Most women have boobs. Some women have big boobs, some women have small boobs, some women don’t have boobs, and some women may only have one boob. Weirdly, despite boobs being just like any other body part, objectification has resulted in degrading and belittling stereotypes of women who are overly sexualised. The ‘bimbo’ stereotype is often depicted as a conventionally attractive woman, who takes care of her physical appearance and has large boobs. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking pride in how you look, I rarely leave the house without makeup on if I’m completely honest, it makes me feel good and I enjoy the performative (nod to Judith Butler) process of getting ready. I love to dress in clothing I deem to be ‘c*nty’ and I often feel – as many women do- that I am judged at face value.
Historically sexualised
Women have always been objectified and are often viewed solely to serve as sexual objects for men, who impose these sexist images and stereotypes, top down, through the patriarchy. As the media has created idealised images of women which not only are unattainable, and appeal only to the male gaze, the idea that women cannot be both intelligent and attractive is perpetuated time and time again. The term ‘bimbo’ comes from the Italian word bimbo, meaning little boy, but by the 1920’s its meaning had begun to shift as it was increasingly applied to women who were attractive but were deemed to be ‘lacking intelligence’. The increasingly negative portrayal of women in the media being depicted as sexually appealing but also dim-witted and shallow cemented the term as an insult meant to further reduce women down to their bodies and not their brains. In the media women with big boobs are often cast in roles that overemphasise their conventional attractiveness rather than their skills or intellectual qualities. This reinforces the idea that physical traits are more important than what a woman has to offer in terms of expertise, intelligence, or professionalism.
Media adaptations
We’ve seen films such as Legally Blonde attempt to reclaim the ‘bimbo’ stereotype, but I feel like this film was a rather poor attempt at doing so – she is both conventionally attractive, and highly intelligent, but the film glazes over the the intersectional aspects of women’s experiences, as she’s from a highly privileged background. If Elle had been a working class woman, her experiences as a woman and the prejudices she faced would be significantly altered. Her wealthy social background, and accent, allows for people to at least view her as a worthy lawyer – would this remain if she had been working class? But regardless, no single film can repair over a hundred years of creating female characters purely for the male gaze, and reducing capable women to ‘princess’ stereotypes.
“Unprofessionalism”
Big boobs are often seen as unprofessional. How this societal perspective has come to be is completely ridiculous. Big boobs have historically been associated with femininity in a caricature-like way, and certain physical traits are often seen as distractions from the “seriousness” or “neutrality” required in professional spaces. Just because you (men) can’t focus at your desk while a curvy woman is in the same room as you, that should not be our problem. Women cannot help the way they were born – and I personally am not about to get a reduction because of men’s unprofessional behaviour. I, and we all should, refuse to be reduced down to a vessel or a body . Women are intelligent, smart, capable, and professional regardless of how they may look, and what they chose to wear to work. Professionalism needs to stop being tied to conservatism, and dress codes do not work for everyone’s bodies. Also are we not past the point of needing to wear unnecessarily uncomfortable and soulless work attire anyways? I should not need to hide my curves, because my body is not unprofessional, it is my body.
Look good, feel good
It is time to end the prejudices that society holds. Hyper-femininity is a strength, and in my opinion it can be a tool of rebellion against the patriarchy. You can be hot sh*t and also get a first class degree, because f*ck the countless oppressive stereotypes women are pushed to be. We (my fellow women reading this) all know that these constant, and hypocritical pressures will never end (unless we dismantle the patriarchy and achieve class consciousness)- so you might as well feel like a bad b*tch while living your life the way you want. Women need to be confident, but not bossy. Pretty, but not ‘a try hard’. Empathetic, but not overly emotional. It’s all ridiculous and it’s all too much, and associating big boobs, a body part, with a low IQ is far too old fashioned and reductive to continue being perpetuated in today’s society. When you have an issue with hyper-femininity – you have an issue with all forms of femininity. To all the ‘girly pops’ reading this: other women are never your enemies, we must stand in solidarity, because no matter how we look, we are smart, we are capable and we are strong.