{"version": "1.0", "type": "rich", "title": "I don't think \"himbo\" is *ableist*, but I do think making fun of that particular logical leap distracts from pointing out what's...", "author_name": "kontextmaschine", "author_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "provider_name": "kontextmaschine", "provider_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "url": "https://kontextmaschine.com/post/622139843657580544/", "html": "
Yeah, that\u2019s true. It\u2019s not that the two are directly analogous; it\u2019s more that they\u2019re both terms better used to describe fictional dynamics than actual people.
\n
(Also, the phrase \u201clike the Cat in the Hat but sexy\u201d has powerful @dagny-hashtaggart energy)
I don\u2019t think it\u2019s exactly Manic Pixie Dream Guy.\u00a0 The MPDG fantasy involves a bubbly free spirit, usually paired up with a depressed introvert, who whisks that person out of their mundane, dreary world and introduces an element of whimsy into their lives.\u00a0 Like the Cat in the Hat, but sexy.
\n
The himbo/bimbo is more like a big dumb sweet puppy in human form.\u00a0 There\u2019s not really an \u201cunpredictable free spirit\u201d element to that.\u00a0 Both fantasies appeal to the wish to have a partner who is tailor-made to fit your own emotional needs, but the MPDG at least superficially challenges the protagonist/fantasizer by changing their world in some way.
Yeah, pretty much. Which is not a bad thing to find appealing in the abstract \u2013 fantasies are fantasies \u2013 but I\u2019m uncomfortable with calling real actual people \u201chimbos\u201d.
I don\u2019t think \u201chimbo\u201d is *ableist*, but I do think making fun of that particular logical leap distracts from pointing out what\u2019s actually wrong with it, which is that way too many people who use the term imply that they want a partner with no complex thoughts or interiority whatsoever
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\n
That\u2019s an intriguingly disconcerting phrase and it warms my heart that you think of my statements in connection with it
\n
\n\n\n
I think there\u2019s a psychological need addressed for some women by the fantasy of a big, strong, good-natured, loyal guy who\u2019s not clever enough to be faking the nice.
\n
\n\n\n
Additional thing: the himbo *knows* he is dumb, and so will listen to you, and respect what you have to say. It is a control fantasy in a lot of ways but I think it\u2019s a reasonably wholesome one - the himbo is a guy it is utterly safe to let your guard down around.
\n
\n
I just can\u2019t stay away from this discourse. Way too much blather below; adding a cut.
![](\"/media/6b4fbc920f8860d79d357359ff06576a9f5fc9d8_b259204911bb.png\")