Perhaps she is wearing a trucker hat, or a beanie, as well.
In reality,they are many queer women whodon’tlook like this.
However, the picture we hold forlesbianismin our society equates to the image of the descriptor “butch.”
Verywell / Alex Dos Diaz
This has happened for many reasons.
This article will explore what leads to femme invisibility.
Also, we’ll look at what femme invisibility is and why visibility matters.
What Does “Femme” Mean?
A femme is a queer person who presents in a feminine manner.
This person may be a lesbian, pansexual, bisexual, or any other identity under the queer umbrella.
After all, feminine women often wear makeup and clothing made for their gender, too!
Identifying as femme is welcoming the fact that you present as feminine while simultaneously being queer.
Straight women are not femme even if they are feminine, just as they aren’t lesbians.
By being perceived as gender-conforming, femmes were usually not seen as gay or lesbian like butches were.
They aren’t discriminated against by workplaces or educational systems for not presenting within their gender.
Challenges of Femme Invisibility
Just like there are privileges to being femme, there are also challenges.
These are the most common ones.
Femme visibility is important within both queer and straight spaces.
In queer culture, seeing femmes as LGBTQ+ provides them with a sense of community.
Femmes represent the diversity of the LGBTQ+ landscape equally as much as those who appear more obviously queer do.
Visibility enables them to fight for equal rights for all LGBTQ+ people alongside their peers.
Queerness does not have one look; it isn’t just effeminate cis men and masculine cis women.
Walker JJ, Golub SA, Bimbi DS, Parsons JT.Butch BottomFemme Top?
An Exploration of Lesbian Stereotypes.Journal of Lesbian Studies.
2014;6(3):229-244. doi:10.1080/19419899.2014.921860
Gunn A, Hoskin RA, Blair KL.The new lesbian aesthetic?
Exploring gender style among femme, butch and androgynous sexual minority women.Womens Studies International Forum.
2021;88:102504. doi:10.1016/j.wsif.2021.102504
Firestein BA.Becoming Visible : Counseling Bisexuals across the Lifespan.
Columbia University Press; 2007.
