TikTokers are creating a new philosophy of Bimboism for Gen-Z
“No critical thinking, no self awareness, no thoughts, just vibes.”
In what is perhaps an information-overload coping mechanism and after wayyy too much time spent at home during the pandemic, some Gen-Zs on TikTok have started promoting a hyperfeminine philosophy called Bimboism. In a podcast called The Bimbo Manifesto, 19 year old Fiona Fairbairn spells out that “bimbuality” is the “art of becoming so self-obsessed that you forget about the darker aspects of your life”. It means absolutely not engaging in critical thinking or discourse and instead waking up with the question “how am I going to be hot and happy today?”
Playing on tropes of postmodern feminism, like self-care and self-love, The Bimbo Manifesto also blends aspects of Stoic and Zen philosophy and contemporary spirituality. To illustrate her point about why you shouldn’t bother fighting with someone who disagrees with you on the internet, Fiona uses the metaphor of a handbag. “If someone comes up to me and tells me my Givenchy purse is Michael Kors, am I going to start screaming and yelling and write them an essay about why they’re wrong? Uh, no,” she says on Ep.1 of the podcast entitled “Aristotle but hotter”. And although 00s/90s figures like Paris Hilton or Cher from Clueless are archetypical bimbos, 2022s bimboism isn’t exclusively for skinny, white, cis-women. “The bimbo has no gender, no race, no class, or ability… all that matters is that you are both physically and mentally hot and sexy on your own terms,” says @griffinmaxwellbrooks on TikTok.
Considering that this generation are basically an experiment in the combined effects of isolation and information overload, it’s perhaps not surprising that this satirical, reactive and anti-intellectual sugar-coated philosophy seems to be gaining popularity. Gen-Zs might not necessarily be more precarious than previous generations, but thanks to the oracular powers of the internet they are certainty a lot more aware of it. Becoming a bimbo seems like a good a way as any to opt out.
Or, in other words: no critical thinking, no self awareness, no thoughts, just vibes.
