a mediatic, and that's it. I think having her as an example of a successful individual is damaging in the popular culture. There are no males that are represented her manner. Even though, yes, she has money and made an empire it is settled upon sexism. Is that really what we want as women or business people? Also, isn't it an oxymoron to talk about the bimbo "rejecting capitalism with their no marketable skills" while selling an image of hyper-consumerism?
Her and her family are also largely responsible for legions of young girls, teens, and women hating and massively altering their bodies. They get plastic surgery, use filters, angles, photos, photoshop, shapewear, lighting, and makeup to achieve their looks and claim to be all natural. It is also a highly sexualized appearance that has been put on a pedestal for impressionable people. We've stopped glorifying beauty as being anything than hypersexualized
Here's a trope idea: the “Kyle” trope. Examples: Jean Ralphio from Parks & Rec and perhaps by extension Tom, Kyler from Cobra Kai, Robbie from Gravity Falls, Stiffler from American Pie. Also, I might suggest looking up Trevor Wallace’s videos about Kyles.
I love how this channel constantly takes on tropes that inherently put down femininity and they instead uplift femininity in all of it's forms and in whoever expresses it
@@jennerick92jm same here in república dominicana! It's considered rich people bread. We mostly eat pan de agua anyway which is way more tasty, filling and affordable
@@literaIIyshy Pan De Agua? That translates to bread of water. Makes me think of old shows or movies where they joke that the only food you get in prison is bread and water
I want to be a goth-bimbo sometimes, a possessed looking goth-doll in others and a goth/punk-ish-gremlin when I don't feel like doing the other ones that require more complex make up styles.
now you give me inspo to be grunge ulzzang binbo (ulzzang, eol-jang, a term from korea, used to described perfect face. I’m nowhere fetishizing it, I’m also Asian and they have the style and kind of makeup I love)
I know that's a bit off topic, but it's kind off weird that stereotypicaley, every positive trade needs to come with some sort of price, guys and girls who are conventionally attractive, are either dump or mean and everyone who is intelligent is either ugly (or at least Hollywood ugly) and/or unpopular.
I think this is more of an attempt to flesh out characters, so they don't end up with a Mary Sue (trope about the perfect woman with no conceivable flaws). It's more realistic and dynamic to add different facets to a character, even if it is a "price". But if you want an example of positive trait with another positive trait, might I suggest the himbo (conventionally attractive guy who is comedically dumb, but incredibly kind, emphathetic, and secure in himself)? Although they do have a "negative" trait of being dumb, in the context of the himbo trope, this is actually a weirdly positive thing! This dumbness only emphasizes how wholesome the himbo is, and it also differentiates the man from the other men around him who are aggressive, rude, and have something to prove to everyone he meets.
Okay, I googled bimbo and the history in Germany and it is true that this word was used as a racist slur. But nowadays it is more known for the English definition I believe
Most people don’t think that. College is full of attractive and intelligent women, as are workplaces. Caring about your appearance and being healthy is usually associated with being smarter with your shit together.
I hung with the bimbos in college. I always had fun at the good parties. I got all of the spill over perks. Girls who looked like me weren’t supposed to be in those circles but the bimbos made sure I was included.
My mom always said that confidence is incredibly attractive to others and she was absolutely correct! I knew a girl who was heavy with very thick glasses but she might as well have been wonder woman as she walked through life owning it (she was kind and funny too), and it was very attractive to everyone around her. I've seen the opposite with more traditionally attractive women.
My grandmother was the first woman to earn a PHD in her college. She worked in academia for years, and was a highly respected expert in her field, writing a number of books.
The idea that 'bimbo' is anything other than a degrading and sexist insult towards women (as it comes from a literal *porn category*) is just ridiculous. Come on, ladies. We can do better than this. Instead of "reclaiming" words that have been used to belittle us, reclaim your dignity as a human being deserving of respect. How in the world did feminism go from "women aren't objects" to "objectifying yourself and doing exactly what gross men want you to do is empowering actually" in less than a decade? I hate it here.
@Mike Kane I don't care Micheal. The objectification of women and girls only benefits creepy men. You can use as many big words as you want but your argument won't be any less hollow. Men don't care if the woman is objectifying herself or being objectified by someone else. All they are are objects to get off to and disrespect. Bimbo is a misogynist term. Conforming perfectly to pornified beauty standards is only hurting women in the long run and helping capitalism.
These videos are truly amazing conversation points and examples of self awareness and empowerment. I love sharing them and helping to understand how the tropes formed the biases I grew up with. Thank you for your wonderful work!
the newest generation just seems like they're doing so much work on social media. all the time, screaming out into the universe to be accepted. it's exhausting to watch.
@@CamJames for exaple. i come from really conservative country and without social media i wouldn't have access to some progressive mindsets. thats why im thankfull for newest generation speaking their mind.
@@mishka765 that's great for you. I'm not talking about educational users. A lot of them are just being loud, chaotic or silly just out of boredom. Which is fine for them but I don't wanna see it.
This video is wonderful and so insightful! Thank you! I told a joke at work yesterday and got called a bimbo by a co-worker, I felt sad about it. It was really strange since we both held the same job position and yet she saw me as lesser.
So apparently, 14:50 "bimbo versions of feminism repackaged as capitalist Girl Power" are bad, but 15:43 bimbo versions of feminism repackaged as social media Girl Power are good. Got it.
I don’t think they were agreeing that’s how they see the spice girls. They are just saying how critics saw them. But yeah the tik tok social media examples were very weak and cringe. They also didn’t even look like bimbos. More like alt girls and social rejects who are radical leftist (aka fake woke).
I definitely understand everyone's confusion/hesitation surrounding bimbo reclamation. I'd like to jump in and maybe clarify a few things and hopefully it ends up being helpful! This might be long.... So the reason why these two situations are completely different is because in the 14:50 "bimbo versions of feminism repackaged as capitalist girl power" those depictions were still mainly derogatory and that trope image was still controlled by the men in media (writers/directors/anyone who was able to have a say in the perpetuation of the bimbo trope), whereas the 15:43 "bimbo versions of feminism repackaged as social media girl power" is in the control of every day women today who are evolving this negative stereotype. That's a HUGE, distinct, and important difference between these two situations. Idk how versed everyone here is about feminist history, but the idea of "performing femininity = bad for women" has been a point of contention for DECADES. There have always been these community debates around whether or not women can ever truly reclaim femininity, and both sides make valid points, honestly. But I brought this up to show that there is a history of women and men shaming/policing/excluding other women on how they choose to present themselves and what they decide is personally empowering. And more often than not, hyperfemininity is frowned upon, leaving women who WANT to embrace their hyperfemininity between a rock and a hard space of either denying themselves or being dehumanized by both men and women if they pursue a personal aesthetic. This is why the reclamation of hyperfemininity (represented here by the bimbo trope) is incredibly important. It allows women to start redefining this hyperfemininity as something separate from men. There is an entire community of bimbos, and if you ever find yourself on that side of the internet, I recommend reading the comments. Many women have vocalized relief in being able to explore the "bimbo aesthetic" now, how much support and confidence they've found in the community, etc.
@@LemonCoutureBunny Ah, so in the first case male producers direct women to behave this degrading way, in the second case a later generation of women voluntarily imitates the degrading behavior because they were told it was empowering. Such strides!
In our friend group of men and women, one of the men once invited his then girlfriend to a party we had. She was stunning! And besides her looks, she was visiting university, becoming a teacher, was then already in schools to get some experience as mandated by her studying to become a teacher. As soon as they both left all the girls were all up and about "Of course he has someone like this as a girlfriend." I felt soooo out of place when that happened. It was just plain old wrong. Where is body positivity towards those people who "don't seem to need it"? Like .. what the hell happened there?! She was fun to talk with. Was a bit shy since she was newly introduced to the group. But other than that she did nothing to upset anyone. It was so surreal. They are not together anymore, but still, that evening still is very vivid in my mind.
As a woman, I instantly nix anyone out of my life, woman or man, who chooses to treat people as competition for any reason. I've had way too many experiences with toxic, two-faced behavior like that to tolerate it. There is nothing worse than a room choosing to talk badly about somebody just because they were perceived to be prettier or better at something than the people around them felt to be, and it screams of insecurity and bullying. "I feel like they're better than me for no good reason, so I'm going to talk badly about them to make myself feel better." Or, alternatively, "I'm jealous of their looks/smarts/personality, so I'm going to tell myself that they're trying to be perfect in order to make me jealous". I do not understand that kind of thought process.
If it empowers you and makes you feel good dispite what ever gender or orientation. Go for it. But sadly, all I see are people embracing narcissistic behaviors while claiming them to be healthy or good for growth and development. But again to each their own.
In Sweden we had a famous character on TV called Grynet when I was a kid. She was essentially a smart girly girl with glasses and a princess crown who got mad whenever something wasn't fair. I didn't think much of it back then, but she was really ahead of her time.
Can you do one on "That Guy" actors? Actors whom appear in things and you recognize but you don't quite remember what their names are. Dick Miller. Gary Cole. Mark Pellegrino. Stephen Toblowsky. William Fichner. Richard Kind. Esteemed character actress Margo Martindale. Danny Trejo.
I thought when they said they were reclaiming the bimbo trope it was going to be like the Elle woods type. But I see it’s more along the lines that it’s ok to be known just for your body and unintelligent.
There was a great episode of a Disney show called "Even Stevens" (from the early 2000's), where the smart, overachieving brunette female lead (Ren) gets her hair accidentally dyed blonde by her girly, gossipy best friend. She ends up getting a LOT of attention and starts acting like a stereotypical one-dimensional bimbo, until her BFF stages an intervention that includes other popular blond girls in the school who are smart, talented and accomplished. It was a creative, thoughtful way to present a balance in the situation.
Don’t sit right with me that women feel the need to always prove that they not a bimbo, that’s feeding the whole idea implying other women are when instead we should be saying eff u these crazy stereotypical groups society tries to put us into
One of the first things the character Fatin on the Wilds says is "I don't understand feminism, I get called a girly-girl, like it's a bad thing that I'm twice the amount of girl" and I really loved that. The Wilds was great btw, I would actually love a video on it by the Take!
Honestly that's one of the things I dislike about second wave feminism, that it was focused on getting respect for women (which is good) but only through the male lens of what is or is not respectable. Women having to behave a certain way (outside of common courtesy and not harming others) to be respected means that women still, by default, are not respected and have to prove themselves. It's gross.
Make your “weakness” your superpower! I’m a fake blond who likes fashion and being nice - I now work in the automotive industry and do PR and Communication and I’m known as the secret weapon when it comes to building business relationships. Don’t ever try to change to fit into anyone’s vision of your role, but make your role fit your character and traits!
Just here to drop the interesting fact that in Germany "bimbo" is also used to refer to PoC, kind of like the N-word. I have no clue how this came to be but isn't it crazy how you can literally hurt two groups of people with one word?
I spent all my life (20 years lol) not changing anything on me, not trying out styles I was interested in bc I was afraid of being like "the other girls" and now I'm over here obsessing over everything that's pink, shiny or makeup
I'm not one for "reclaiming" negative words. I'm more about proving people wrong or just ignoring them all together. Giving yourself a negative title and trying to make it a positive thing seems odd to me.
Interesting perspective! Personally, I don't think I could be friends with someone like that but I now understand why they deserve respect too. It's more important to be a good person than to fit the social standard of how a "smart girl" should look and act.
I remember I used to get called bimbo when I was in high school and I use to hate it, People would even call me dory from finding Nemo lol but as I got older I actually liked playing dumb because it’s my way of not dealing with people.
@Colette de la Creme yes it was horrible but I noticed the bimbo calling mostly came from boys which is even more absurd I was just annoyed but if I can go back I would not change.
The first 1000 people to use the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/thetake02212
Angel and devil trope
I recently re-watched the movie "What women want" with Mel Gibson, and it has very interesting topics for a "toxic takeaway"
can you explain the feisty redhead trope?
Explain The new Amazon movie Bliss!!!
Just out of curiosity, what would the opposite of a bimbo be? There's the meme of the Bimbo transformation, but not sure what the girl opposite would be called. Like book worm?
Another trope that Elle Woods tromped on with her pink stilettos
Agreed, I love that Elle teaches us that appearances aren't everything, and rises above everyone who doubted her! 💞
I swear legally blonde broke half the female tropes talked on here
Yaas! She was so cool! And I'm glad that she and Vivian both ended up ditching the guy and becoming friends :)
Legally Blonde was a masterwork of making a un work of fiction have a bold cultural impact.
I love her!
Karen from "Mean Girls" is probably the best known example, but what she lacks in brains, she makes up for in heart, and is the least malicious of the Plastics, since she genuinely doesn't know any better. 💜
I don't know why but the heart sent me lmaooo
Karen doesn’t realise she’s participating in a high school hierarchy that profits her, she just thinks Regina and Gretchen are her friends
She and Jason Mendoza from "The Good Place" have a lot in common in that regard.
She's way better in the musical don't @ me.
Well yeah, caught that from the accidental incest lmao
It's sad that so many of us felt like having girly style, wearing pink, not taking ourselves seriously 24/7 when we were growing up was bad! I'm 22 and having so much fun reclaiming a part of me I felt had to be toned down to be taken seriously! Bimbos really stress just having fun and doing what makes you happy!!
Same here!
I think as young girls a lot of us had that phase because of the way feminine sex roles and stereotypes were pushed on us. Girls are forced into uncomfortable dresses , told they need to alter their bodies to fit into the female beauty standard, socialized to perform domestic and emotional labor, told to be quiet and prim and proper, to aspire to be princesses, all while seeing boys getting to just...exist, naturally, as they are, wild and carefree and comfortable, with aspirations to be superheroes and scientists...and so of course we fight back against those norms. An 8 year old might not have the ability to vocalize that sort of critical analysis but they do know that "dresses and pink are for girls" and they don't want to be restricted by such things, they want to be more, they want to be different, and so you get the "I HATE PINK" phase you see a lot of young girls have.
I think as we get older we're able to see that some of those interests and traits aren't inherently negative, they just come with a lot of baggage and so we can pick and choose what feels good for us. Dresses are fun to wear, pink is a really lovely color. But I also think that critical analysis of the social pressures that exist for us as women that may cause us to "choose" to engage in certain feminine activities or embody certain feminine traits is important. That rejection of femininity we had as young people may have been overly simplistic in execution but to some degree the idea behind it wasn't all wrong.
@@Shaylanswanson who is telling you this? Your parents? Literally there are no boys running around demanding girls wear pink, so you must be internalizing your misery from elsewhere like your own house... or perhaps some other girls you hang out w tell you to be that way. Bc boys literally couldnt give less of a fuck, so these gender roles being pushed onto you must come from hollywood or sth
@@MrEvldreamr I'm speaking more to the implicit socialization that girls go through rather than this being explicitly said by any one specific person - though that happens too. I also never said it was coming from boys, it's something I've seen women and men perpetuate alike and yes, Hollywood and media (social media especially, nowadays) is a large part of it.
@@Shaylanswanson oh. =/ I mean... if its implicit than why dont ppl care about how these same tropes hurt men possibly more than women. Male stereotypes are actually explicitly taught to men, not implicitly absorbed like it is for women
I love how the concept of the bimbo is being redefined because one cultural stereotype that I hate is that women cannot possess both hyperfemininity and intelligence. Like seriously I as a woman can be smart , be articulate , have deep interests , and overall be intelligent while also truly liking hyper feminine things. I also love fashion , makeup , heels , investing in my looks and looking good overall shit even sexy. I also value education and intelligence and I shouldn’t be boxed into a stereotype to do that. I will make a speech about law in my class while rocking a great face beat and killer heel no issue. Women should be free to be both intelligent and overtly and hyperfeminine unapologetically regardless if they decide to fit into the bimbo mold or not.
Let's not stay and justify ourselves for a caricature created by man for man.
Girl yes! Say it again! I’m super girly and a lot of men seem surprised by my intelligence. Sometimes they’re even threatened by it 🙄
It took me a while to learn this and I'm so glad I did. Amber Scholl here on UA-cam for example seems like your typical bimbo at first glance but her confidence and go getter attitude have inspired me a lot. It feels like she is an entirely species of woman than I am, but I know now that she is just living her best life and we should all aspire to be like her. She is also rather obviously a clever business woman. The more I learn about other people and especially other women the more I learn to appreciate different qualities in people. It's also eye opening how much of our opinions as women about ourselves and others is just internalized misogyny. Let's all just be however we want to be and lift each other up!
Right! All three of the girls on The Girls Next Door had college degrees. One of them even took their final test for their Masters degree the same day as her Playboy photo shoot.
this why i really love elle woods from legally blonde. she's unapologetically girly, but that didn't stop her from being a harvard law valedictorian
Its really fascinating that Marilyn Monroe fits in almost every trope
There are a lot of reasons why she’s still a household name. Part of it is the fact that she was able to encompass such a huge amount of femininity. Plus, even her dumb blonde characters have some depth. She was a fascinating historical figure
@@Matt-kr9bo She really did pave the way for female cinema characters lol.
@@Matt-kr9bo she is overrated. Ppl only love her cuz she was sexy
@@ぼじん-o5r No, she was good person. And very intelligent too despite her characters
@@Pink_pr1ncess exactly how was she smart? I keep hearing she was smart but how? I know she dated philosophers and did charity but what else makes her smart?
To quote an iconic candidate on Germany's Next Top Model:
"Just because you're pretty doesn't mean you have to be dumb - you can also be both"
Ehre
Also wer das guckt ist eh komisch
Wer hat das gesagt? Und in welcher Staffel?
Ich würde auch gerne wissen in welcher Staffel das gesagt worden ist.
lost a few braincells but good for her, good for her
I would looove to see the 'male best friend' trope in romantic comedies
They've made a video about the nice guy, maybe the male best friend kind is part pf it
Yes, please. He's usually the "Dogged Nice Guy" who is persistently friendly to his best friend in the hopes that she'll eventually reciporate his feelings. However, if she only likes him as a friend, then he may turn aggressive and entitled.
@@trinaq That's part of the Nice Guy trope though
@@ninabanana8706 Except nice guys don't get the girl. "Male best friends" can often do.
Yes! This is definitely a different type than the Nice Guy though there are often overlaps. I think the best friend from The Kissing Booth would be a great example of this!!!!
"A lot of girls think they have to choose between being the smart geeky type or the beautiful bimbo."
Danica McKellar
I agree, why choose between looks and books when you can easily have BOTH?! 📚 💄
@@trinaq I don't know
I’ll be both thank You
Yess danica mckellar, love winnie cooper and im so glad she didnt let her image hold her back from doing what she wanted to (basically becoming a mathematician)
I think it's more about reducing women to one dimensional caricatures based on how they look.
I’ll be so happy once we’ve moved past the idea that traditionally feminine is automatically considered lesser, regardless of any other qualities.
Its worse for men( your're not man enough ect.)
@@jennerick92jm uh is only "worse" because it's related to them being "girly". As if being a girl is lesser in their eyes.
Toxic masculinity thrives on hating femininity. Whether the femininity is from men or women.
@@literaIIyshy not necceraly look at guys that are forever a bachelor that don't settledown with woman they are considered lesser aswell
@@jennerick92jm I kinda disagree, for the most part it's acceptable for men to never get married and to live that bachelor lifestyle. Not saying that no man wouldn't be shame but not enough where I feel that this is accurate. Look at the James Bond character forever a romantize bachelor. Now if they were asexual bachelor's then that's different because men do shame other men who don't have a lot of sex.
Being against pornograph has nothing to do with being against attractive women. It's about defending these women: the actresses who work in porn industry suffer a lot of abuse and have a really short life expectancy
What's worse is that a lot of them are in the industry because they don't have money for basic necessities. What they need is safer employment options. While the porn industry is dangerous, for a lot of poor women, it's the only way they can survive.
sure, but too many women outside of that industry have a patronizing way of "defending" these women by speaking FOR them. so before we as onlookers deem something to be "unsafe" we should hush and listen and ask questions and let sex workers speak for themselves. a lot of actually harmful legislation came from good intentions to defend sex workers
@@GenerationNextNextNext : any woman who need the porn industry to survive we're talking a Third World situation. Otherwise, it's not hard to choose to work somewhere else than the sex industry. And this is from someone who had no problem with the sex industry existing (though I think it should be heavily regulated).
@Colette de la Creme : you could've rented a small bedroom in a shared place, like what young broke guys do.
@@juicyparsons : you don't have a married name that starts with "A," by chance, do you?
"I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb... and I also know that I'm not blonde."
Dolly Parton
It really bugs me that female stereotypes always fall under 2 categories: 1- the hot pretty girl- and she is either a terrible person or plain stupid. Or 2- the "different" girl- (and in some movies she turns out to be beautiful without her glasses) who is brainy, nerdy ,unpopular ,weird- and usually the protagonist. It's so sad that society deems girls to be either pretty or clever. And then people are wondering how can there be so many "I'm not like other girls"
+I'm not a native English speaker, please correct me if I have any grammar/spelling mistakes
This entire youtube channel is basically devoted to female character tropes, but yeah, if you ignore the other 10,000, there's only 2.
I wasn't taking about tropes, I'm talking about categories, if you look at a lot of tropes they still fall under those 2 categories. EG- hot girl: the mean girl, the dumb blond, the bimbo, the bombshell, the gold digger, the femme fatale, the girly girl...
The "different" girl- the weird girl, the smart girl, the Tomboy, the tough girl, the strong female character, the funny girl....
@@ronikatz7129 If you're gonna be that vague about it, male characters fall into the same categories...
@@ryanj5993 I really don't understand how this is vague?...
@@ronikatz7129 Your categories fit literally every movie character.
I grew up watching himym and I thought it was what u called bondes as a kid, so I wrote "happy birthday bimbo" in my sister's birthday and I got grounded lmao I cringe remembering this because my sister was 15 and I was 8
Truly a repressed childhood memory that my family feel the need to constantly bring up smh
I'm sorry but LMAOOO
LOL!!
They should have talked to you
I love this story so much 😂😂
the more i see of himym the more i am SHOCKED it was as popular as it was. so many problematic things about that show. same with the big bang theory.
*The Obsessed Fan Trope.*
This is a huge problem in the anime community and it makes us all look awful
Omggg like that girl from Play misty for me and Misery
@@saintoctober28 I don't know about the first one but the second is Annie Wilkes and she is the quintessential example
My favorite comedic version is in Blades of Glory.
If they do this I hope they mention Supernatural ksksk
As a “Bimbo” of color I unapologetically love makeup,clothes,shoes,shopping,and accessories however there is more to me than that.I’m still a human being.Also I’m still a Paris Hilton,Marilyn Monroe,And Anna Nicole Smith fan lol...
Paris Hilton and Marilyn Monroe are much deeper people than people think. Paris is actually very smart and kind, and is a genuinely interesting person. And Marilyn is a special case of a woman who had a much darker life than most people care to know, with very real struggles and feelings. She was very smart, and talented, but got treated like nothing but a pretty face because that's how male directors purposefully cast her off. There's a reason we use the word "typecasting", and she was a victim of that to an extreme. To this day, people are shocked to find out that she wasn't just a "pretty idiot", and that's just sad to me. I will always love Marilyn more than almost any other actress, and I relate to the struggles that she suffered through that she was made to be afraid to talk about. The poor woman suffered through severe depression and anxiety, the loss of many unborn children, parental neglect, abusive relationships, and societal mistreatment, and yet nobody wanted to hear it because she was told it would "ruin her image". Poor Marilyn. She wasn't even allowed to be a person of her own in the end because people just wanted to see her as a pretty, perfect blonde.
Glass Head I understand Marilyns pain so much I feel like my whole life I’ve been treated like a sexual object.
I do not want to squash a fellow woman, but have you ever stepped back and examined your place in the world? As per your description of your interests, to the outside world, you're viewed as inwardly focused and catering to the male gaze. Does that ever cross your mind?
As a feminist, I have to admit that, even though I LOVE The Take video essays, they've recently taken on theses about feminism that are actually really contradictory to feminism.
In truth, I know it's desirable and easiest to adopt the belief that "Because I'm a woman, everything I do is feminist", but it's not true. Feminism is about gender equality, and how can women truly be equal when we mold every aspect of our appearance to appease men? And you can say "I wear make-up and shave my armpits for ME", but I've been there, done that. Went a whole summer without shaving my armpits and I could tell that both men and women were grossed out, which made me feel bad, so I went back to shaving them. With a little examination, it's kind of unsettling how society is the true decider of our appearance, and not ourselves.
Anyway, that's just my take. "When everything is feminist, nothing is."
ur amazing queen but pls no more paris hilton.. shes racist and has said the hard r multiple times!!! i understand giving credit where its due tho since she was one of the more popular 'bimbos' of our time
@fire work Shaving isn’t a part of hygiene, it’s a personal choice that has been forced as as standard by men who prefer hairless child like bodies on women but are hairy monsters themselves. Body hair is natural and shaving is as unnecessary and cosmetic as wearing makeup. It’s a choice.
I swear, there's an entire community and they even exist on Tik Tok. They seem like genuinely nice people plus although they act air headed, a lot of them are very educated. 🤣
ye like Chrissy Chlapeka
I can assure you just because someone is educated, doesn't mean they are actually smart. I've met plenty of stupid people at university. They usually learn things by heart.
@@mermaidmoon2254 Lets not go bringing others down now.
@@aestheticcat8976 I'm not. Being honest and being mean are two different things.
@@mermaidmoon2254 and they have massive superiority complexes about their intelligence and status.
Notice how 90% are portrayed as blonde.I really dislike that on shows that shows the bimbos bereated by another women in order to appeal to internalized misoginy (in the sense that they say "we are superior women, a completely diferent species" )instead of making audience feel angry for people taking advantage of them
I wouldnt say 90 per cent are blonde at all, but i would say 90 per cent are white.
Exactly the whole bimbo thing just teaches you that if your blonde skinny white, and have big cans you have an easy enough life to not care. It’s an evil trope that’s rebranding itself as “inclusive” because a few people
Of color have said they are bimbos.
@@williamspears1627 i see. Yea that mess up alot
@@DonMyersOfficial uhhh, wrong? The bimbo trope has, in quite few movies actually, shown that being pretty and stupid doesnt yield an easier life (neither does being blonde btw). Movies like house bunny and mean girls clearly showed this. I think its sexist to say that bimbos are toxic even if the girl is kindhearted while himbos are great even if the dude cant perform even the most basic of tasks, this is essentially what the take is saying.
@@williamspears1627 This video is not about the "dumb blonde trope". The Take clearly laid out the film history of the bimbo trope, which did originate with BLONDES in the 1950's. Even more recently, bimbos in 90's-2000's movies were nearly always portrayed as blonde. In the middle of the video, timestamp 6:45-7:24, The Take even ADDRESSES the crossover with the dumb blonde trope, mean girl trope, AND girly girl tropes, but FURTHER clarifies that what sets the bimbo trope apart is the particular focus on her sexuality. I'm confused on how you missed so many context clues/actual explanations.... they were made all throughout the vidoe. You did watch it, right?
I grew up resenting "bimbos" because I was quiet and smart and as an insecure teen, it sucked that it was so obvious that my way of being was not as desirable at that age. It gets easier, and the playing field levels out after you leave school but sometimes it is a long haul to overcome chronic challenges from our formative years.
That is only one example, and everyone is different, but it isn't a stretch to consider that scenarios like the one I mentioned are part of the reason that the "bimbo" is viewed negatively.
A side note: I think that covid and working from home has made many people who thought that they made themselves up for their own pleasure realise that they actually are much more comfortable/themselves without doing those things. And for others it has confirmed that those things make them happy even if no one else sees them. It would be interesting to collect stories from different people.
Even if no one else sees me, I see me, and I like to see myself with pretty clothes and makeup, so that's what I do
In some cases the pleasure of getting dolled up is to do with the reaction is causes or is perceived to cause, so doing it for yourself would be pointless, like acting without an audience. It doesn't mean the actor takes no pleasure in acting, just the reason for doing is removed without people to watch.
@@_Sakidora_ If an actor takes pleasure in (the act of) acting, then there is a reason for doing it, even without the audience. While other actors might specifically be in it to make other people feel things, or for the positive feedback from the audience.
@@JoRiver11 I can imagine very few actors who would perform only for themselves without one single person to see them perform
Fantastic side note - I'd be interested in those stories too.
You should seriously do a comparison between FRIENDS and How I Met Your Mother. They are basically the same show set in different time periods with different generations as the main characters. That should be interesting.
HIMYM is more interesting/likable in my opinion
Sí! Although I prefer New Girl to them because it shows more of a diversity of characters (Also Jess the main character rocks hyper-femininity :)
Not really different generations though, both sets of characters were GenX. The Friends and HIMYM characters are only about 10 years apart. But I'll admit it was a surprisingly big jump culturally hitting adulthood in the 90s (as in Friends) vs the 00s (as in HIMYM). I was in high school when Friends started but was right about the same age as the HIMYM characters, and enjoyed both shows.
Or how British sitcom coupling is far superior to both.
Nah, Friends is far more important culturally.
You gotta do a "Daughter as a Punishment'' Trope video where misogynists are given daughters as a punishment for their past or current ways
Like what for example? Can you explain this a bit further please
@@basmalasaad3039 The only one that brings to mind is Barney from HIMYM. After the Robin divorce he goes back to his hoeing ways and after a full month of one night stands, he gets number 31 pregnant and has a daughter. The next time we see him at the bar, some dudes are trying out his tactics and he cockblocks them and ask the women what their fathers' would think of them.
@@philketlhaetse7558 Schmidt in New Girl, Sterling Archer in Archer, Tony Stark in MCU, Bojack in Bojack Horseman, Kelso in That's 70 Show, ETC!!
I hear that irl a lot. If a man has a daughter that’s punishment for what he’s done to/with women and having a daughter will “teach him a lesson”. It’s disgusting. In movies The teenage daughter almost gets raped most of the time and the dad has to save her, Or kidnapped, or cat called, sexually harassed, etc etc, and only then will he see women as human.... NOT. He only sees his DAUGHTER as human. He raised her and always protected her, she isn’t a woman in his eyes, she’s his daughter.
Still, it’s gross that a girl/woman has to pay for the sins of her father because he was an ass... that trope is just wrong and creepy for a number of reasons
Oh wow, I didn't know about that one, although I guess it's in the same spirit of the "rules for dating my daughter" dad.
I'm also really interested in the way ideas about body shape/size permeate society's understandings of female intelligence. Putting aside body modification for a moment, women who have naturally smaller breasts are portrayed with grater complexity, while women with curvier figures are often cast as either matronly or hypersexual. Not only do these ideas justify treating larger/curvier women with disrespect, but they also limit smaller women as they work to claim sexual agency and power.
These understandings are rooted in colonial-era conceptualizations of race and intellect. Women of color have always been imagined as hypersexual and animalistic, and these ideas have been used to justify rape as a tactic of war and conquest. Bottom line: everything is intersectional, and the problematic racial dynamics that underpin this trope have been with us for a long time.
Thank you for the interesting and insightful comment❤
Very insightful. I know this bit is probably the most minor part of what you were saying, but I was glad to see Margot Robbie prominently featured in the bombshell video. It's a first world problem, but a lot of women feel really inferior about being less endowed.
Women with more curves, thicker lips, and more almond shaped glossy eyes are villainized and treated as bimbos just based on appearances alone.
@Colette de la Creme No one is denying that white women also experience sexism related to their body shape...the video highlighted many instances of that. My comment was intended to highlight the ways in which the sexualization of curviness as a trait has been rooted in the conceptualization of women of color (particularly black and brown women). That analysis doesn't discredit your experience, but adds additional context that I felt was missing from the video.
The first part is true but the second is way too simplistic.
What scares me in this trope is the fact that those women have got personality of a child. Or a person with mental development problems. So basically they're portrayed as children or ill people, but only sexy.
A lot of you ladies are seeing it from a female perspective, most men do not care that much about intelligence and yes men like women who are playful and innocent its feminine. Perhaps some men, intelligence is 3 or 4th on their list, but most men are visual and its looks first.
@@makegeorgeorwellfictionaga9268 it's not just about intelligence. A person should not necessarily be clever, but a person should be mentally developed on the level of an adult. Many of Monroe's characters behave and don't know basic things like children. It's impossible for an adult unless they have some problems. Fantasising about women who are basically children, but only in a hot female body, is scary. And condescending - makes even the dumbest guy a genius compared to her.
@@makegeorgeorwellfictionaga9268 So, men don't want an equal partner, they want children they can f***. And you're genuinely surprised women say men are pigs? You do realize how subhuman you make men sound?
@@red_calla_lily Your still not getting it, that is what men are attracted to sexually, your just fighting nature, just like no matter how much men complain, female hypergamy will not go away either.
Yes. This is concerning, because people can take advantage of that person...
Marilyn Monroe’s character in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is my absolute favorite. I think she was this trope done realistically. She knows how she’s perceived and it’s something she does consciously and even explains herself.
This video reminded me of a conversation I had with my friend. She was upset about the look of Netflix's Winx Saga because she is a big fan of the cartoon and it looked so different. Yet, the biggest annoyance was the fact that it appeared to remove itself from the hyper-femininity of the cartoon, and replaced it with a more masculine edginess (neither of us watched the new series, but I hope others enjoyed it). I almost jumped out of seat in feminist agreement, as I have never liked the rejection of the girly-girl traits, nor the attempts at pushing women to adopt masculine traits in order to fit into male dominated aspects in the world.
It's quite different to play "Bimbo" part from time to time in few movies, or in real life, than being considered Bimbo as a person. A lot of women who were considered this trope as their personalities (though they were really not) ended up highly depressed, miserable and died way too young, usually from drugs overdose. One thing is having few roles or having fun in real life playing this trope to enjoy yourself, and the other is being branded as no-use-but-sex, brainless but pretty thing in life, as your main personality. It made those women miserable and it was downright cruel to them. Most famous examples: Marylin Monroe and Anna Nicole Smith, but there were many others too. It's just not real, it doesn't exist, it's just a play. No one is that happy-go-lucky brainless pretty thing and to brand someone as a thing is cruel.
I agree 100% people just love to live a easy life and put their rose colored glasses on.
Well said
But making the bimbo something more 'respectable' or even aspirational to some degree might reduce the hate (a mixture of jealousy, lust, snobbery, puritanism and condescension) which led these women to be depressed and feel persecuted, as well as addressing the problem of sexual exploitation in the entertainment industry.
I dunno - most guys who sleep with a bimbo on any sort of regular basis probably end up falling in love with her, if she's nice.
Men are weak and simple, face it.
Women who dressed up as bimbos to do porn or be strippers are a different story, of course - they get judged too harshly, even today.
Glad we're empowering women for embracing their sexuality and femininity. Kim K wouldn't be my example personally, not that it isn't cool for her to find success in her sex appeal but a large part of her and her family's credit is because they're culture vultures...
👆🏾 This.
Not really, their success is mainly from their sexuality and business not culture appropriation(which they are obviously guilty of)
this made no cents luv...
@@paris5056 not being down with white people being praised for appropriating cultures as if they invented box braids or kimonos doesn't make sense to you?
@@sapphic.flower that has nothing to do with being labeled as a bimbo?..
I was literally just thinking about The Take doing this when I was listening to a playlist and P!nk's "Stupid Girls" came on. I'm glad we've progressed past just seeing people as one thing now. I feel like as much as things aren't perfect people are realizing you can be more than just one category of a person now.
I concur! You can be more than one type of person, and don't have to succumb to others' perceptions, as Elle Woods taught me!
I agree with that, but I've also heard arguments about the Stupid Girls song that say it's more about not trying to change yourself for a man, thinking for yourself instead of just trying to appeal to what they might want, and I agree with that idea.
@@picklesthewise thats a good interpretation and I get what she was trying to say but it definitely comes off as anti-bimbo, almost the "not like the other girls" stereotype. I hate that media tried to hammer that message in so hard in the 2000s and 2010s, that girls would eventually put down other girls so harshly for being hyperfeminine, sexy, or liking mainstream culture while upholding homophobia, lowkey racist shit and frat bro culture at the same time lol. I think thats why stuff got so hyper-liberal at one point in the 2010s.
@@Blue.1889 I wouldn't say it's gotten hyper-liberal at one point - we're in the middle of a period of it right now. As much as it is good that more people are being accepted and loved for who they are, there is also a great deal of people condemning things for being offensive that weren't even intended that way, and the people being offended aren't even the people that the thing was supposedly targeting. You see a lot more of it being said online than you do in real life, which I think adds to it.
I'm not talking about the Stupid Girls song, because I think that it's in a grey area and up for debate. I don't believe in being against all women who fall into stereotypes, but there should definitely be more factors to a woman's self esteem than her appearance, and teaching girls that, even if it's in a kind of edgy way, is still valid if they get the point.
@@picklesthewise That song just rubbed me the wrong way, even though I like a lot of P!nk's other songs. The part in the music video where she makes fun of other celebrity women like for being ditzy felt petty and the part where she pretends she's a "stupid girl" with bulimia, those parts stood out as being against people who annoy her, more that their "stupid" actions. Even as a preteen I thought that bulimia part was wrong, and I get joking about bulimia in something like a comedy movie or parody, but it seems wrong to inject it in a music video about young girls' (in a song targeted TO young girls) with behavior that's stupid is wrong cause eating disorders are a mental disorder and body dysmorphia doesn't only affect the "stupid girls." Just calling it stupid isn't helping know how to deal with dysmorphia. I would add that P!nk's song "Perfect" is a lot better with regards to acceptance.
Personally the song just comes off as a huge "I'm Not Like Other Girls" anthem and it's hard enough for a teen (especially a girl teen) to figure out how to balance gender expression and know who and what they want to be when everyone is judging and telling you what's right and wrong and being so image focused. I think that's what I like about the general consensus today where you don't see people not pigeonholing others to be just one thing. You can be like both feminine or masculine hobbies or neither or any combination of interests.
An alternative version of "The Bimbo" is one who pretends to be dumb in order to preserve their popularity, because it's "uncool to be smart." Examples include Cordelia Chase or Lydia Martin.
Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie's whole fake persona in their reality shows
@@fatmaslh6306 good example
Mona also in Pretty Little Liars
So, wouldn't that be the bimbos judging other women for being smart or "less fun"? I doubt that their motivations are quite as innocent as the way that they're presented here.
Yess!! Also Dylan Schoenfield in Geek Charmimg! 🤩😅💞🎀
I’m a fellow self professed bimbo and a examples for baby POC bimbos: Hillary from Fresh Prince of Belair, & Stacey Dash from Clueless
thank you. I feel like the early version of this trope really left out poc
@@avanikarir1942 your welcome💖🎀
London Tipton is a good example too
Yes I want to see. More bimbos of color in too
Yes I would love to see this!
Would The Nanny’s Fran Fine apply to this trope? I always thought she was a great example of a sexy not too smart woman who is constantly put down as a bimbo, but proves she has a big heart and who uses her positive attitude and kindness to help people.
Perhaps its the shallow reaction to her dark hair, but Fran always stuck me as clearly having street smarts. Haven't seen the show in years, but I saw her as somewhat of a middle class or working class heroine who held her own around the Sheffields.
I might be wrong, but she might be in the "bombshell" category like Mae West - a sexualized woman who is renowned for her big heart but also quick wit. They're not "smart" in the academic sense, but they have a specific form of intellect that leaves men dumbstruck.
@@cheri31 I agree, she is uneducated but very smart. She sometimes gets into trouble because she's too determined or she says clearly what she thinks, and she always finds a way out of them. She is by no means dumb.
Reminds me of Lindsey Ellis’s take on Megan Fox on Transformers- the text gave her characterization and an arc- the _camera_ made her a shallow sex object
Could you do a video on how mental illness is portrayed and vilified (especially in the horror genre)? Many movies and TV show’s portrayals are dangerous because of their inaccuracies. Many projects also don’t seem to have any consultants to help get the portrayal right, not to mention the fact that the actors/actresses cast do not have any experience with and/or are not diagnosed with the disorder themselves (ex: Sia’s new movie is a bout a girl with autism but the actress playing her does not have autism).
I love all of your videos! They are wonderfully made and bring up great points! Thanks!
Just the other night I was watching some movie from the late 90s or early 2000s, and the big reveal/twist was a murderer with multiple personalities. I hope that can't be considered a spoiler!
As someone with Autism, I'd wish you wouldn't speak for people with ASD. A lot of us struggle with the stress of even having a job because most employers don't know how to deal with someone with ASD like when having miscommunications due to our poor social skills, neither do they create an enviroment suitable to us or allow us to create such an enviroment. Try dealing with fame on top of that! I applaud every actor with ASD like the guy from Black Balloon, but I'm aware it's unattainable for most people so I'm perfectly okay with normal people playing an Autistic character. Do you even have ASD, because most of the people I've seen complaining about this yet, are people without ASD and are speaking out of ignorance about the struggles we have with the workforce.
@@inferiorinferno8859 hi, could you rephrase what you mean? The lack of punctuation is killing me.
@@noheterotho179 Their punctuation is fine. I'd try working on your comprehension skills.
I would love if you guys did a video on Harley Quinn and other lovable villains. While Harley is definitely a villain she’s a beloved character in the DC universe. She funny, and smart but very dangerous and sick. It’s so interesting how many characters that are villains but are loved and even rooted for by fans.
*video suggestion:* The Hillbilly Trope
Can you explain a bit what it is please ?
@@Hmletmetry Think of The Beverly Hillbillies or the movie Deliverance or Larry the Cable Guy.
I've been following Bimbo Tik Tok for a while and the fact that its being featured on The Take is amazing! Fauxrich and all the people in this movement are killing it! I've always feared being bubbly and not taking myself seriously made people look down on me, bimbos make me feel so confident to just be myself, enjoy the things I like, and do it all for my own happiness! 💗💕🎀💘✨
I completely agreee ;)
Thank you for always knowing exactly what we need
I wouldn't call myself a girly girl, (more of a geek girl/punk girl) but I *do* get annoyed when my older brother thinks I wear makeup to attract boys, I DON'T. I wear it because I like to feel pretty and take pride in my appearance. Why do men assume that any girl not dressed like a slob is doing it for the male gaze? 😤
Why are you putting down women who don't enjoy dressing up and wearing make up by calling them slobs? Make up is itchy and some of us live in tshirts and sneakers because it feels good to us.
@@carlathedestructor2454 That's not what I meant by "slob." I wear t-shirts and sneakers all the time. By slob, I meant clothes like a raggedy sweatshirt and dirty sweatpants.
Literally
I wear makeup with eyelinered hearts on my eyes and everyone was like "who are you looking nice for?" Like, myself? I literally can't see anyone? Why would I do it for anyone else?
Because deep down inside, everything that men do for their appearance is for the approval of women.
@@MsDaydream3r I wonder what your brother thinks of kpop and alt boys who wear makeup
*The Spoiled Brat Trope.*
Yes
Yes
•really rich
•dad is usually a lawyer/ceo/school principal and mom is a housewife
•dumb but gets her way cuz of ✨daddy✨
•has a Pomeranian or chihuahua
•connected to royalty somehow
•has tons of celeb friends
•is a bully
Charlotte of The Princess and the Frog Is a great deconstruction of the trope. She Is spoiled by her dad, but she Is so kind and funny. And not racist , wich Is important considering the era in wich the film takes place.
Usually an only child
I'm an intelligent woman, but I still want to be like Mae West in my 40's and 50s. There is nothing wrong with being perky and having a personality, and being hyper feminine from time to time.
This seems to overlap a lot with the Dumb Blonde trope.. I'd be interested to see more videos discussing tropes centered around people of colour. I've seen a lot of requests for these before- the exotic asian, the shamanic Native American, etc.
I am from México and we have a type of bread that we call bimbo jajaja
LOL
In Spain we have it too.
I think any Hispanic country has that bread jakajsns
Yaaas. Pan bimbo! 😂😂
And the Bimbo Bear ❤️❤️❤️
As glad I am that women are taking away the power of the word by reclaiming it, I have a hard time looking at this one and saying it's a reclaimed slur that has a lot of good qualities when the word is so inherently negative. Other reclaimed slurs like queer etc were generally just a derogatory word for a minority that can be reclaimed as a more positive label for the minority by saying "Yes I am queer, because I am gay and I refuse to let a word that means 'gay' be derogatory." But bimbo doesn't just refer to women, or to hot women, it specifically calls the women dumb, useless objects, so owning the label doesn't equate to "yes I am a bimbo, because I'm a hot woman and proud of it." Instead I think it sounds more like "I am a brainless object and proud of it." More power to women who are able to use this image to their advantage, and I understand that words change meaning over time, but I don't think this word is at a place right now where it can be reclaimed.
I can't see a lot of difference between calling someone gay a queer, which originally meant not normal and calling a hyperfeminine woman a bimbo, which means brainless. In both cases it is meant to hurt and diminish the target of bullying.
Adopting a bully's insults as a positive label works in both cases. In the case of a 'queer' person it declares that to be outside the sexual majority is fine and in the case of the 'bimbo' it says that to be hyperfeminine is also fine, as is not being an intellectual or academic.
The bimbos tend to be my favourite characters though
All video was nice except for the revindication of Kim Kardashian, which to me, is a harmful figure.
She is literally a person that is famous just for exposing her lifestyle and excesses (not gonna shame her for a sex tape) but she is not the kind of businesswoman I admire, she is a mediatic, and that's it. I think having her as an example of a successful individual is damaging in the popular culture. There are no males that are represented her manner. Even though, yes, she has money and made an empire it is settled upon sexism. Is that really what we want as women or business people?
Also, isn't it an oxymoron to talk about the bimbo "rejecting capitalism with their no marketable skills" while selling an image of hyper-consumerism?
Her and her family are also largely responsible for legions of young girls, teens, and women hating and massively altering their bodies. They get plastic surgery, use filters, angles, photos, photoshop, shapewear, lighting, and makeup to achieve their looks and claim to be all natural. It is also a highly sexualized appearance that has been put on a pedestal for impressionable people. We've stopped glorifying beauty as being anything than hypersexualized
I love the Take so much, easily one of the best UA-cam Channels around.
Here's a trope idea: the “Kyle” trope. Examples: Jean Ralphio from Parks & Rec and perhaps by extension Tom, Kyler from Cobra Kai, Robbie from Gravity Falls, Stiffler from American Pie. Also, I might suggest looking up Trevor Wallace’s videos about Kyles.
I love how this channel constantly takes on tropes that inherently put down femininity and they instead uplift femininity in all of it's forms and in whoever expresses it
Next up - the UPTIGHT CONSERVATIVE TROPE.
The pearl clutcher or the radical evangelist?
They're certainly going to find anything positive in anyone remotely conservative minded.
There is actually a brand of white bread called 'Bimbo" -A very cheap brand!
In Costa Rica its quite expensive
@@jennerick92jm same here in república dominicana! It's considered rich people bread.
We mostly eat pan de agua anyway which is way more tasty, filling and affordable
In mexico it’s really cheap
@@AlE-mr8ek over there the overall living cost maybe lower than Costa Rica havent been there yet
@@literaIIyshy Pan De Agua? That translates to bread of water. Makes me think of old shows or movies where they joke that the only food you get in prison is bread and water
You guys always upload when I’m studying!
new subscriber.. im OBSESSED with these! i’ve been sending them to my sociology professors haha
I want to be a goth-bimbo sometimes, a possessed looking goth-doll in others and a goth/punk-ish-gremlin when I don't feel like doing the other ones that require more complex make up styles.
I would love to see this! We need more dark, gothic bimbos along with the bright, happy bimbos
It makes me think of Misa from death note
now you give me inspo to be grunge ulzzang binbo (ulzzang, eol-jang, a term from korea, used to described perfect face. I’m nowhere fetishizing it, I’m also Asian and they have the style and kind of makeup I love)
I know that's a bit off topic, but it's kind off weird that stereotypicaley, every positive trade needs to come with some sort of price, guys and girls who are conventionally attractive, are either dump or mean and everyone who is intelligent is either ugly (or at least Hollywood ugly) and/or unpopular.
Dnd ways of seeing the world?
I think this is more of an attempt to flesh out characters, so they don't end up with a Mary Sue (trope about the perfect woman with no conceivable flaws). It's more realistic and dynamic to add different facets to a character, even if it is a "price". But if you want an example of positive trait with another positive trait, might I suggest the himbo (conventionally attractive guy who is comedically dumb, but incredibly kind, emphathetic, and secure in himself)? Although they do have a "negative" trait of being dumb, in the context of the himbo trope, this is actually a weirdly positive thing! This dumbness only emphasizes how wholesome the himbo is, and it also differentiates the man from the other men around him who are aggressive, rude, and have something to prove to everyone he meets.
I love your takes on things. I already agree with everything you say
In germany the word 'Bimbo' is a slur word for black men. It is so weird to see the english term lol
Oh I studied abroad in Germany and remember some eyebrows raised when someone said Bimbo. Is it seen as a racist slur?
I am also from Germany and I associate with the term bimbo someone who would do everything for someone else without asking questions.
Okay, I googled bimbo and the history in Germany and it is true that this word was used as a racist slur. But nowadays it is more known for the English definition I believe
Wow you learn something new everyday
I have never heard of this and I’m from Germany
I cannot believe people actually think that women who care about their appearance cannot be smart or articulate-
Most people don’t think that. College is full of attractive and intelligent women, as are workplaces. Caring about your appearance and being healthy is usually associated with being smarter with your shit together.
I hung with the bimbos in college. I always had fun at the good parties. I got all of the spill over perks. Girls who looked like me weren’t supposed to be in those circles but the bimbos made sure I was included.
Many of these movies are super fun: The house bunny, legally blonde, mean girls etc.
Legally Blonde was a fantastic movie on the Bimbo trope reclaimed, anyone who appreciates this video should absolutely see that movie!
I love it when videos on this channel make me examine my own assumptions and prejudices.
My mom always said that confidence is incredibly attractive to others and she was absolutely correct! I knew a girl who was heavy with very thick glasses but she might as well have been wonder woman as she walked through life owning it (she was kind and funny too), and it was very attractive to everyone around her. I've seen the opposite with more traditionally attractive women.
Yes, people underrate confidence in women. Everyone knows it's what gets men laid or promoted but fail to appreciate it also works for women too.
My grandmother was the first woman to earn a PHD in her college. She worked in academia for years, and was a highly respected expert in her field, writing a number of books.
Please explore the romanticization of being and “orphan” trope
this channel is soo AMAZING i cant. i love how critical, progressive and understandable they are. thank u
The idea that 'bimbo' is anything other than a degrading and sexist insult towards women (as it comes from a literal *porn category*) is just ridiculous. Come on, ladies. We can do better than this. Instead of "reclaiming" words that have been used to belittle us, reclaim your dignity as a human being deserving of respect.
How in the world did feminism go from "women aren't objects" to "objectifying yourself and doing exactly what gross men want you to do is empowering actually" in less than a decade?
I hate it here.
@Mike Kane I don't care Micheal. The objectification of women and girls only benefits creepy men. You can use as many big words as you want but your argument won't be any less hollow.
Men don't care if the woman is objectifying herself or being objectified by someone else. All they are are objects to get off to and disrespect. Bimbo is a misogynist term. Conforming perfectly to pornified beauty standards is only hurting women in the long run and helping capitalism.
These videos are truly amazing conversation points and examples of self awareness and empowerment. I love sharing them and helping to understand how the tropes formed the biases I grew up with. Thank you for your wonderful work!
the newest generation just seems like they're doing so much work on social media. all the time, screaming out into the universe to be accepted. it's exhausting to watch.
now imagine how exhausted they must be.
@@mishka765 they could just stop. Social media has warped (some of) their brains to think universal acceptance and constant attention are necessary.
@@CamJames i dont think its about universal acceptance. it's more about teaching and educating each other about acceptance and emphaty.
@@CamJames for exaple. i come from really conservative country and without social media i wouldn't have access to some progressive mindsets. thats why im thankfull for newest generation speaking their mind.
@@mishka765 that's great for you. I'm not talking about educational users. A lot of them are just being loud, chaotic or silly just out of boredom. Which is fine for them but I don't wanna see it.
honestly playing bimbo has saved me a ton from dealing with shit. sometimes playing dumb just works
Please cover the "Small Towns are Better" Trope
This video is wonderful and so insightful! Thank you! I told a joke at work yesterday and got called a bimbo by a co-worker, I felt sad about it. It was really strange since we both held the same job position and yet she saw me as lesser.
Not only reclaiming, but weaponizing.
Simply amazing.
So apparently, 14:50 "bimbo versions of feminism repackaged as capitalist Girl Power" are bad, but 15:43 bimbo versions of feminism repackaged as social media Girl Power are good. Got it.
Right! Because social media and capitalism are TOTALLY separate things.
I don’t think they were agreeing that’s how they see the spice girls. They are just saying how critics saw them. But yeah the tik tok social media examples were very weak and cringe. They also didn’t even look like bimbos. More like alt girls and social rejects who are radical leftist (aka fake woke).
I was also confused
I definitely understand everyone's confusion/hesitation surrounding bimbo reclamation. I'd like to jump in and maybe clarify a few things and hopefully it ends up being helpful! This might be long....
So the reason why these two situations are completely different is because in the 14:50 "bimbo versions of feminism repackaged as capitalist girl power" those depictions were still mainly derogatory and that trope image was still controlled by the men in media (writers/directors/anyone who was able to have a say in the perpetuation of the bimbo trope), whereas the 15:43 "bimbo versions of feminism repackaged as social media girl power" is in the control of every day women today who are evolving this negative stereotype. That's a HUGE, distinct, and important difference between these two situations.
Idk how versed everyone here is about feminist history, but the idea of "performing femininity = bad for women" has been a point of contention for DECADES. There have always been these community debates around whether or not women can ever truly reclaim femininity, and both sides make valid points, honestly. But I brought this up to show that there is a history of women and men shaming/policing/excluding other women on how they choose to present themselves and what they decide is personally empowering. And more often than not, hyperfemininity is frowned upon, leaving women who WANT to embrace their hyperfemininity between a rock and a hard space of either denying themselves or being dehumanized by both men and women if they pursue a personal aesthetic.
This is why the reclamation of hyperfemininity (represented here by the bimbo trope) is incredibly important. It allows women to start redefining this hyperfemininity as something separate from men. There is an entire community of bimbos, and if you ever find yourself on that side of the internet, I recommend reading the comments. Many women have vocalized relief in being able to explore the "bimbo aesthetic" now, how much support and confidence they've found in the community, etc.
@@LemonCoutureBunny Ah, so in the first case male producers direct women to behave this degrading way, in the second case a later generation of women voluntarily imitates the degrading behavior because they were told it was empowering. Such strides!
In our friend group of men and women, one of the men once invited his then girlfriend to a party we had. She was stunning! And besides her looks, she was visiting university, becoming a teacher, was then already in schools to get some experience as mandated by her studying to become a teacher. As soon as they both left all the girls were all up and about "Of course he has someone like this as a girlfriend." I felt soooo out of place when that happened. It was just plain old wrong. Where is body positivity towards those people who "don't seem to need it"? Like .. what the hell happened there?!
She was fun to talk with. Was a bit shy since she was newly introduced to the group. But other than that she did nothing to upset anyone. It was so surreal. They are not together anymore, but still, that evening still is very vivid in my mind.
As a woman, I instantly nix anyone out of my life, woman or man, who chooses to treat people as competition for any reason. I've had way too many experiences with toxic, two-faced behavior like that to tolerate it. There is nothing worse than a room choosing to talk badly about somebody just because they were perceived to be prettier or better at something than the people around them felt to be, and it screams of insecurity and bullying. "I feel like they're better than me for no good reason, so I'm going to talk badly about them to make myself feel better." Or, alternatively, "I'm jealous of their looks/smarts/personality, so I'm going to tell myself that they're trying to be perfect in order to make me jealous". I do not understand that kind of thought process.
This was really informative. You guys have a real talent for research and detail.
If it empowers you and makes you feel good dispite what ever gender or orientation. Go for it. But sadly, all I see are people embracing narcissistic behaviors while claiming them to be healthy or good for growth and development. But again to each their own.
Yikes I do not know how you came to that conclusion .
You said what I didn't know how to express
0:42 I can't even laugh at that. Just as she said it must be frustrating to be not intelligent, especially when you're aware of that.
In Sweden we had a famous character on TV called Grynet when I was a kid. She was essentially a smart girly girl with glasses and a princess crown who got mad whenever something wasn't fair. I didn't think much of it back then, but she was really ahead of her time.
The point about the Judy Holiday character in Born Yesterday is she's very smart underneath the girlish accent and 'bimbo' clothes.
Can you do one on "That Guy" actors?
Actors whom appear in things and you recognize but you don't quite remember what their names are.
Dick Miller.
Gary Cole.
Mark Pellegrino.
Stephen Toblowsky.
William Fichner.
Richard Kind.
Esteemed character actress Margo Martindale.
Danny Trejo.
I don't know which one of these he is but I know the dude from The Conjuring is in this list
Ummm that guy from el machete
@@jennerick92jm that's Danny Trejo lol
@@literaIIyshy Patrick Wilson, I remember his name only bc It was a shame to see him in so many movies without remembering who he is
@@josereyes7465 he pops up everywhere never caught his name thanks
I love this channel so much. Much Love from a himbo!
I can't believe you put the three stooges! I'm so happy people remember them
More tropes: Bitch, Career Woman, Activist, Snob, Foreign Exchange Student, and Cool Guy.
I thought when they said they were reclaiming the bimbo trope it was going to be like the Elle woods type. But I see it’s more along the lines that it’s ok to be known just for your body and unintelligent.
There was a great episode of a Disney show called "Even Stevens" (from the early 2000's), where the smart, overachieving brunette female lead (Ren) gets her hair accidentally dyed blonde by her girly, gossipy best friend. She ends up getting a LOT of attention and starts acting like a stereotypical one-dimensional bimbo, until her BFF stages an intervention that includes other popular blond girls in the school who are smart, talented and accomplished. It was a creative, thoughtful way to present a balance in the situation.
Don’t sit right with me that women feel the need to always prove that they not a bimbo, that’s feeding the whole idea implying other women are when instead we should be saying eff u these crazy stereotypical groups society tries to put us into
One of the first things the character Fatin on the Wilds says is "I don't understand feminism, I get called a girly-girl, like it's a bad thing that I'm twice the amount of girl" and I really loved that. The Wilds was great btw, I would actually love a video on it by the Take!
How many people were expecting this to end with "Hi everyone I's Susannah. And, I'm Debra. And we're bimbos.
I've been a bimbo since my boobs developed in 5th grade. 80's on up. Bimbo is a lifestyle for life
Honestly that's one of the things I dislike about second wave feminism, that it was focused on getting respect for women (which is good) but only through the male lens of what is or is not respectable. Women having to behave a certain way (outside of common courtesy and not harming others) to be respected means that women still, by default, are not respected and have to prove themselves. It's gross.
Make your “weakness” your superpower! I’m a fake blond who likes fashion and being nice - I now work in the automotive industry and do PR and Communication and I’m known as the secret weapon when it comes to building business relationships. Don’t ever try to change to fit into anyone’s vision of your role, but make your role fit your character and traits!
The Lone Wolf Turned Unwitting Father: think the Mandalorian, Six String Samurai
Anna Faris is the OG Bimbo 😭
Just here to drop the interesting fact that in Germany "bimbo" is also used to refer to PoC, kind of like the N-word. I have no clue how this came to be but isn't it crazy how you can literally hurt two groups of people with one word?
Echt? In welcher Region? Ich komm nämlich aus Österreich und hab das Wort noch nie gehört.
@@lenastorm6280 Kannst du tatsächlich auf Wikipedia sogar nachlesen. Ich wurde auch erst neulich darauf aufmerksam gemacht.
@@leniliddy Ah ja wirklich! WTF? O.o
I spent all my life (20 years lol) not changing anything on me, not trying out styles I was interested in bc I was afraid of being like "the other girls" and now I'm over here obsessing over everything that's pink, shiny or makeup
can we all agree that these goddamn labels are getting tiring???
What's ironic about Jean Hagan in Singin' In The Rain is that she actually did some of the singing in the movie.
I'm not one for "reclaiming" negative words. I'm more about proving people wrong or just ignoring them all together. Giving yourself a negative title and trying to make it a positive thing seems odd to me.
Interesting perspective! Personally, I don't think I could be friends with someone like that but I now understand why they deserve respect too. It's more important to be a good person than to fit the social standard of how a "smart girl" should look and act.
I remember I used to get called bimbo when I was in high school and I use to hate it, People would even call me dory from finding Nemo lol but as I got older I actually liked playing dumb because it’s my way of not dealing with people.
@Colette de la Creme yes it was horrible but I noticed the bimbo calling mostly came from boys which is even more absurd I was just annoyed but if I can go back I would not change.