Femboy
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A femboy is a male who expresses/presents themselves with femininity with one or more gender qualities.
Femboy may also describe a boy who is feminine, either in their gender identity or gender expression. Or, a boy or masculine-aligned person whose femininity affects or is a part of their gender identity, no matter how small or large that effect/part is.
History
The slang "femboy" originated in the 1990s to describe effeminate men who express themselves by wearing skirts, thigh highs, and other various feminine accessories, and the first online community dedicated to it was created in the form of "Boi Fancy" in 2001[1]. Femboys have recently become more popular on social media, probably also thanks to the prevalence of feminine male characters, genderless characters, and crossdressers in anime and manga.
Misconceptions and Contentious Topics
Sexual Orientation
"Femboys are gay"
In the modern era, femboys are usually regarded as being gay men. However, this is a misconception; femboys may be of any sexual orientation.
Gender Identity
"Femboy is a slur for trans women"
Some people erroneously claim that the word "femboy" was originally coined as an offensive term used to degrade trans women to just being feminine men. While there indeed is a possibility of the term "femboy" being misused for the purpose of misgendering someone, it neither was its origin nor its intended purpose, as femboys identify as male, and trans women identify as female. As stated in “History” above, it was first and foremost coined by effeminate men to describe themselves and form a community during the 90s.
Those who mistakenly consider "femboy" as a slur towards trans women might use the term "roseboy" instead. However, the word is related to "rosebud", a slang term for the anus, and is used as a slur for gay men who receive anal sex. It is also reminiscent of other gay slurs like "flower". The word "roseboy" is disliked by a considerable portion of femboys, and therefore is not recommended to use.
"Femboy is a style"/"Femboys must dress feminine in order to be a femboy"
The vast majority of femboys express their femininity through clothing. However, this is not the only way one can be a femboy. Gender non-conforming femininity is not just limited to one quality of gender expression, as femboys may also be feminine solely through their mannerisms and physique.
Some exclusionists argue that being a femboy is inherently a subculture, rather than a broad term referring to any feminine man. It has been the consensus among the femboy subculture for decades, that "femboy" is merely a term used to describe feminine men[2][3], though it is often used as a subcultural identity. To say that femboy is a style is stereotyping them, because feminine fashion is not one lone style, but rather multiple.
"Femboys don't have to be boys"
Some people claim that femboys do not have to identify as boys, while others disagree and claim that being a femboy necessitates being feminine and being a boy. A femboy who is not a boy (or a girl) may find enbyfem to be a better and more accurate alternative. While there are a handful of people who describe themselves as both a trans girl and a femboy, these are the exception and not the general rule.
It may be possible if the femboy has more than one gender. Just as it is highly offensive to call trans women (outside of said fringe) femboys, it is highly offensive to call the vast majority of femboys trans women, or to call them "eggs", suggesting that they are actually trans women and you know their gender identity better than they themselves know it.
Femboys can’t participate in mainstream fashion
A common misconception is that femboys are confined to niche or alternative fashion circles and cannot engage in mainstream fashion. This belief stems from a limited understanding of gender expression in fashion. However, femboys — like anyone else — can and do participate in all forms of fashion.
"Femboys must be cisgender"
A point still contentious to this day is whether a femboy must be wolffian or assigned male at birth, or must only identify as male. While it is quite typical and expected for most femboys to be cisgender[4][5], it not is inherent to the term itself, even if it is heavily accentuated in the subculture. Many purists look down on trans men who adopt the femboy aesthetic, some considering this to be impossible. However, it is arguably true that trans men can also express themselves in a way that blends feminine gender signifiers with masculine physical features, and therefore be "trans femboys".
On sexualization
"Femboy is a pornographic term"/"Femboys are inherently sexualized"
There also has been a stigma against femboys over the common depiction as fetish objects in the pornography industry. However, neither of these problems stem from the existence of the term or femboys on their own. Rather, all of them descend from sexist beliefs, in the form of gender normativity and toxic masculinity (mentality that discriminated against men who act feminine in any way, and shun them as being inferior), objectification of femininity, and heteronormativity (gay panic) instead. While sissification is a kink that can borrow from the femboy aesthetic, most femboys do not dress like this because of a sexual fetish.
This page uses Creative Commons licensed content from Aesthetics Wiki (view authors).
Gallery
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Femboy symbol -
Alternative femboy flag. -
Femboy flag by scrumbles_the_3rd.
