Tomboy
Encyclopedia
A tomboy is a girl
who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role
of a boy
, including the wearing of typically masculine
-oriented clothes and engaging in game
s and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the domain of boys. Occasionally, such girls are called tomgirls.
) and other activities that were traditionally male-dominated is today broadening tolerance and lessening the impact of 'tomboy' as a pejorative
term.
There is a perceived correlation between tomboys and lesbian
ism. While some tomboys later reveal a lesbian identity in their adolescent or adult years, masculine behavior typical of boys but displayed by girls is not a true indicator of one's sexual orientation
.
Gender scholar Judith Halberstam
has found that while the defying of gender roles is often tolerated in young girls, older girls and adolescents who display masculine traits are often repressed and punished.
Girl
A girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role
Gender role
Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time...
of a boy
Boy
A boy is a young male human , as contrasted to its female counterpart, girl, or an adult male, a man.The term "boy" is primarily used to indicate biological sex distinctions, cultural gender role distinctions or both...
, including the wearing of typically masculine
Masculinity
Masculinity is possessing qualities or characteristics considered typical of or appropriate to a man. The term can be used to describe any human, animal or object that has the quality of being masculine...
-oriented clothes and engaging in game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
s and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the domain of boys. Occasionally, such girls are called tomgirls.
History
Historically, tomboys have been defined by their less feminine style of dress including the wearing of boys' clothes, as well as being more involved in physical activity than other girls. They have also been noted to demonstrate a stronger interest in science and technology. In recent times, as the ubiquity of traditionally female clothing such as dresses, blouses, and skirts has declined among Western females, the distinction has become more and more one of behavior. A general increase in the popularity of women's sporting events (see Title IXTitle IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
) and other activities that were traditionally male-dominated is today broadening tolerance and lessening the impact of 'tomboy' as a pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
term.
There is a perceived correlation between tomboys and lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
ism. While some tomboys later reveal a lesbian identity in their adolescent or adult years, masculine behavior typical of boys but displayed by girls is not a true indicator of one's sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
.
Throughout their history, tomboys have had to contend with the stigma of presumed lesbianism or the accusation of wanting to be male. Both assumptions were categorically refuted by twentieth-century psychology, which established the normality of the tomboy experience among girls of all identities. However, for many, the tomboy stage is the first manifestation of a gender-fluid life journey.
Gender scholar Judith Halberstam
Judith Halberstam
Judith Halberstam, also Jack Halberstam, is Professor of English and Director of The Center for Feminist Research at University of Southern California. Halberstam was an Associate Professor in the Department of Literature at the University of California at San Diego before working at USC...
has found that while the defying of gender roles is often tolerated in young girls, older girls and adolescents who display masculine traits are often repressed and punished.
Studies
There have been few studies of the causality of women's behavior and interests, when they do not conform to the female social gender role. One report from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children suggests that preschool girls engaging in "masculine-typical" gender-role behaviour, such as playing with toys typically preferred by boys, is influenced by genetic and prenatal factors.See also
- Childhood gender nonconformityChildhood Gender NonconformityChildhood gender nonconformity is a phenomenon in which pre-pubescent children do not conform to expected gender-related sociological or psychological patterns, and/or identify with the opposite gender...
- Girly girlGirly girlGirly girl is a slang term for a girl or woman who chooses to dress and behave in a traditionally feminine style, such as wearing dresses, blouses and skirts, and talking about relationships and other activities which are associated with the traditional gender role of a girl.-History:The term is...
- EffeminacyEffeminacyEffeminacy describes traits in a human male, that are more often associated with traditional feminine nature, behaviour, mannerisms, style or gender roles rather than masculine nature, behaviour, mannerisms, style or roles....
- List of tomboys in fiction