Feminine Genders

As each person negotiates their understanding of their gender identity, they might dig into their thoughts on masculinity and femininity. If being feminine resonates with them, they might identify with one of the feminine genders. But, what does this mean exactly?

Terminology

Here are some some important words and phrases to know in order to understand what a feminine or female gender is.

Feminine Genders

This is a category of gender identities that are associated with femininity.

Gender Identity

This is a person’s deeply felt sense of their own gender. A person’s gender identity may be man, woman, non-binary, or something else.

Gender Expression

When a person identifies with a particular gender, they may choose to express that through their clothing, hairstyle, voice, interests, and movement. This is gender expression. Because each person has their own perception of what it means to be a particular gender identity, the way they express that will also vary.

Gender Binary

This is the outdated concept that there are only female and masculine gender, and that these are based on a person’s sex.

Sexual Orientation

Describes a person’s primary romantic or sexual attraction. For example gay, lesbian, bisexual, or asexual.

Biological Sex

Biological sex is a scientific classification based on a person’s primary and secondary sex traits. This includes anatomy and chromosomes.

Assigned Sex or Gender Assignment

A person’s assigned sex is the biological sex assignment they are given when they are born. Most are assigned female or assigned male. Gender assignment correlates with this as people who are assigned female are presumed to be women/girls, and people who are assigned male are presumed to be men/boys.

Multiple Genders

Multiple genders is a concept that there are more than two genders.

Gender Non Conforming

Every social group develops unique rules and expectations around gender. For example, certain clothing may be associated with a particular gender, but seen as inappropriate for another. A person who is gender non conforming, bucks those rules in favor of individual expression. Being non-conforming does not mean a person is transgender.

Intersex

Any of several biological conditions where a person’s sex traits don’t align with the male or female sex categories. Also called difference of sex development, there may be differences in reproductive organs, chromosomes, or other traits.

Sex Development

The biological process that people go through where their sex characteristics evolve. This looks different for each person and there are a range of sex characteristics that are considered normal for each biological sex.

Neutrois

Neutrois people is an identity under the umbrella term non-binary. They may describe themselves as gender neutral or gender null because they don’t feel a connection to any specific gender category.

Non-Binary

An umbrella term for people who have a gender identity that does not fall into the binary categories of male or female.

Transgender

A person who is transgender has a gender identity that does not match the gender or sex they were assigned at birth.

Cisgender

A person whose gender identity matches what they were assigned at birth.

Gender Role

The official and unofficial rules and expectations that impact what is acceptable and not acceptable within certain gender categories.

History

To understand the history of feminine genders one must understand the evolution of:

• Gender identity
• Gender expression
• Gender roles

It’s also important to understand that their is no singular, linear history of any gender identity or gender expression. What it means to be masculine and feminine has evolved over time, and also varies from one culture to the next. Even on an individual level, each person has their own interpretation of what masculine and feminine means to them.

Evolution of Gender Identity And Gender Expression Over Time

The history of feminine genders reflects a varied and evolving understanding of gender identity that has now gone beyond the traditional gender binary categories of male and female. Historically, western cultures have imposed strict gender roles. For example, female-assigned individuals were expected to raise children, maintain homes, enter caregiving fields, and submit to those who are masculine.

Outside of the Western world, different cultures did not always align with those views on gender identity and the role of gender in society. Many recognized the existence of more than one gender. For example, some Indigenous cultures recognize what is interpreted by westerners as two-spirit. These are individuals who embody both masculine and feminine characteristics.

Today, there are many gender identities that would be considered feminine genders, and many ways to showcase femininity via gender expression. Some feminine identities include:

• Cisgender women
• Trans women
• Non-binary people who align with feminine traits
• There are also cisgender feminine men and trans men who express feminine characteristics but maintain a masculine gender identity.

Today, the gender binary has been challenged. We know that a person’s gender identity and how they express it varies. Not everyone fits neatly into boxes of male or female. This includes intersex people whose sex development defies these assignments, and people who do not identify with strictly masculine and feminine identity markers.

How we define gender has changed and will continue to gender. That’s why words like transgender and non-binary are used to describe different genders and what they mean as we attempt to define gender for ourselves.

Flags And Symbols

There are flags and symbols that represent femininity as it applies to gender identity, gender expression, gender roles, and culture.

Gender Fluidity

This flag represents gender fluidity. This may represent people who have a fluid gender identity that includes aligning with feminine genders.

Nonbinary

The nonbinary flag represents people who are not inherently male or female. Many nonbinary individuals identify with masculine and feminine characteristics.

Intersex Flag

Intersex people may identify as men, women, or something else. This is proof that one’s body is not the sole arbiter of gender identity or expression. Intersex people may identify as a feminine gender regardless of their reproductive organs or chromosomes.

Transgender Flag

A trans person who identifies as a woman or is femme aligned will see their gender identity as feminine. Additionally trans women and trans men both may express what they see as feminine behavior and identity in the way they present themselves.

Genderqueer

This is not inherently a feminine gender flag. However, the label of genderqueer was created in part to buck society’s notions about what is or is not feminine.

Feminine Genders And My Identity?

So, which genders are feminine and how might that apply to your own gender identity. First, there isn’t any gender that is entirely feminine or masculine. A person’s gender is comprised of their gender identity and how they express that.

It’s up them if they resonate with the feminine or what being feminine means to them. In turn, people will express that in their own way based on their own interpretation of what it is to be feminine.

If you want your gender identity to feel authentic and representative of who you are, you may need to dig a bit deeper into your attitudes on gender roles and femininity. Here are some questions to consider:

• Was I raised with strict gender roles that might impact my attitudes on women or femininity?
• What traits do I associate with being feminine?
• If I could do it safely, would I have a gender identity or expression that was more feminine?
• Would I change my gender identity to be more femme?

You may decide to change your gender identity, how you express yourself, or simply stay the way you are right now. The most important thing is to feel comfortable with yourself, and feel free to express whatever feminine characteristics that resonate with you.

Keep in mind that there are trans women who express primarily masculine traits as well as trans men who have a very feminine expression.

Supporting Loved Ones

Someone you know expresses their gender identity in a very feminine way, or perhaps they are experimenting with their own sense of femininity. That’s not always an easy thing to do.

With a person’s gender comes gender roles that are often imposed by society, culture, and family. Your loved one needs your acceptance and support as they find ways to express themselves authentically.

Listen Without Judgment

The person you love knows their gender identity better than anybody else. They also know what femininity means to them. Don’t impose your own notions on them about this. Instead, let them talk about gender, and affirm their desire to be more feminine – whatever that means to them.

Finally, if your loved one decides they are two spirt or a trans person, respect their identity. Use the name they choose and neutral pronouns if that’s their preference.