Pretty in Pink: The Queer-ification of the ‘Bimbo’ in Modern Pop Music

TikTok has given rise to many different expressions of self in today’s popular music – one such trend amongst the subcultures today is hyper feminine, Y2K-influenced aesthetics. From the unabashed embrace of bubblegum pink to the husky, emotionless, Paris Hilton-esque voices, the 2000s and its poppy synths are back in fashion, but with one major difference: the symbol of the ‘bimbo’ is no longer one made in the male gaze. The ‘bimbo’ has become undoubtedly queer. In honour of International Women’s Day we’re celebrating some of the hyper-femme musicians cultivating the genre and redefining what it means to be a bimbo - because yes, music that is overtly feminine, even to the point of camp-ness, is worthy of critical analysis!

Peach PRC

Peach PRC’s (she/her) rise to the status of ‘lesbian singer’ (her bio on all social media platforms) has been a long and tumultuous process. Her music, like her TikTok's, documenting her long string of failed relationships with men. Coming out in January 2022, her music has transformed from poppy diss tracks on her seemingly deadbeat-ex boyfriend ‘Josh’ (who shares the same name as the song written about him), to equally dance-y tunes that openly embrace her queerness. As the leading single from her upcoming debut album, Perfect for You explores the complexities of dating within a predominantly-queer friendship group, still against the familiar backdrop of twinkly fairy-like synths.

Where to start: ‘Josh’, ‘Blondes’, ‘Teenage Dirtbag – Spotify Singles’, and ‘Perfect for You'

Scene Queen

Having named her debut EP, Bimbocore, Scene Queen (she/her) has created a subgenre within a subgenre, fusing pink with punk. The choice of ‘Scene Queen’ as a stage name essentially describes everything her music attempts to achieve: while making use of mid-2000s ‘white trash’ aesthetics on the covers of her EPs, speaking and singing with a ‘valley girl’ accent throughout her songs, she also references elements of more underground, alternative genres – notably referencing Pierce the Veil’s ‘King for a Day’ in ‘Pink Whitney’.

Scene Queen, the stage persona of Hannah Collins, is bisexual, and uses her music as a means of rallying against sexism, particularly in the music industry, and empowering herself and her fellow ‘bi bimbos.’ Some may interpret Scene Queen’s music as being quite camp, as she places an emphasis on theatricality in her music – referring to herself as a hotel concierge in ‘Pink Hotel’, or taking on the role of Barbie in ‘Barbie and Ken’ – and swings quite drastically (and within seconds) between delicate femininity, purposeful crudeness, and metal screaming that may surprise a first-time listener.

Where to start: ‘Pink Panther’, ‘Pink Whitney’, and ‘Pink Rover’.

Chrissy Chlapecka

A relatively new face on the music scene, Chrissy Chlapecka (she/they) has emerged as one of the defining bimbos of the TikTok generation with her over-the-top outfit choices and radical socio-politics. Chlapecka frequently stitches TikToks from other women, proclaiming how much ‘I love women!’ - so frequently that it’s become much of an inside joke amongst their fanbase.

Having become more and more comfortable as her online presence has grown: her newly released debut single ‘I’m So Hot’, preaches exactly the message you would expect, proudly proclaiming in the chorus ‘I’m so hot I’d f— myself.’ Sonically, the single seems to take influence from the early works of acts like The Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears, with the intro featuring a nightclub-esque, pulsating bassline that exudes sensuality. The single is an ode not only to herself, but also her recently discovered comfort in expressing her sexuality, and freedom from the restraints of the male gaze she feels kept her captive for so long.

Where to start: There’s only a single starting point really - ‘I’m So Hot’.

DreamDoll

Despite having been in the public conscious for years on shows like Bad Girls; Club and Love & Hip Hop, Tabatha Robinson, known better as DreamDoll (she/her), has re-emerged into the music scene recently with the help of - guess what - TikTok. Joined with the infamous cupcaKKe, their single ‘Splish Splash’ became an instant hit online. Though most of DreamDoll’s lyrics revolve around heterosexual relationships, she identifies as bisexual, having come out in June 2021 in a ‘happy pride day’ post on Instagram, in which she casually sits naked on a rainbow horse.

Departing from the Y2K-centric bimboism of Peach PRC and Chrissy Chlapecka, Dream's image and music resemble the likes of Nicki Minaj or Megan Thee Stallion: flamboyant, feminine and unabashedly confident. Although many would describe her as ’straight-passing’, Dream has been quick to defend her bisexual identity from fetishization by some of her male followers, following her coming out with a tweet saying: ‘Some Guys are so ignorant just because a woman is bisexual don’t equal 3 sums nor does that mean she want to share her girl with y’all crusty asses tf !!!!’

In both her public image and her musical identity, Dream shows us that her expression of femininity does not orbit around pleasing or appealing to the male gaze, often putting her needs above the needs of men in her music, and subverting the sexual hierarchy established by the male artists of years gone by.

Where to start: ‘Splish Splash’, ‘Fantasy’, ‘Adore You’.

By Mai Wallace