What comes to mind when you think “Bimbo”? Pink and outspoken? That’s Alicia Amira, bimbo queen and founder of the Be a Bimbo movement. Alicia and her fellow bimbos are reclaiming a word used to shame and traumatize hyper-feminine women and taking control of their own image and sexuality.
KB: When I think Bimbo, I think Alicia! How did you know you are a bimbo? Was the transitioning easy?
Alicia: I knew from a very young age. But knowing what you want and who you are, and actually pursuing that, is two very different things. For as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by women society would classify as “bimbos”. I was mesmerized by their hyper-femininity and inspired by how they so obviously were taking ownership of their sexuality in a world where that, at the time, was very unusual. In movies, books, media etc a woman who I would look up to was often characterized as a “bimbo”. As something that you shouldn’t strive to be, because embracing your femininity and beauty and being sexually liberated aren’t things you should feel empowered by… or at least that’s how society portraits it. And growing up I was struggling to come to terms with what that would say about me if I looked like a bimbo or behaved in a certain way that would be considered sexually empowered. I knew I wasn’t stupid, vapid, or broken in any way, which is how society under huge influence from media portrays women who are “bimbos”. So it took me a long time to actively and consciously fight back against this stigma and stand up for women’s rights to dress how we want and look how we want, without being judged. I was 25 years old when I slowly started to dress exactly how I dreamt of dressing and doing exactly what I dreamt of doing. It wasn’t easy, and it still isn’t (which is why I started my public fight back against stigma cause I was so tired of constantly having to prove my worth just because I look a bit more hyper-feminine than your average girl), cause there is so much stigma that needs to end in order to create a world where women feel empowered and comfortable while exploring their femininity, beauty, and sexuality. The first thing many people think when they see a stereotypical image of a “bimbo” with big boobs, big lips, blonde hair in short dress is that she’s a sexual object and probably stupid or that “something must have gone wrong in her life for her to end up looking like that”. There is so much stigma we need to end for it to be “easy” to be a bimbo, but we are going in the right direction. We have to reclaim the word, make it our own and not some judgmental stereotypical stigmatized idea of what a hyper-feminine woman looks like and acts like. I don’t believe in a society where women have to dress and act like men in order to be respected – let’s celebrate our femininity and sexuality and show the world what an empowered woman also can look like.
KB: What is the definition of a bimbo to you?
Alicia: A bimbo is a woman who knows the power of her beauty and sexuality and has embraced it wholeheartedly. She is confident and empowered. She’s an archetype that has been with us throughout history. People ridicule bimbos because they fear the power of female sexuality unleashed. But Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, was a bimbo who wrapped the two most powerful men in the world around her finger. My favorite bimbo of all time is the Marchesa Luisa Casati. She was an Italian heiress who said “I want to be a living work of art” – and she succeeded. She used to stroll around Venice with a pair of leashed cheetahs and wear live snakes as necklaces. Every artist in Europe wanted to paint her. The only woman who has been painted more than her is the Virgin Mary! She partied with Picasso and worked magic with Aleister Crowley. Her jewelry was so extravagant that Cartier copied her style. Eventually she became the most famous woman in Europe and the muse of an entire art movement, Italian futurism. THAT is my definition of a bimbo!!
KB: Tell me more about the Be A Bimbo movement?
Alicia: The ‘Be A Bimbo movement’ is here for womxn everywhere who are tired of worrying about what society thinks of their outfits, their makeup, their sexuality, their hyper-femininity. We are here to show the world what an actual bimbo is – a confident, strong, independent, powerful, creative, beautiful, sexual, smart, savvy and most of all: empowered woman! We are reclaiming the word bimbo and ending stigma, so that next time you see a woman you would classify as a bimbo, you wouldn’t judge her, you would celebrate her courage to be free from social chains, and the next time you think “isn’t this outfit a little too much” when you’re getting dressed, you would immediately tell yourself “there’s no such thing as too much” and you wear exactly what you want. I have met so many women in my life who have come up to me and said that they wished they dared to dress like I do, and while I think it’s incredibly sweet, I also think it’s very sad that we have created a world where women don’t feel free to be who they are or dress how they want, because they simply feel afraid of being judged or scared of being insulted. We have to normalize it so that people’s behavior against women like us can be changed. The be a bimbo movement is a fast-growing community of women around the world who are supporting and empowering each other to be confident enough to look exactly how they want to, dress exactly like they want and do with their sexuality exactly as they wish. We are celebrating our femininity, our sexuality and each other.
KB: You recently started your own fashion/lifestyle brand under same name, can you tell me more about it?
Alicia: The Be A Bimbo brand and movement are the same thing, but while I can be political with the movement, the fashion brand allows me to explore a more creative side & create designs for these womxn who are tired of all the “safe” designs from other brands. Being a part of the bimbo family is something that has come to mean everything to me throughout the last couple of years, and I wanted to give something back to the incredible queens who inspire me daily. But I also wanted to push the message of the movement to all over the world in order to actually make a difference in the real world, and I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to do it than through fashion. I want to normalize women being bimbos so that we can feel safe to be who we are, and the more women you see with sexually empowered, cheeky designs and the neck tag “be a bimbo” the more you subconsciously start to change your opinion of women who are bimbos, and in time we will have ended stigma and actually reclaimed the word. These dolls supporting Be A Bimbo are my biggest inspirations, and I’m so thankful that there are queens like these out there in the world, who are brave, bold and beautiful – they are the future, and I’m just completely honored to be a part of a community so empowering and inspiring as the bimbo family. Every day I receive messages through my brand’s social media account from women who just wanted to tell me that because of this community that we have created together, they feel so much more confident in who they are and empowered to be the best versions of themselves. It’s like we say: why be basic when you can be a bimbo?
KB: So it’s all about Bimbos finally fighting back! What are the reasons why Bimbos are censored and judged so aggressively?
Alicia: It’s because a woman’s beauty, her sexuality, they are so powerful. You know you have the story of Helen of Troy, who was so beautiful that the Trojans and the Greeks fought for ten years over here! That myth tells us something about how powerful beauty is. A bimbo can make a man weak in the knees and a rival furious with jealousy! That’s why every society in history has tried to tame women’s beauty and leash their sexuality. Societies have made us cover up, they’ve shamed us as sluts, burned us as witches. There’s a whole culture that has been built up, that’s designed to keep female sexuality under control, to keep our bodies censored. You see it everywhere. If a woman is born gifted with intelligence and uses it to get ahead, she’s praised for taking advantage of her gifts. But if a woman is born gifted with beauty and uses it to get ahead, she’s a slut and a whore! It’s all coming from a desire to keep us from knowing our own power. Well, I know about it, and I’m here to tell the world.
KB: How inclusive is the Be A Bimbo movement?
Alicia: It’s totally inclusive!! The only requirement is that you know and embrace the power of your beauty and take ownership of your sexuality. Some people give me pushback on this and say “but not everyone is beautiful”. But they are! I honestly believe every woman is beautiful. Any sex worker will tell you – everyone is beautiful to someone. People have all sorts of fetishes. It doesn’t matter whether you are skinny or heavy, big breasted or small breasted, blonde or bald, there are some people out there who’d fight the Trojans for 10 years for you. There’s just an amazing diversity in human sexuality, and as a result there’s an amazing diversity in what makes beauty.
KB: There are many young women out there, in the same situation you used to be. What would you say to them now?
Alicia: I’d tell them: You have the power. It’s your body, your sexuality, your beauty. Cultivate it. Enjoy it. Do good with it! And be kind to your bimbo sisters out there. We’re all in this together.
KB: What is the future for Be A Bimbo?
Alicia: We are constantly working on new fabulous designs, and we have a few very exciting collaborations with artists/brands coming up soon too. We have recently started to introduce Bimbo ambassadors for our fashion brand, and we are working with 3 exceptional women who we will introduce on our website soon. Besides that we are planning the first-ever bimbo meet up for bimbos around the world to attend and meet their sisters. Being a bimbo can be very lonesome at times because there is such a stigma about it still, so having a sense of a community is important in order to keep pushing for women’s rights to be a bimbo and to reclaim the word. And we won’t ever stop fighting to end stigma about sexually empowered hyper-feminine women. These bimbos deserve praise and respect, not ridicule and contempt. They are some of the most inspiring women you could ever meet, so next time you meet a bimbo, keep an open mind. She’s everything and more.
