the himbo revolution

head empty no thots!!!!

***himbos are a visual experience so if the email cuts off, you can view this post in full on the website here ***

currently, headlines are being made by employees of megacorporations as they begin to make small and large wins with their efforts of unionisation. this is obviously great news as i will always support worker’s rights. however, one union i will stay busting is the one beginning to form between himbos, as more than three men gathering together is usually a Threat. but before we can dive into the shallow pool that is the minds of himbos, we must first determine:

WHAT IS A HIMBO???

male bimbos, like cats or the moon (allegedly), have always been around but it was not until 2006 that merriam-webster finally officially recognised himbo in their silly little book of words. nathan ma explored the modern himbo in his article for vice in 2020, 32 years after rita kempley first sang her praises of the almighty himbos for the washington post. and while these are most holy and sacred text to me, i think both capture the je ne sais quoi and allure of The Himbo but ultimately fail to recognise their necessity.

in her article, rita describes the growing allure of macho, macho men, drafting the blueprint for himbos past, present, and future: “their chest measurements rival dolly parton’s. their brains would embarrass a squid. they ballyhoo maidenform undies, do nude scenes and are wildly popular with both girls and boys. they come in two varieties -- greased and armed-to-the-teeth or moussed and undressed-to-die-for… bimbo begone! hollywood has blessed us with the Himbo.” (nathan ma)

like everything else on earth, nothing exists until they put it a movie! the invention of the himbo is a response to the bimbo¹, the airhead bumbling female character archetype often (still) used in cinema. and while we love to see men be objectified the way all adam sandler films objectify women and kevin james, this perception of himbo limits their ingenuity, which is what makes them such a monument in all our lives!!!

a common misconception about himbos is