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Effeminacy or male femininity [1] [2] is the embodiment of feminine traits in boys or men, particularly those considered untypical of men or masculinity. [3] These traits include roles, stereotypes, behaviors, and appearances that are socially associated with girls and women.
Gender is generally conceived as a set of characteristics or traits that are associated with a certain biological sex (male or female). The characteristics that generally define gender are referred to as masculine or feminine. In some cultures, gender is not always conceived as binary, or strictly linked to biological sex.
People who exhibit a combination of both masculine and feminine characteristics are considered androgynous, and feminist philosophers have argued that gender ambiguity may blur gender classification. [34] [35] Modern conceptualizations of femininity also rely not just upon social constructions, but upon the individualized choices made by women ...
[12] [13] Although variations exist and there may be a degree of overlap between typically male or female traits, [12] [13] the pelvis is the most dimorphic bone of the human skeleton and is therefore likely to be accurate when using it to ascertain a person's sex. [13] It differs both in overall shape and structure.
Women who adopt these characteristics may be more successful, but also more disliked due to not conforming with expected feminine stereotypes. [101] According to a study in the UK, women with stereotypically masculine personality traits are more likely to gain access to high-paying occupations than women with feminine personality traits. [102]
In this model, the term "descriptive traits" includes physical and anatomical traits, roles, and self-conceptions. [114] So for example, "sex traits" (such as having ovaries) and "gender traits" (such as wearing make-up) are both subsumed under the category of descriptive traits, whereas "being feminine" is taken as an evaluative norm. [115]
An androgynous score is the result of extremely high masculine and feminine scores, and an undifferentiated score is the result of extremely low masculine and feminine scores. It has been theorized that perhaps tendencies to rate oneself extremely low and extremely high on traits can affect a subjects' resulting gender placement.
Styles rejected the implicit separation of feminine and masculine by wearing both a dress, a clothing item associated with women, as well as a blazer, which is associated with men for the Vogue cover. [51] [52] His embrace of both clothing associated with women and men is a rejection of the gender binary. [52]