An insulting word for someone who is stupid or not intelligent, or someone who is very muscular but seems to lack brains.
Combining 'meat' (flesh) and 'head,' implying the person's head is made of meat rather than having a functioning brain. American slang from the 1900s.
Calling someone a 'meathead' combines 'meat' (the body) with 'head' (the mind)—it's an insult that assumes muscles and brains can't coexist, revealing bias about athletes and gym culture.
Originated as insult targeting athletic/muscular men, but reinforced stereotype that physical strength or athletic bodies lack intellect—a gendered assumption that has harmed both men (intellectual dismissal) and women (exclusion from athletics/strength spaces).
Avoid. If critiquing someone, address specific choices or claims rather than conflating body type, sport, or physicality with intelligence.
["thoughtless","dismissive","unreflective"]
Women athletes have fought against the 'meathead' stereotype used to delegitimize their intellect and justify unequal resources; reclaiming respect for physical excellence matters.
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