Femininity has long been constructed as a natural, passive, and subordinate counterpart to masculinity within dominant patriarchal frameworks. Traditionally associated with traits such as softness, emotional expressiveness, nurturance, and physical beauty, femininity is often regarded as derivative or secondary—a reflection of the masculine rather than an autonomous expression. These cultural understandings frequently render femininity as apolitical or even complicit in its own subjugation.
However, in queer contexts, femininity takes on radically different dimensions. Queer femininity disrupts conventional assumptions by recoding femininity as a conscious, performative, and resistant mode of being. Rather than signaling submission or normativity, queer expressions of femininity—particularly through femme identity—expose the constructed nature of gender roles and assert femininity as a site of agency, creativity, and defiance. This reimagining lies at the heart of femme theory, which foregrounds the significance of femininity within queer theory and feminist discourse, while also addressing the structural and cultural forces that devalue it, a phenomenon commonly referred to as femmephobia.
The term femme resists simple definition. It is often described as mercurial and ultimately indefinable, operating as a notorious boundary-dweller that slips between categories and unsettles conventional gender binaries. Femme is not reducible to femininity assigned at birth or performed within heteronormative frameworks. Rather, it is a queer modality of femininity—often exaggerated, performative, parodic, subversive, and intentionally visible. In this way, femme constitutes an aesthetic and political identity that is chosen rather than passively inherited.
Femme identity is frequently marginalized both within mainstream culture and within queer and feminist movements. Dominant femininity tends to be white, cisgender, able-bodied, thin, and heteronormative—symbolized by figures such as the Madonna or the compliant, "respectable" woman who conforms to patriarchal standards of beauty and behavior. In contrast, femme identity embraces forms of femininity that are curvy, non-girlish, and subversive, resisting the imperative to conform to the desires of the male gaze or the logic of capitalist productivity.
Femme theory emerges as a critical response to the erasure and misrecognition of feminine expressions in both queer and feminist thought. It is grounded in the rewriting and disruption of normative femininity and seeks to reclaim femininity as a site of agency, resistance, and transformation. The various theoretical and cultural innovations associated with femme theory share a refusal to "abide by patriarchal femininity." Instead, they assert alternative constructions of femininity that are non-normative, intentional, and often politically charged.
Femme theory critiques the assumption that power and resistance reside solely in masculinity or androgyny, especially within queer communities where masculine presentation is frequently valorized. By centering femme experiences, femme theory exposes how femininity can be just as radical, political, and resistant. It draws attention to the emotional labor, aesthetic labor, and cultural visibility that femme individuals often mobilize as tools for both survival and subversion.
Femmephobia refers to the systemic disdain, suspicion, and devaluation of femininity, particularly when it is embodied by queer, trans, or gender non-conforming individuals. While rooted in sexism, femmephobia operates across multiple axes of oppression, intersecting with homophobia, misogyny, racism, and classism. It manifests not only in heteronormative society but also within queer spaces, where masculine-coded expressions are often privileged as more authentically "queer." Femmephobia targets femininity across bodies and identities.
Femme individuals may face limited access to queer spaces, assumptions about their sexual orientation, or the presumption that they are less politically radical. Their labor—especially emotional and affective labor—is frequently rendered invisible or undervalued. Femmephobia polices the boundaries of acceptable gender expression, reinforcing hierarchical notions of what counts as "authentic" queerness or feminism.
Despite these structural challenges, femme identity also functions as a powerful site of resistance, solidarity, and cultural production. Rather than rejecting femininity, femme individuals reclaim and retool it—transforming it into a deliberate performance that challenges dominant norms. Femme identity emphasizes care, aesthetic self-fashioning, emotional intelligence, and community-based practices as central components of its politics.
Femme also fosters a sense of queer kinship and solidarity among those whose femininity has been marked as excessive, inappropriate, or deviant. These communities value interdependence over individualism, and visibility over assimilation. In doing so, they offer a powerful counter-narrative to mainstream feminist and queer discourses that continue to marginalize femininity.
Femme, as both identity and theory, repositions femininity as a radical political project. Through its rejection of normative gender roles and its embrace of aesthetic and affective practices, femme challenges the cultural logics that sustain femmephobia, patriarchal femininity, and binary gender systems. Femme theory not only demands recognition for marginalised femininities but also opens up possibilities for rethinking gender, desire, and power in more expansive and inclusive ways.
Reference:
Ryan-Flood, R. and Tooth Murphy, A. (eds.) (2024) Queering desire: lesbians, gender and subjectivity. Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge.
