Himbos

 I came across a tweet by an academic which said that she was wondering whether one of her sons is going to be a himbo--empty head, no worries, positive vibes only. I was mesmerized by the term, so I looked it up. It turns out it also includes ravishingly good looks, and arose in the early 2010s following a spate of films in which the female comic lead had a hot dumb male counterpart to serve as a backdrop to her jokes. What wouldn't a chronic overthinker like me give to be a himbo? I know a number of people who are happy by nature as well as mentally well-endowed, so I know you don't need to have an empty head to give out positive vibes. But, it does seem like an appealing attribute, especially since if one is empthy-headed, one by definition doesn't pay much attention to the contents of their head, or lack thereof. But, it also got me thinking about whether I know any himbos. I do not. But, do himbos exist only in movies? I instantly thought of the Jackass movie franchise, and thought a bunch of the characters could qualify as himbos (although a counterargument could be that the himbo is a carefully constructed onscreen persona). The Jackass movies are immensely popular. It turns out there is a huge audience for stuntmen pulling pranks on each either, getting hit in the balls, doing outrageous stunts and sometimes getting badly injured, all while laughing uproariously. Playing the fool is an artform, which shouldn't be underestimated. But, I have digressed and should return to the topic of the himbo. Does a himbo have the self-awareness to realise he is a himbo? There is a song in one of the jackass movies that goes "If you are going to be dumb, you've gotta be tough. When you get knocked down, you've got to get up. I ain't the sharpest knife, but I know enough, if you gonna be dumb, you've got to be tough.". Its not high poetry, but I definitely don't think its written by a dumb person.