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A Brief Anime History of The Himbo

If "plenty of Himbos are intelligent", then it feels like there should be a more accurate term for the character type than "Himbo"

And While I don't dislike Himbo's as an archetype, the ditzy aspect does feel like an over correction at points in media, especially in modern Rom coms where every Male adult protag is portrayed as someone with Himbo characteristics or bumbling their way through life.

Parenting the Husband is a side effect of how this trend can be over saturated.

Hard to see the appeal these guys have to women. I mean Dragon Ball started as a really ecchi series where Goku used to touch everybody's crotch region and his master's attitude was the subject of a lot controversy whish resulted into a major complaint in regards to a late Super episode.

Ryoga starts as innocent but his obsession with Akane... also, while Kamina sure is an appealing male, there was the famous incident from an early episode that had to be toned down due to the timelot not fitting for Kamina wanted to see every girl naked regardless of cause.

And While I don't dislike Himbo's as an archetype, the ditzy aspect does feel like an over correction at points in media, especially in modern Rom coms where every Male adult protag is portrayed as someone with Himbo characteristics or bumbling their way through life.

Parenting the Husband is a side effect of how this trend can be over saturated.

Kuzu wrote:

I said I do understand, so...

Kuzu wrote:

Not that its the intention of the article, but why do I feel like the implications here are that women can only be comfortable around when they're mentally inferior?

The thing is that if you really did you wouldn't need to ask this. As already explained it's not about mental capacity, it's about harmlessness. Plenty of Himbos are intelligent, and part of their appeal is how smart and capable they are at their passions. The article even includes examples of this. The part worth examining here is your "Why do I feel" statement, and understanding that you saying

Kuzu wrote:

I understand where it comes from mind you, but

means you really don't. And it's ok not to know that! The article even opens with how the concept in reality doesn't fit what you would assume at face value, because the term Himbo is taken from is soaked in the same misogyny that the character type is an escape from. Any problems with the implications there are the problems with the patriarchal system they are standing away from. In the same way that same culture pushed the idea that women could only be friends with gay dudes, only to then be reactionary about how media portrays straight men as predatory for not having female friends without sexual interests. So no, as much as you think you understand I think it's more that you lack the recognition that you don't, and not brushing off explanation's like the article itself and Octopodpie's response in favor of stating that you already knew, while stating something opposed to that understanding, is a good way to actually begin to understand.

If the term is meant to be an escape from a derogatory stereotype, then why use a name that's meant to draw attention to it? If its meant to be a positive representation, then wouldn't it make more sense to have a term that reflects that, as opposed to the implied meaning behind Himbo?

I'll fully admit that I'm not the most versed on this subject, but shouldn't we be moving away from that? You already explained the negative connotations behind the term "bimbo", but if we're meant to accept "himbo" as a positive term then why draw the comparison at all?

Unless himbo just means "dumb, hunky guy" but isn't that basically a jock?

A himbo must, MUST, be Kind, Beefy, and Stupid. Only Kind and Beefy? That's just a hunk. Only Beefy and Stupid? That's just a jock. Only Kind and Stupid? That's just a decent man!

I'm hardly an expert in such matters, but besides Kamina and Galo most of the characters mentioned don't seem very close to the himbo archetype at all, if for no other reason than their physique. I mean, most of them are twigs. The ur-example of a himbo in my mind is Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove: built like a truck, dumb as a brick, incredibly kindhearted, and makes a mean spinach puff.

The modern himbo is Makoto from Free!, Back Arrow's Back Arrow, Mirio as was previously mentioned, almost any of the Joestars but especially Joseph, Galo from Promare, Akira in Devilman crybaby, etc.

Top Gun wrote:

I'm hardly an expert in such matters, but besides Kamina and Galo most of the characters mentioned don't seem very close to the himbo archetype at all, if for no other reason than their physique. I mean, most of them are twigs. The ur-example of a himbo in my mind is Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove: built like a truck, dumb as a brick, incredibly kindhearted, and makes a mean spinach puff.

Kronk is definitely a 100% modern idea of the himbo.

Call me an old curmudgeon if you must, but why the hell do we even need a term for this? Why do we have to categorize women and men period with pointless and trivial monikers? No you're not THIS kind of person, you're THAT kind of person, or maybe I'm something else. Why can't people simply be "a nice person" and we call it a day? Why do we have to label and categorize people like this at all? I wouldn't personally want to be slapped with some label regardless of what it is. It seems to simply devalue the person as they're not an individual, they're part of some sort of group that we arbitrarily place them in. I do not get the need or fascination with these arbitrary and ridiculous terms that change like the wind. Instead of just saying he/she is a nice person, or an asshole. You either treat people with some respect, decency, and value, or you don't. Real simple that way.