What is a Femboy?

 

Gender expression is something that has grown and evolved over time, with lots of different ways for individuals to identify as outside of the binary genders. A femboy is one of the ways that males can identify as, which may have you wondering what a femboy even is! Keep on reading if you are interested in learning more about femboys.

Defining “femboy”

A femboy, sometimes spelled as femboi, is a typically younger male that presents in a feminine manner. Femboy is a combination of the words “feminine” and “boy”, and is used by the LGBTQIA+ community as well as in online forums.

How to be a femboy

Expressing yourself as a femboy typically involves embracing traditionally feminine beauty standards and traits. Femboys can express their femininity by doing things such as wearing effeminate clothing, using makeup and growing out their hair/wearing wigs.

Feminine behaviour can also be used by femboys to express themselves. This can be done by altering the pitch of their voice, their manner of speech and how they move and conduct themselves.

Being a femboy is all about expressing your femininity. Everyone will have a different view on what it means to be feminine, which means that not all femboys will act or look the same way.

Are femboys also transgender?

Being a femboy and being transgender are two different things. While being a femboy and expressing your femininity may lead you to realise that you are transgender, a large majority of femboys are comfortable with identifying as male.

Are femboys and crossdressers the same thing?

While there is an overlap between the expression of femboys and crossdressers, they are not the same thing. Crossdressing strictly relates to wearing clothing associated with the opposite gender, while being a femboy is about expressing femininity in a variety of ways.

Some femboys will choose to incorporate feminine elements into their aesthetic without crossdressing. Wearing makeup and effeminate jewellery are some examples of expressing femininity without crossdressing.

Are femboys a new trend?

The term “femboy” has actually been around for a while, even if it feels like it’s new due to a surge in visibility thanks to social media. For centuries, people have expressed their gender in non-traditional ways. The rising visibility of gender expression due to social media has led to femboys being accepted and understood better, along with other forms of gender expression.

Are femboys part of the LGBTQIA+ community?

Femboys are an important part of the LGBTQIA+ community, challenging traditional gender norms and pushing for greater acceptance of diverse gender expression just by existing. While femboys usually identify as gay, there are some straight femboys out there and it’s important to not reduce femboys to a stereotype. Because of this femboys may be a member of a community in the LGBTQ flag. As a community a femboy can also be represented by the femboy flag which has 7 horizontal lines of dark pink, light pink, white and blue. 

Conclusion

Femboys are typically younger individuals that identify as male, expressing their femininity through various means. This can be expressed through their style and aesthetic, through their voice and through their mannerisms and behaviour. Although femboys embrace feminine values in their expression, everyone is different and will see femininity in a slightly different way. It’s important to not judge someone else if their concept of what it means to be feminine is different to yours.