Femboy

Femboy is a self-identifier for a man or boy expressing himself in a fashion perceived to be feminine or otherwise “soft”. The key defining feature is contrasting gender signifiers. Femboy aesthetics display an interplay between clothes and behaviors that are culturally considered to be feminine, a masculine gender identity, and masculine and youthful physical features. A lot of this aesthetic looks similar to the E-Girl, Kawaii Gamer, Babygirl and sometimes Neko aesthetics, except for boys. Femboys can be either gay or straight, although among straight femboys in particular it is common for the aesthetic to be a related to a sexual fetish such as sissification, although this is of course not always the case.
== History==
The slang "femboy" originated in the 1990s to describe effeminate men who express themselves by wearing skirts, thigh highs, lingerie, and other various feminine accessories, and the first online community dedicated to it was created in the form of "Boi Fancy" in 2001."Boi Fancy: The Club for Pretty Boiz" 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.
==Visuals==
Femboy visuals consist of conventionally feminine clothing - anything that is culturally considered "for women" fits this aesthetic. 
===Fashion===
*Skirts
*Thigh highs
*Colors viewed as more "feminine" in nature, such as pink and pastel colors
*Dresses
*A more feminine physical appearance caused by makeup or clothing shaped to resemble curves
*Women's boots
*Heels
*Fishnets
*Hoodies
===Makeup/Hair===
Femboy-style makeup can be anywhere from none at all to heavy. Some makeup styles can include:
*Light eyeshadow
*Mascara
*Eyeliner
*Bronzer
*Tinted lip balm
*Filled/defined brows
Popular femboy hairstyles are things like short cuts and sometimes long hair.
==Misconceptions and Contentious Topics==
=== Sexual Orientation ===
==== "Femboys are gay" ====
In the modern era, femboys are usually regarded as being homosexual. 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. 
==== "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. 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. 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 must be cisgender" ====
A point still contentious to this day is whether a femboy must be assigned male at birth, or only identify as male. 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 porn term"/"Femboys are inherently sexualized" ====
There also has been a stigma against femboys over the common depiction as fetish objects in the porno industry. While sissification is a kink that can borrow from the Femboy aesthetic, many femboys do not dress like this because of a sexual fetish. 
==Media==
===Fictional Characters===
*Astolfo from Fate/Apocrypha
*Hideri Kanzaki from Blend-S
*Chihiro Fujisaki from Danganronpa (could be considered a trans girl depending on viewpoint)
*Venti from Genshin Impact
*Felix Argyle from Re:Zero (Unconfirmed; arguably a trans woman)
*Angel Dust from Hazbin Hotel
==Resources==
External links to help get a better understanding of this aesthetic:
===Communities===
*Reddit
=== Events ===
* Peni Market (nsfw, doujin fair)
===Pinterest Boards===
*Daddyboy and Cuteboy
*MNIAM FEMBOY :3
*femboy world
*Femboy shit <3
*Femboy outfit ideas
*Femboy Friday‼️‼️
*Femboy
==Gallery==
Femboy 1.png
Femboy 2.png
Femboy 4.png
Femboy 5.png
Femboy 6.png
Femboy 7.png
Femboy 8.png
Femboy 10.png
Femboy 11.png
Femboy 12.png
Femboy Garfield.jpg
Femboy 13.jpg
Femboy 14.jpg
Rosboy1.jpg
Rosboy2.jpg
Rosboy3.jpg
File:BUNNY GIRL FEMBOY.webp
File:Cd$-39 (2).jpg
File:Finnsterrose.jpeg|the streamer F1NN5TER, popular for dressing and looking like a girl
File:Example .webp
== References ==
Category:Feminine
Category:Cute
Category:LGBTQ+
Category:Pastels
Category:Subcultures and Stereotypes
Category:Youthful