You’ve heard of “girl dinner,” “girl math” and “girlboss.” Meet the fourth horseman of the apocalypse: “girlsplaining.”

Popular TikTok creator Nikita Redkar, also known as @nikitadumptruck, posted a video a couple of weeks ago attempting to “girlsplain” the historical conflict between Israel and Palestine. In the now-deleted video, Redkar uses an analogy of two girls — “Izzy” for Israel and “Patty” for Palestine — fighting over a birthday party to explain the conflict. 

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Unsurprisingly, viewers called out Redkar’s video for being tone-deaf. And understandably so: Her “explanation” dumbed down and made light of a contentious war and series of wars dating back to the early 20th century, especially in the middle of the Israel-Hamas war that has cost thousands of lives. 

“Girlsplaining,” as demonstrated by Redkar, is when creators try to break down complex topics and current events in a way that the general public can easily understand. Notably, these videos are usually made by and targeted to women. 

Redkar, who has more than 740,000 followers on TikTok, has branded her account as “for the girls,” calling herself a “professor at bimbo university” in her bio. Redkar isn’t alone in this niche of the app; TikTok creator @beef.cake.no.gluten made a series girlsplaining Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and creator @itskennedylouise girlsplained UFC.

The phenomenon of girlsplaining, which is often coupled with Barbie-reminiscent aesthetics, is undoubtedly tied to the rise of “bimbo feminism,” or “bimboism.” Bimbo feminism is about reclaiming the derogatory origins of the term “bimbo,” embracing hyperfemininity and rejecting traditional elitism.

In recent years, bimboism has primarily found its place on TikTok, with creators like Fiona Fairbairn — @gsgetlonelytoo on TikTok — creating a “Bimbo Manifesto.”

“No critical thinking, no self-awareness, no thoughts … just vibes,” Fairbairn said in her video outlining “rules for bimbofication.”

The implications that come with equating women to dumbness or anti-intellectualism are worrying. Others who have examined bimboism, such as Arielle Richards of VICE, have emphasized that a large part of bimboism is “forcing yourself to think less, especially in times of conflict.”

But in times of conflict, “thinking less” doesn’t seem to be all that empowering. Engaging in one’s community, being empathetic for others, critically questioning wrongdoing and practicing media literacy are more empowering. 

There’s a clear difference between prioritizing your mental well-being during major crises and plain not caring about what’s happening worldwide. There’s also a difference between breaking down topics to be more digestible and dumbing them down for women specifically. Though its intent may be to make certain knowledge more accessible, girlsplaining reinforces the stereotype that women need concepts to be dumbed down and explained in “girl terms.”

In response to the backlash against the Israel-Palestine girlsplaining video, Redkar said on TikTok that she uses these “fun, flirty analogies to explain complicated news topics.”

“I realized that my usual formula of bimbo comedy was probably not the most appropriate for this time,” Redkar said in the response video. “Simply put, we were all placed on this Earth to vibe, and not be caught in the middle of political crossfire.”

At a time like this, Redkar’s sentiment is out of touch at best and harmful at worst. It’s easy for anyone who is far removed from the Israel-Hamas war to say that we all just need to “vibe” and “think less.” The people most affected by the war in Gaza can’t afford to “have no thoughts” on the conflict when their actual lives are at stake.

It’s a privilege to be able to practice bimbo feminism and accept commentary from creators like Redkar as the truth. If you have the time and resources to educate yourself and listen to the words of affected communities, why would you rely on a three-minute TikTok as your sole “explanation?” Redkar is no expert in the Israel-Hamas war (or likely any global conflict, for that matter), but her willingness to present herself as a trustworthy source is indicative of how detached she is from the reality of the war.

Redkar isn’t the only problem here, but she’s contributing to this wider display of ignorant privilege. Growing anti-intellectualism, coupled with the misogynist undertones of girlsplaining, does way more harm than good, especially when misinformation, disinformation and propaganda are so hyper-present today. 

Women don’t need to succumb to anti-intellectualism to empower themselves. Reject “girlsplaining” — I propose a new counter-trend: girl intellectualism!