Growing up as a young girl, I did not recognize the many complexities surrounding gender until my teenage years. As children, girls are often mindlessly taught unwritten rules about femininity that exist, not only to limit us, but to allow men to run rampant in their mistreatment of women.

Initially, I only had to defend myself to mansplaining classmates who would eventually deviate into tangents about feminism being sexist and how women were at fault for their own mistreatment.

Once I discussed similar topics regarding sexism with my father, I became alarmingly aware that men do not always unlearn the societal rules and guidelines of gender presentation as women often do when they grow up.

According to former Columbia social media and digital strategy major-turned-influencer and self-proclaimed “bimbo” Chrissy Chlapecka, I am not alone.

The issue is, so many of us have grown up believing the way we are treated is directly related to how we present ourselves, rather than the fault of the men who disrespect us. This is all internalized misogyny we have to unlearn.

According to the UMKC Women’s Center, internalized misogyny is “when women subconsciously project sexist ideas onto other women and even onto themselves.” This is a result of patriarchal ideals being taught to young girls and carried into adulthood.

“It’s 1000% [not] our fault as feminine people because that’s how society brought us up,” Chlapecka said. “I think everyone should be accountable by the time they leave their house to have real people opinions, not just their parents’ [opinions].”

Chlapecka has decided to educate others about unlearning internalized misogyny by self-identifying as a bimbo and, ultimately, fighting against the sexist ideals rooted within our society.

“For me, this movement is not just taking back femininity,” she said. “It’s taking back any of these social standards that these f—— white men or cis people or heterosexual people have put on people just to say that ‘you’re less than, you’re not doing this right, you’re not fitting in our box.’ For me, the bimbo is someone who goes outside of that with no shame.”

According to the Oxford Learner’s dictionary, a bimbo is “a young person, usually a woman, who is sexually attractive but not very intelligent.” While this may be true in the traditional meaning of the word, the Gen Z bimbo is anything but unintelligent.

“People may be like, ‘Oh, you’re not getting your college degree—you must be stupid.’ No, I’m just figuring out life a different way,” Chlapecka said. “My really good friend Griffin identifies also as a bimbo, and they go to Princeton.”

The routine of the “Chlapecka-esque” bimbo involves a lot of positive words of affirmation to oneself and others, denouncing capitalism and racism, and living by the mantra “hot is a mentality, and ugly is too,” she said. Not to mention, the job also typically includes a lot of pink and sparkles.

The alternative, “himbo” is merely a masculine modification of the word. While the word bimbo is still heavily used as an oppressive insult to women, himbo is almost exclusively used as an endearing term for hunky but ditzy masculine-presenting people.

The word bimbo, in the traditional sense, simply does not exist for men. This has a direct correlation to how we view masculine and feminine individuals. Himbos are not subjected to the same amount of harsh criticism that bimbos are.

As a society, we need to question our perceptions of hyper-feminine women and how heavily we rely on man-made insults like “bimbo” without masculine equivalents. We must begin to reshape those views to fit the more progressive reality in which the Gen Z bimbo lives.

“I think himbos who are male presenting and straight will never receive the same hatred that women get,” Chlapecka said. “Because no matter what, society always applauds the man.”

Despite the message of “bimboism” largely revolving around female empowerment, there are women who express distaste for bimbos as well.

The patriarchy has taught us that anything feminine is something to be ashamed of while subsequently defining masculinity as, ultimately, more worthy of respect. Women specifically are subjected to ridicule for having interests or altering their appearance in a way that does not exist to serve men. This is part of the reason why bimbos are so frowned upon—they do it for “the girls, the gays and nonbinary babes,” not for the male gaze, according to Chlapecka.

Society at large has done a thorough job of getting us to hate those of us who display hyper-femininity, but we no longer need to allow misogynistic men to perpetuate this cycle of hatred.

When we implement unwritten rules about the acceptable ways to exhibit femininity, we open the door to misogyny. We teach women to compare themselves to one another, thus creating a never-ending competition designed for us all to lose.

Many women, Chlapecka and myself included, can get caught up in trying to keep score with each other. This is a behavioral pattern created with the hope that we do not realize that we have been distracted from dismantling the larger systemic issue—the patriarchy.

Bimboism is merely a vehicle we can use, not only to reach the finish line, but to run through the obstacle course as a whole. Being a bimbo is not just an aesthetic—it’s a way of life. Bimbos don’t let misogynistic people determine their own self-worth, and neither should you.

Instead of warning little girls about the dangers of becoming a bimbo, tell them why we see bimbos as inferior in the first place. It will help speed up the process of unlearning all of the misogynistic societal standards that little girls like Chlapecka and I had to deal with on our own.