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Quote:
Originally Posted by Padgett2
I think that some confuse "feminine" with sexy. There is a difference. For example, you can imagine a feminine women cuddling a baby, cooking a meal, crying at movies, etc. Does your "sexy" woman give off the same vibes?
Would the average man feel protective around a "feminine" woman? A sexy one? Which one plays sports? Drives a race car?
The type of clothes indicates that she either follows the style, chooses to be comfortable, or really doesn't care a bit. Does that make her more or less "feminine" Can she dress in last years Walmart special and still be sexy?
Exactly, reading this forum, whenever one is trying to define 'masculine' or 'feminine' it always goes back to things like makeup or clothes or activities.
Men and women tend to be wired a bit differently, but think of it more like your character in an RPG game (to use a nerdy analogy): if we have ten traits, like outgoingness, sensitivity etc, men just have a bit more of some and a bit less on average compared to women. There's a difference between what the average woman has and this socially constructed idea of 'feminine' which tries to basically simplify the DIFFERENCES men perceive in women that seem more prominent in the other sex.
When it comes down to it, in personality and behaviour women of today have changed somewhat from those 100 years ago but in many ways remain the same. Like asexual girl said, alot of what passes for 'femininity' in image-conscious America is not innate femininity but something that is tagged onto one half of the population and is the cultural norm for women. Most of this is down to chance. In some societies the men wear makeup and look 'prettier', in some societies women are known to swear more. You know this idea of women being 'prettier' doesn't make sense when you look at nature, when this always seems to be the male role. Women were not born carrying a handbag in one hand no more than men were born with a stein of beer in their hand.
Exactly, reading this forum, whenever one is trying to define 'masculine' or 'feminine' it always goes back to things like makeup or clothes or activities.
Men and women tend to be wired a bit differently, but think of it more like your character in an RPG game (to use a nerdy analogy): if we have ten traits, like outgoingness, sensitivity etc, men just have a bit more of some and a bit less on average compared to women. There's a difference between what the average woman has and this socially constructed idea of 'feminine' which tries to basically simplify the DIFFERENCES men perceive in women that seem more prominent in the other sex.
When it comes down to it, in personality and behaviour women of today have changed somewhat from those 100 years ago but in many ways remain the same. Like asexual girl said, alot of what passes for 'femininity' in image-conscious America is not innate femininity but something that is tagged onto one half of the population and is the cultural norm for women. Most of this is down to chance. In some societies the men wear makeup and look 'prettier', in some societies women are known to swear more. You know this idea of women being 'prettier' doesn't make sense when you look at nature, when this always seems to be the male role. Women were not born carrying a handbag in one hand no more than men were born with a stein of beer in their hand.
I've noticed that it's more socially acceptable for men to swear. I hear men from all different backgrounds swear. But when females swear a lot, they tend to be uneducated (in my experience, but there are some exceptions).
Does that mean swearing is viewed as manly? Unladylike?
To me, a woman is feminine if she is well groomed, has manicured nails, styled hair that is not cut too short, and wears just a little bit of make-up like lipstick.
Most of all I do not like hairiness in women ... feminine women shave their armpits, their legs, and wax the upper lip and "bikini area."
On the other hand I do not like "manscaping" in men and I think it very unseemly and weird to see a man who shaves his chest, his arms, legs or pubic hair. What is with these guys? Do they want to look like pre-pubescent boys?
It's an attitude; it's how they carry themselves. How they act. What they say, and how they say it. It's "The Look". The little motions with the hands. The barely-seen shrug. The rolling hips and the promising lips.
Hard to say what all it encompasses since femininity, like masculinity, can change in the eye of both the beholder and the beholden.
This is a great response for a topic that is so subjective. A guy always knows when a woman is really feminine 'cause her femininity speaks to a mans inner man.
I've known women cursed with looks that would stop an eight day clock but the second she says something or moves away I know there is a real woman. It's more of a sensed response than anything else.
Humans communicate on many , and varied, levels other than the spoken word so one has to open to these other ways of communication.
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