The Rise of Bimbofication

Around the early 2000’s, women such as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Kim Kardashian were on the rise and became the fixation of tabloids and news sources throughout America and across the globe. Many of these singers, starlets, and “famous-for-being-famous” icons had recurring themes in their portrayals by the media: sex, youth, hyper-femininity, and being labeled as “dumb”. While not the first of their kind in the long history of pop culture, the women of this era and their lasting cultural impact has evolved into the internet movement coined “bimbofication”. Across social media and online spheres, women are reclaiming a word once used to demean them and detach any coexistence between femininity and intelligence. While at first glance, some may see this phenomenon as silly or a new kink purely existing to satisfy the desires of men, bimbofication has made the core of its purpose clear. Women not only have a right to love themselves and the way they look, but they are powerful enough to embrace “bimbo” or hyper-feminine or hyper-sexual behavior without caring what others may think. Instead of promoting a false idea that only women who prefer a less stereotypically girly look are liberated, the bimbofication movement challenges these ideas which have shown to be void of depth or nuance. Women do not have to act a certain way or dress a certain way or look a certain way to somehow prove to the world that they are capable, strong, and intelligent. There is power in embracing sexuality and beauty and men have become successful in making businesses out of women and their sexuality for years. If we take a closer look, we may come to realize that being a bimbo is actually quite genius.

What is bimbofication really? The definition Google recommends describes it as “the process of a person acquiring the physical or mental traits that are typically associated with a bimbo”. Well, what falls under the term of bimbo, anyway? Most people’s connotation of the term limits it to be being an insult for women viewed as sexually attractive but unintelligent, usually implying a cause-and-effect relationship between the two. The modern bimbo movement includes people of all gender identities, so it is not only a matter of feminine sexual liberation, but an all-inclusive one. Society wants us to be hot and desirable and perfect, but at the same time shames us for taking pride in it or if said attributes gain us more attention (wanted or unwanted). This Catch 22 dilemma can lead to many people subconsciously connecting things like beauty, femininity, and sexual submission with weakness, when they are actually sources of strength for many people around the world. Things like fashion, cosmetics, hair, and even the way we speak may reflect these deep-rooted beliefs that society and media has instilled in us. So, what may first appear as some silly, attention-seeking fad is actually a highly fascinating, encouraging movement. There is nothing weak about wanting attention. The politicians, sports stars, actors, and business leaders of the world crave some form of attention. A press conference held by a presidential candidate or a billionaire showcasing a new product and a sexy selfie of a bimbo both intend to showcase the attributes of an individual and to make people want more of them. To shape the image someone wants wants people to have of them. Many bimbos gain happiness from being viewed as sex symbols, objects, and attractive to many people. Acknowledging and enjoying these things does not take anything away from a person. It is a choice to ignore what society says one way or another and choose your own path. Acting and dressing the way you want because it makes you happy is far more liberating than trying to fit into a mold of what others expect to be liberating. Whether that means adopting the bimbo aesthetic and/or lifestyle or any other style or lack thereof. Seeking out validation that you are being “strong and independent in the right way” ultimately continues to feed society’s power and control over us. Maybe you don’t even want to be totally independent, anyway. And that’s okay! At the end of the day, the right way to live your life is to do what makes you happy.

So, what is it like to be a bimbo? We have already established some of the reasons behind the whole movement, so let’s see how some of most prominent real life faces of bimbofication live. Alicia Amira (@ alicia_amira) is a popular Instagram influencer and adult content creator who is the self-proclaimed founder of the Bimbo movement. She refers to herself as a sex object and looks like a real-life Barbie doll. She has accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers and has started her own online fashion store called “Be A Bimbo”. The store includes mostly pink clothing such as crop tops that say “Hyperfeminine”, “Plastic”, and the words “Slut Shame” crossed out to instead say “Slut Fame”. She has created an entire brand out of reclaiming and reinventing the concept of being a bimbo. In her mini-documentary with Vice she explains how bimbofication has always been a choice that she has made for her own happiness and that she thinks of her body as a form of art. She also explains that being a bimbo and a sex worker are two separate dreams of hers and are not one in the same. Even though she may look like someone’s stereotype of what a pornstar looks like, she explains that the industry has actually shifted more towards the “girl-next-door” type. This may connect to the idea that due to cultures around the world shaming women for enjoying sex and embracing their sexuality, many men are not attracted to or actively searching for women with a mindset like Alicia’s. However, she has managed to grow a rather large audience through her various platforms such as Only Fans. Her philosophy would somewhat contradict the Google definition. The only change that bimbofication really entails, is to choose your own personal happiness, which for some people includes acrylic nails and lip injections.

The topic of sexual liberation as a whole is not as complicated as some may make it out to be. People choosing to be happy without harming anyone really should not be such an outrageous topic, but those who are not confident enough to create and follow their own path will often times look down on those who do. You do not have to be a bimbo to be happy, unless that is what your heart desires. Think about your own dreams and simply live them out even if it means you will be looked down upon or stick out from the crowd. Perhaps why so many people in the media shamed so many women in the 2000’s was because of their own yearning to fit into a mold and perpetuate the close-mindedness of our culture by diminishing the threat that sexually liberated women posed to that societal order. This is a bit of a cycle, with celebrities such as Meg Thee Stallion stirring some similar debates, especially among conservatives who want freedom…except for those who want to choose their own unique path to happiness and be in charge of their own body and image. Many people who fall into liberal or leftist ideologies may also fall into these judgmental tendencies as well due to believing the falsehood that bimbos “make women look bad”. Perhaps all of society could learn a thing or two from bimbos because when we see who is the most successful at obtaining their own happiness, bimbos are some of the smartest people in the world.