So obviously many were offended, even confused and rattled when the term 'Himbo' majorly came into limelight - in an era which has several ongoing movements on gender equality, wages issue and more - after a Twitter user in 2020 claimed that the word was offensive and problematic in a series of tweets. AnĪrticle in Washington Post dating back to May, 29, 1988, used the term to describe a "macho himbo who strutted the Croisette wearing a 16-foot python like a stole around his shoulders and neck". If we were to scan through several dictionaries, the word was first cited in 1988.
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We also saw a reflection of 'Himbo' in Joey Tribbiani from the iconic TV sitcom 'FRIENDS', Fred Jones from animated series Scooby-Doo and Son Goku, male Saiyan and the protagonist of the 'Dragon Ball' seriesĪnd of course, Hercules, arguably the first 'Himbo' himself. The most famous fictional characters whose personalities match the characteristics of a 'Himbo' are our beloved Thor, whom we know as the son of Odin and as the God of Thunder from the Marvel universe, Kronk, the antagonist of Disney-animated films such as 'The Emperor's New Groove', who also played the titular protagonist in the 2005 hit 'Kronk's New Groove'. So in order to have a male counterpart, 'Himbo' joined the ever-growing list of stereotypical terms. Take Marilyn Monroe's iconic character in 1953 film 'Gentleman Prefer Blondes', which had a classic bimbo hit dance scene - 'Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend'. The term has been broadly used in pop culture and films since the 1920s where female characters were portrayed as unintelligent women usually with blonde locks, curvaceous body while wearing heavy make-up and revealing clothes. However, the word soon became a sexist slang for not-so-bright women who were defined and sexualised for their attractive appearance and features. The female counterpart, 'bimbo', is derived from the word 'bambino', which is Italian for a young male child and was originally used to describe simple, brutish men until the early 1920s.
While we are pretty aware of what the colloquial female counterpart 'bimbo' means, not many know the origin of the term and how it assumed a derogatory reference over the years. The original version of the website was launched in France last year as Ma Bimbo and attracted similar criticism.īut Miss Bimbo's creators insist the game is "harmless fun" and is not a bad influence on young girls because it merely reflects real life.The word, which has been floating on the Internet for a while now, is a portmanteau of "him" and "bimbo" - 'Himbo'. "They take things very, very seriously and for children of eight, nine, 10 they are going to believe that it's absolutely right what they see there, that they should be manipulating their bodies to look like one of these bimbo dolls." "It might be a bit of fun for adults but children aren't able to discriminate between what's fun and what's reality. "I'm appalled that anyone would aim this sort of material at very young children," she told Sky News. "Dee Dawson, medical director of the Rhodes Farm Clinic for girls with eating disorders, branded the website as "lethal" and called for it to be removed. "It depends on the background and mindset of the child but the danger is that after playing the game, some will then aspire to live 'the Bimbo dream' and have breast operations and take diet pills. "If that happens, then the game becomes a hazard and a menace. "But the danger is that a nine-year-old could easily fail to appreciate the irony and see the bimbo as a cool role model. "It is one thing if a child recognises it as a silly and stupid game," he said in a statement. The website, which launched in Britain last month and already has more than 210,000 registered users, has been attacked by parents' groups and eating disorder clinics.īill Hibberd of parents' rights group Parentkind said he was worried the website was sending out dangerous messages to young girls. There's even a virtual psychologist the bimbos can see so that they can "send your problems to take-a-hikesville".
Other "missions" for players include securing appointments at a virtual plastic surgery clinic so that their bimbos can have their breasts enlarged.
Players are urged to "stop at nothing to become the reigning bimbo" and reminded that their doll needs to keep to an ideal "waif thin" weight of 57kg – even if that means spending bimbo dollars on diet pills.