There’s been a cultural shift lately.
A quiet but noticeable one.

The rise of the himbo.
And, alongside him… the gooner.

Two archetypes that, on paper, sound like they shouldn’t work.
One is wholesome, charming, emotionally available but maybe not overthinking things.
The other is… blissfully checked out and enjoying himself a little too much.

And yet, somehow, they’ve merged into a very specific modern gay energy:
hot, present, a bit vacant in the best way, and absolutely unbothered.

And I fear I may have… embraced it.

Not fully.
But enough to notice.

Because for most of my life, I’ve been the opposite of that energy.
Thoughtful. Self-aware. In my head. Observing. Analysing.
Even in social settings, there’s usually a part of me quietly assessing the room, the vibe, the dynamics.

Which is great for emotional intelligence.
Slightly less great for actually relaxing.

Lately though, I’ve noticed a shift.
A softening.
A willingness to just… enjoy myself without narrating the experience in real time.

To be present in my body instead of permanently seated in my brain.

And it’s freeing.

The himbo, at his core, isn’t stupid.
He’s just not overcomplicating things.
He’s warm. Open. Physically present. Generous with energy.
He enjoys the moment he’s in without trying to intellectualise it to death.

There’s something deeply appealing about that.

Same with the whole gooner-adjacent energy that’s floating around lately — not in an excessive way, but in that slightly blissed-out, fully immersed, no-thoughts-just-vibes kind of way. The ability to switch off the constant internal monologue and just exist in a moment without dissecting it.

For someone who spends a lot of time thinking, analysing, and self-monitoring, that kind of presence feels… peaceful.

And honestly?
A little powerful.

Because when you’re not trapped in your own head, you’re more relaxed.
More confident.
More open.
Less concerned with how you’re being perceived and more engaged in what you’re actually experiencing.

It’s not about becoming someone else.
It’s about letting yourself access parts of you that don’t get much airtime.

The playful side.
The physical side.
The unserious side.

The side that doesn’t need everything to be deep, meaningful, or perfectly articulated at all times.

Still Me, Just… Looser

This isn’t a personality overhaul.

I’m still thoughtful. Still driven. Still emotionally aware. Still capable of holding a serious conversation about life, work, or anything in between.

But I’m also allowing space for a version of me that’s:
less in his head,
more in his body,
less concerned with impressing,
more open to enjoying.

Not everything has to be optimised.
Not everything has to be meaningful.
Sometimes it’s okay to just be warm, present, and a little bit himbo.

And oddly enough, leaning into that doesn’t make me feel less like myself — it makes me feel more relaxed in who I already am.

---

Maybe the rise of the himbo isn’t about dumbing down.
Maybe it’s about softening.

About letting go of the constant need to perform intelligence, competence, or depth at all times. About remembering that joy can be simple. Physical. Immediate. A little unserious.

For someone who spends most of his life thinking, analysing, and self-monitoring, letting myself occasionally switch off and just be feels less like regression and more like balance.

A little less overthinking.
A little more living.

Honestly?
That feels like growth.