Gender Envy

"Gender Envy" is a phenomenon in which an individual feels envious of other how an individual or thing presents their gender. Although it most often occurs in trans individuals, one does not have to be trans to experience gender envy, and one doesn’t have to experience gender envy to be trans. Gender envy often goes hand-in-hand with gender euphoria and dysphoria in this sense. Gender envy may be felt over many things: voice, hairstyle, face/body structure, clothing. It doesn't only need to be felt about people. Many individuals experience gender envy for non-human things as well.

Examples of Gender Envy

• James has gender envy over Michael because he has a naturally flat chest and facial hair, something that James does not have.
• Amy has gender envy of Serena because of her long hair and feminine clothing, something Amy can't grow or wear over fear of her parents finding out about her being trans.
• Xion has gender envy over a character in their favorite movie, as they are able to shapeshift and present however they want, something that Xion is limited by due to their physical body.

Coinage

The exact origins of this term aren't known. However, some suggest it originated some time during the 90's. Others suggest that the phrase stems from "penis envy," a controversial theory created by Sigmund Freud. However, the two phrases are extremely different, and shouldn't be used interchangeably.

Resources

• https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/07/gender-envy-unpacking-term/
• https://english-grammar-lessons.com/gender-envy-meaning/

See Also

• Gender Euphoria
• Genderenvious
• Dysphoria

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