Who Are Femboys? A New Slang Term Explained

Gender expression comes in all shapes and sizes. Every person finds their unique way for their gender presentation. Femboy is one of those slang terms that we hear more and more often, yet not everyone understands what this term means.

Today, we will talk about femboys and debunk all the myths around them.

Femboy: The True Meaning of the Word

The term femboy consists of two words: femme (a French word meaning “woman”) and boy. It originated in the 1990s as a derogatory term used to describe men who presented themselves in ways perceived as traditionally feminine. By using this world, people tried to insult cross dressers and other effeminate men.

Twenty years later, term femboy took on a more positive meaning. It refers to a male or non-binary person who like presenting feminine while not denying their masculine traits.

Now femboy’s femininity is seen as a form of everyday gender expression: by maintaining feminine aesthetic femboys express themself, and there is no hidden sexual purpose in their actions.

Today, the word “femboy” is officially a slang term related to LGBTQ community.

Sexual Orientation of Femboys

There is a misconception that all effeminate men are gay men. But it’s not true. Gender expression of femboys have nothing to do with their sexual orientation. Femboys can be straigh or gay men, or they can be bisexual or asexual.

A young men who is wearing makeup and have feminine traits shouldn’t be automatically considered as gay. The feminine manners of femboys do not deminish their masculine identity.

Are Femboys Are Trans Women?

No, femboys are not trans men. Trans people identify with a gender different from the sex they were assigned at birth. They experience gender dysphoria and often feel disconnected from their bodies. For example, if a person was assigned male at birth but does not accept their sex, they may choose to become a trans woman and identify as female.

Femboys, on the other hand, identify as male and do not experience dysphoria. They are biologically male (or non-binary) and do not deny their male nature. Yet they choose to express gender identity in a feminine way.

Femboy Flag

The femboy Pride flag was created less than ten years ago, yet it has become widely recognized within the femboy community. It consists of seven stripes, each with its own meaning:

• Pink stripes symbolize femininity and gender non-conformity of femboys.
• Dark pink refers to different intensities of femininity.
• White stripes represent individuals who identify as non-binary.
• The light blue stripe signifies the masculinity of a femboy.

The flag has two stripes of white, pink, and dark pink, but only one light blue stripe. This specific arrangement carries a deeper meaning—there is only one stripe of a blue color, because femboys have little connection to traditional masculinity.

There is also another version of the femboy flag, which includes a purple gradient and a green gradient. The purple represents femininity and its varying intensities, while the green symbolizes masculine traits and neutrality.

Femboy Clothing

Femboy outfits have a conventionally feminine aestetics. They can wear mini skirts, shorts, thigh highs, dresses skinny jeans, blouses, and crop tops.

Many femboys wear makeup to make their faces more feminine. They use lip gloses, mascara, eye liners, and some other beauty products. Yet, their makeup styles are usually tend to be “natural”. They try to enhance their features lightly, they do not wear “heavy” makeup.

Femboy aesthetic is build around the idea to look like a naive teenage girl, not a grown-up women. So, femboys usually chooses feminine clothing that young girls typically wear.

Femboy Aestetics in All Its Forms

Feminine presentation goes far beyond just wearing feminine clothing and makeup:

• Some femboys work on changing their voice to sound more feminine. They practice speaking in a higher pitch and often use words like cute, lovely, and adorable.
• In the femboy community, it’s common to work out specifically to achieve a more feminine body shape—such as a flatter tummy, toned legs, and some muscle definition in the arms without becoming bulky.
• Some femboys choose to shave their legs and chest to enhance their feminine appearance. It’s another form of their self-expression.
• To achieve the femboy aesthetic, many put a lot of effort into skincare. They use creams, serums, and peel-off masks to keep their skin glowing. Hair care is also important, with femboys using conditioners and masks to make their hair softer and more pleasant to touch.

Many feminine boys are afraid to express their gender identity in public, so they dress up only in private. It’s especially common in areas where people still do not tolerate one’s gender identity if it’s other than binary.

Femboys as a Part of the LGBTQ+ Community

Femboys have become a part of the LGBTQ+ community, which unites people who identify as gay men, lesbian women, bisexual and queer people, trans men and women, and everyone across the spectrum. They have designed a femboy pride flag—not an official one—and actively participate in Pride events.

Bottom Line

Femboys are boys who identify as boy yet present themselves in a feminine way. They are not trans people. Many femboys are actually straight—not gay, as some might assume. Femboys create their own aesthetic by mixing feminine elements and manners with their masculine traits. Everyone needs to respect their form of self-expression and acknowledge that presentation does not define a person’s identity or sexuality.