''Femmephobia'' is the denigration, silencing, and policing of

femininity Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and Gender roles, roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there is also s ...

in any and all genders. It has to do with societal biases that attack people who behave like women, irrespective of gender identity. This bias can take many forms, including

social exclusion Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the Euro ...

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, Suffering, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggression, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. On ...

, and

humiliation Humiliation is the abasement of pride, which creates mortification or leads to a state of being Humility, humbled or reduced to lowliness or submission. It is an emotion felt by a person whose social status, either by force or willingly, has ...

in public. It is distinct from

misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...

since misogyny is women-hating, whereas femmephobia is femme-hating and can be applied to all genders. Femmephobia is predominantly directed towards

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

individuals and is also seen as a form of

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...

Reasons

Societal A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soc ...

structures frequently place a higher value on

masculinity Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there i ...

than

, resulting in the perception of femininity as inferior. This dynamic reinforces strict gender norms and contributes to the devaluation of feminine expressions. Cultural norms that associate masculinity with strength and femininity with weakness contribute to the development of femmephobia. These norms often pressure men to reject feminine traits in order to align with traditional masculine ideals, thereby perpetuating negative attitudes toward femininity. Negative attitudes toward femininity, particularly when exhibited by men, are a significant factor contributing to anti-gay behaviors. Research indicates that discomfort with male femininity is a stronger predictor of such behaviors than other factors, including social dominance or

authoritarian Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...

beliefs. Societal expectations frequently restrict femininity to specific bodies or identities, reinforcing rigid norms surrounding

gender expression Gender expression (or gender presentation) is a person's behavior, mannerisms, interests, and appearance that are associated with gender in a particular cultural context, typically understood in terms of masculinity and femininity. Gender expr ...

. This regulation of femininity perpetuates the notion that it is excessive or inappropriate in certain contexts, thereby contributing to the prevalence of femmephobia.

Etymology

The term ''femmephobia'' is a combination of the word femme, a French term meaning

woman A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or Adolescence, adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functi ...

, and the suffix "-

phobia A phobia is an anxiety disorder, defined by an irrational, unrealistic, persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected ...

," which signifies

fear Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perception, perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the ...

or aversion. In modern usage, "femme" refers to individuals who express or identify with femininity, regardless of their gender identity. Thus, ''femmephobia'' refers to the aversion to, hatred toward or

devaluation In macroeconomics and modern monetary policy, a devaluation is an official lowering of the value of a country's currency within a fixed exchange-rate system, in which a monetary authority formally sets a lower exchange rate of the national curre ...

of femininity itself, impacting people across the gender spectrum. The concept of femmephobia has been explored in various contexts, particularly its role in reinforcing rigid gender norms, marginalizing feminine expressions and penalising any queered notions of femininity. Research suggests that the societal devaluation of femininity can result in

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

and

violence Violence is characterized as the use of physical force by humans to cause harm to other living beings, or property, such as pain, injury, disablement, death, damage and destruction. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence a ...

against individuals who display feminine traits, regardless of their gender.

Types

Anti-Femininity Bias

This form involves the systemic devaluation of feminine traits and expressions, often privileging masculinity and regarding femininity and things regarded as feminine inherently inferior to masculinity. Individuals exhibiting feminine qualities may face discrimination or be perceived as less competent or capable. For example, in men's sports, femmephobia is used to shame, motivate or embarrass participants by linking femininity to weakness and mistakes.

Gender Policing

Femmephobia reinforces rigid adherence to traditional gender norms and binaries, regulates femininity that deviates from patriarchal norm and punishes those who deviate from expected gendered behaviors. For instance, men who express femininity may face ridicule or

, which perpetuates the belief that femininity is unsuitable for certain genders.

Invisibility and Marginalization

Individuals who identify as femme may encounter invisibility within both LGBTQIA+ and broader communities. Their expressions of femininity are often overlooked, invalidated or dismissed, resulting in feelings of isolation and a lack of representation. Femmephobia suggests that there is a "masc privilege" within queer communities.

Internalized Femmephobia

Internalized femmephobia occurs when individuals adopt societal

biases Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is inaccurate, closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individ ...

against femininity, resulting in self-rejection or

self-hatred Self-hatred is a state of personal self-loathing or low self-esteem. In psychology and psychiatry The term "self-hatred" is used infrequently by psychologists and psychiatrists, who would usually describe people who hate themselves as "people w ...

of their feminine traits. This internalized prejudice can negatively impact

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

and

self-esteem Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth, abilities, or morals. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Macki ...

References

Phobias Gender studies Censorship of LGBTQ issues Sexism Social issues Psychological concepts Feminism Ethnocentrism Gender identity Sociology of gender Humiliation