The Rise Of The Bimbo
ELLE Singapore|February 2021
Oft thrown around callously as a term of mockery for attractive but vapid women, the word “bimbo” is getting a rebrand by Gen Z tiktokers — one satirical video at a time
Chelsea Tang
The Rise Of The Bimbo

Chrissy Chlapecka flits around in what would be a suitable beach outfit for Barbie — a two-piece bustier-plus miniskirt set in translucent pink vinyl, complete with bubblegum pink trimming. Two conspicuous pink belts with heart-shaped buckles go with the ‘fit: one on her waist, the other on her hips; vying for attention along with the wearer’s platinum blonde pigtails and eyeliner stencilled heart drawn on her right cheekbone. She speaks, in a breathy, flutey tone, “Confidence is gained by letting go of baggage. Baggage includes toxic boyfriends, multiplication, men!”

Another video, one of Chlapecka’s most-watched (with 2.3 million viewers at press time), saw her in a faux-fur trimmed trench coat — in pink, of course — share, with glassy eyes and a vacant stare, “Are you a leftist who likes to have your tits out? Do you like to flick off pro-lifers? Then, this is the place for you. Are you good at math? Are you good at reading? Well, if you are, how?”

It’s not every day that a woman voluntarily, nay, wholeheartedly champions herself as a bimbo like Chlapecka does on TikTok, where she has 1.6 million followers (at press time) comprising of “girls, gays, theys and non-binary babes”, per her verbiage. After all, the term is best known to describe women who are vapid and sexualised — made popular in the later bits of the 20th century due to political scandals in the United States of America.

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