BIMBOCORE
Alex Bruce-Smith channels noughties Paris Hilton in a quest to reclaim #bimbo
I'm standing on a street in Sydney dressed in a hot-pink minidress and Barbie-esque platforms when a truck driver calls out a "heyyyyy sexy" as he drives past. Catcalling! In the year of our Lord 2022! I thought we were past that, but apparently all it takes is dressing like a bimbo for strange men to give me their opinions as they pass. The next truck driver is a little less encouraging. "Slag," he declares. Ah, the duality of man.
I'm dressed like a bimbo for a very important reason: to see if the TikTok favourite #bimbocore aesthetic works in the wild. Visually, bimbocore is exactly what you think it is: hyper-feminine, slightly sultry and pink everything. Emotionally it's a little deeper. It's "no thoughts, just vibes" but done in the name of feminism. Or something.
My moodboard for this challenge is a combination of Paris Hilton in the 2000s, Hailey Bieber dressed up as Lola Bunny and, of course, Elle Woods. When Legally Blonde premiered in 2001, Elle Woods (played to perfection by Reese Witherspoon) became an instant icon for subverting the dumb blonde stereotype. "What, like it's hard?" was the refrain for women succeeding everywhere. But it was only a few years later that we were treating Paris Hilton like a joke for having her sex tape leaked, instead of calling the act what it was: a sex crime. In the noughties, being feminine meant being dumb - a bimbo - and therefore less worthy of society's respect.
In the years since, we've reexamined what it means to celebrate femininity. Phrases such as "I'm not like the other girls" became "I'm exactly like the other girls." Now, thanks in part to TikTok and the resurgence of '00s fashion, women are experimenting again with the hyperfeminine bimbo look. Only this time we're the ones in control.
Bu hikaye Marie Claire Australia dergisinin December 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Marie Claire Australia dergisinin December 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
WHY WOMEN SHOULDN'T BE DISCOUNTED
Four game-changing women share why they want economic empowerment included in the conversation this International Women’s Day
home HAVEN
Sophie Bell, founder of Peppa Hart, invites us into her calming quarters, writes Samantha Stewart
BEHIND THE SCENES with PETER PHILIPS
An intimate backstage moment with the legendary creative and image director for Dior Makeup
MIAH MADDEN
The Australian actor on her biggest fashion crime, party tricks and the women who have shaped her
TAYLOR SWIFT
As she hits our shores in February, music writer Cameron Adams charts the unbelievable career of the world’s biggest music artist, from her Nashville country music roots to her record-smashing Eras tour
The road to NIRVANA
Editor Georgie Abay lands in the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan for the adventure of a lifetime
makes SUN sense
What if we saw a suntan for what it really is: a visible sign that skin has been damaged? Sherine Youssef looks behind the golden facade
RUNWAY to DEBT
Modelling agencies are ecruiting young people who have fled war-torn African countries and are living in extreme poverty. They are flown to Europe to take part n fashion castings, but some return within days or weeks, often laden with debt
CALLUM TURNER
The British actor shares tales from the front line, why you should play your heroes and his love for Free Willy
ALL ABOUT JESS
Chart-topping Australian singer Jessica Mauboy talks love, lonliness and music legend Whitney Houston on the eve of her new release, Yours Forever