In the past couple of months, I am sure we are all well-acquainted with what I like to call “the bimbo uprising”. In case you’ve been living under a rock or living a peaceful life outside of the disorienting realm of TikTok, a new trend called bimbocore has emerged. Bimbocore was created to celebrate hyper-femininity, amplified by the release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and the re-popularization of No Doubt’s “Just a Girl”. As a blonde girl who loves all things materialistic, pink, and Barbie, I ate it up. It had humble beginnings, as most trends often do. Many girls and women connected over the trials and tribulations of being a messy girly girl figuring out how to adult in a big world. The more material and hyper-feminine of us called ourselves bimbos or at least subscribed to the bimbo lifestyle, cherishing and embracing the frivolous.
Now, don’t get me wrong; there is a lot of merit in overtaking a derogatory term used against you and redefining it. This has been done frequently throughout history, providing a sense of empowerment to oppressed groups. Since the 20th century, the term “bimbo” has been used to humiliate feminine women by men, connecting femininity to stupidity. Since then, this word has been repurposed by often well-meaning women, but we must be critical of what we’re reinforcing when we redefine it. I am writing this with the full intention of learning to unlearn, as I’m guilty of engaging in such trends and ignoring the hypocrisy, the cognitive dissonance, and the patriarchal reinforcements that come with them.
This leads directly to my next point: the Bimbocore trend has unfortunately become anti-intellectual. In other words, the trend teaches women that undermining their own intelligence is somehow empowering. TikTok creator @nikitadumptruck went viral for spelling out real-world issues, the economy, and financial advice in “girl terms”, which are watered-down explanations. This reinforces the patriarchal idea that women are inherently less intelligent. Just because some of us may not be as well-versed in finance terms (or if you’re me, not versed AT ALL), does not mean that we do not have the same capacity to learn these concepts without a patronizing tone or just an over-simplified overview. Women can and do learn these same things in the same spaces and through the same mediums that men do. There aren’t any hot pink-colored glasses shielding us from doing it, so why reinforce the idea that we can’t?
The whole “dumbing something down into ‘girl terms’” trend then led to a trend called “girl math”, where girls justify poor spending habits by deeming cash as “fake money” that can be spent however and whenever. As I write this, I can say with full confidence that I am so, so guilty of this. I fell into this exact same trap because I thought the whole “girl math” concept was undeniably funny and incredibly relatable. I didn’t quite see the whole scope of the issue at-hand until I actually took on financial responsibilities. I got a rude, rude awakening when I realized I am horrible at saving money and realized these bad habits were making it harder for me to make rent. Who knew buying Starbucks once a day for a week will actually have an impact on my bank account? I kicked myself into high-gear and had to unlearn all of these poor spending justifications.
Let me tell you: being financially smart is still absolutely possible, even if you’re a material girl like me. I’m no expert yet, but even just recognizing what is and isn’t going to sustain you long-term is a step. It’s better than doing whatever you want for a while in the name of a quirky trend and then having an absolute financial crisis/mental breakdown.
The Bimbocore trend has catalyzed another negative outcome: normalizing unsubstantial nutrition and poor eating habits. TikTok creator @liviemaher coined a popular audio which girls all over the word used to show off their “girl dinners”; AKA, girls would show off their often comical “dinners” that usually detailed only a bag of chips, a pickle, or another light snack. As most trends do on TikTok, it then inflated to something more serious, where women would show off and celebrate with one another how little they eat. Harmful eating disorder rhetoric began to overtake, and it became unfortunately normal for girls to cheer each other on for not making balanced meals because it was the quirky thing to do. I, for one, love to say “I’m just a girl” to excuse my messy, quirky, weird habits or actions, but I would then watch others online use that same saying to justify not eating enough. It put a bad taste in my mouth.
With all of this being said, I want to emphasize how vital it is to be critical of what we hear and see on social media, especially the trends generated by liberal feminism that reinforce harmful ideologies. It is so easy to subscribe to something that has a guise of female empowerment, but in reality is upheld by patriarchal ideals and sets us back. Believe me, I have been there. De-centering myself from the influences of the patriarchy of which I live in feels unfeasible, yet looking inward and remaining critical provides me the reassurance that sometimes I can.
My biggest takeaway from my research on bimbo feminism is that learning to unlearn is the most empowering thing one can do. By writing this article, I discovered the real weight of seemingly-harmless trends and realized my own shortcomings. I absolutely can learn how to do my taxes, how to manage my finances, and self-actualize because I have the capacity to. So, don’t allow the archaic, tired trope that feminine women are apparently stupid by consuming the “dumbed-down” version of a concept that you can absolutely master. And, more importantly, maybe look elsewhere than TikTok to do so. If I can try to attempt to do it, you can try to attempt to do it!