It has retained its meaning as indicating women who are attractive but sometimes perceived to be unintelligent or promiscuous, however in much media such as women's magazines and gossip magazines the term is not specifically used in a negative fashion. With the popularisation of cosmetic surgery (such as breast augmentation), a person who has undertaken such practices in order to increase the perceived sexual attractiveness can also be referred to as a bimbo.Īlthough the term with its current meaning has sometimes had negative connotations and sometimes jocular connotations, in recent years its pejorative qualities have lessened so "bimbo" is now often used as a more neutral, or even friendly, term. The first refers to an attractive woman with poor intelligence or education, while the second refers to a woman with low sexual inhibitions and who often acts in a promiscuous manner. In popular English, the term Bimbo tends to have two similar and often overlapping connotations. Bimbette can be used to indicate a younger bimbo, as the suffix -ette signifies a smaller version. For clarity, sometimes the explicitly female variant bimbette is used, which has also entered The American Heritage Dictionary. The first usage of the term Bimbo in English was for an unintelligent male, although it now most commonly used to refer to a woman unless modified as male bimbo or himbo.