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A fact from Femboy appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 25 January2024(check views). The text of the entry was as follows:
Did you know... that one academic described the introduction of femboys to Myanmar as a tactic to achieve an "ideological revolution"?
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Unless much substance is added, I think this would be better off at Wiktionary. A. Rosenberg (talk) 15:14, 22 February 2022 (UTC)
Did you know nomination
The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.
I'll review this one. Sourcing looks good; the hook is supported by the source (Fascinating article there) and the article more generally appears well sourced. Both image sources check out. Article is long enough, and was converted from a redirect today, so it checks out on newness as well. I like the second hook, but i think it can be shortened a little bit to pack more punch. What about ending it with "to achieve an 'ideological revolution'?"Generalissima (talk) 18:31, 18 December 2023 (UTC)
No problem, so alt1a is:
... that the introduction of femboys to Myanmar was a tactic to achieve an "ideological revolution"? Frzzltalk;contribs 18:36, 18 December 2023 (UTC)
Looks good, thank you for writing an article on this! Generalissima (talk) 18:41, 18 December 2023 (UTC)
A femboy After some consideration, I feel this hook might be better as an image hook. If so, the natural option is the one used in the article lede. The hook, after this, addition would read:
... that the introduction of femboys (example pictured) to Myanmar was a tactic to achieve an "ideological revolution"?
Or the same, but using specimen pictured, which is more amusing
Happily, the image given has copyright confirmed by OTRS, so this doesn't need a second review. I'll leave it to the promoter to choose between image hook or not. Frzzltalk;contribs 13:14, 8 January 2024 (UTC)
The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
This review is transcluded from Talk:Femboy/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.
Hello Frzzl, happy new year! I'll take this one and will be claiming this review for points in the WikiCup. Interesting subject matter:) Expect comments within the next few days. All the best, Schminnte[talk to me] 01:17, 1 January 2024 (UTC)
Frzzl, I've added my comments. To help the article's further development, I've included some extra points as well that are not needed for GACR (these are marked "Non-GACR"). Feel free to action these or not: the review will be passed without any respect to them. Please respond to any comments by indenting your responses and adding your initial. All the best, Schminnte[talk to me] 23:55, 1 January 2024 (UTC)
Thank you very much for the speedy and in-depth review! I'll respond to them and make alterations sometime later today :D Frzzltalk;contribs 00:01, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
Hi! Not GAR relevant, just a quick note that your signature (I think) caused an issue with the GAN script updating the talk page. I've fixed this for now, but I'd assume it'll do it again next time there's an update. You might want to check out the associated talk page diffs to see what happened. Lee Vilenski(talk • contribs) 00:26, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
I think I'm prepared to pass this now. Thank you for your quick replies and readiness to make alterations: it was nice working with you again. Congratulations on your new GA! All the best, Schminnte[talk to me] 20:44, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
Comments
GA review (see here for what the criteria are, and here for what they are not)
This is a bit of a gut feeling, but I think it makes more sense to have §Attributes after §Usage. I think this is an "important stuff first" scenario, like defining the term first - S
Words as words should be in italics, not quotes (MOS:WAW). This applies to quite a lot of the text (e.g. "Femboy also spelled femboi"). An italic title will also be needed. - S
Done, italic title added. To confirm, italics when I'm referring to the term itself, no italics when I'm using it as a noun? - F
Yes, so things like "Femboy culture" and "Femboy aesthetic" are fine with no italics - S
Per MOS:ORDER, put the engvar template below the hatnote - S
Switched - F
Not sure if the two sentences of §Etymology deserve a level 2 heading. Thoughts on merging with §Usage under a combined heading? - S
Merged. I've put the subheading for the rest of it as "Definitions"; this could be "Definition"? - F
I think the plural is more representative as there are multiple dictionary definitions discussed - S
I think "criticised as an expression of hegemonic masculinity" in the lede qualifies as material likely to be challenged per MOS:LEDECITE and should have a cite in both cases - S
Removed - F
General copyedits:
§Lede
in traditionally feminine behaviours: "with" traditionally feminine behaviours? - S
The term originated in the 1990s as a slur [...] where trends such as "#femboyfriday" have received attention. Recommend split to help flow, maybe something like "...1990s as a slur. It has since spread, popularised through internet forums and social media like TikTok, where trends such as "#femboyfriday" have received attention." - S
Replaced, this is much better. - F
If we are linking non-binary, I feel transgender should be linked too - S
Fem wikilink should be in the first occurrence - S
an abbreviation - S
Corrected x2 - F
I feel a merge could be pulled off between the first two sentences (e.g. "The term femboy originated in the 1990s and is a compound from the words fem (an abbreviation of feminine and femme) and boy) - S
Done, and I've bundled the citations to look cleaner. - F
After the term was appropriated on the Internet, femboy communities began – by 2018, the term femboy was found almost exclusively on 4chan, especially on the /lgbt/ forum – the term has become popular on platforms such as Reddit and TikTok.: this construction strikes me as odd. I feel like removing the dashes for periods would help. Mock up: "After the term was appropriated on the Internet, femboy communities began forming. Around 2018, the term femboy was found almost exclusively on 4chan, especially on the /lgbt/ forum. It later became popular on platforms such as Reddit and TikTok." - S
Done, have swapped the present participle for a past one. - F
Non-GACR: I'm not sure about quoting subreddit names. Existing articles like r/science and r/place use no quotes. MOS:MINORWORK has no mention of internet sites, so I'm inclined to remove quotes unless there's another reason. This would also make it consistent with the unquoted /lgbt/ - S
Wondering why hashtag is linked. If its to be kept, it should be moved forward anyway - S
Done x2 - F
§Reception
"has been praised for "breaking traditional norms of masculinity" and has been" remove has been repeat - S
Done - F
"Wearing a skirt as a famous straight cisgender man does next to nothing for the conversation surrounding gender fluidity. If anything, it emphasises the all-encompassing maleness." Could the quote be introduced before the colon? - S
It could be, but that paragraph is like 70% quotations - would it be better to stick it in a quote box by the side? - F
It should probably remain in text to avoid giving special treatment to one viewpoint, I'm just worried that too a reader it could be seen as a continuation of Lee's quote or a completely different quote - S
Shifted it around a bit, few more square brackets in there now haha - F
"called the "effeminisation" of society as an": as is not needed - S
Done - F
"The alt-right have viewed the emergence of femboys a result" sounds a bit odd. Something like "The alt-right has viewed the emergence of femboys to be a result" flows better in my opinion - S
That sounds a little strange to me too; I've changed it to "deemed the emergence a..." - F
I'm a bit of a hypocrite here, but is (Lightning 2021) a reliable source per WP:DISSERTATION? If its been cited in other literature it should be fine - S
Annoyingly didn't find any citations, so I've removed it. - F
Non-GACR: I would love to see direct page numbers for journals - S
Non-GACR: several refs are missing date and author - S
To the above two: I've added authors where they're available. Unfortunately since several of the journals I've used seem to be online only, the Foster & Baker and the Vaught simply have no numbers listed. - F
I can't see anything on Into: what makes this reliable? - S
My bad, also gone. - F
Earwigs shows nothing but quotes, so a broad pass for copyvios - S
Spotchecking six citations at random:
Vytniorgu (2023): pass for verifiability and copyvio - S
Foster and Baker (2022)d: fail for verifiability as it mentions nothing about these quotes - S
Can I check which quotes you're talking about? If the ones in the § Reception, you're correct, I mixed up two quotes I was going to use, it's now fixed. If the ones in § Attributes, no, they're definitely there. I should note your previous point about hyphenating "near perfect" hasn't been done yet, because it's not hyphenated in the original. If we hyphenate it, is there some sort of "altered" tag I need to add? - F
Near perfect was my mistake, its fine to leave I think. The reception quotes were what I was meaning ("d" meaning the fourth cite in the reviewed version), that looks fine now - S
En, En and Griffiths (2013)a: pass for both verifiability and copyvio - S
del Campo (2023): pass for both verifiability and copyvio - S
Tun (2023): pass for verifiability, slight fail for copyvio. There is close paraphrasing in "femboy outfits were encouraged to attract media attention", which glosses "People also encouraged the adoption of femboy outfits to attract media attention" too closely - S
changed to "used to gain exposure" - F
New Socialist (2018)b: is a fail for verifiability. The quote is "By 2018, this connection appears to have resolved with the /lgbt/ board’s users being predominantly transgender women.", which doesn't say anything about femboys being being found almost exclusively on 4chan - S
perhaps "almost exclusively" is too strong, but Gleeson does write ‘Femboy’ is one term with which some /lgbt/ users refer to themselves as, and compared to repression seems like a relatively happy path. Often but not always assisted by HRT, this identifier is an ambiguous one which seems to be found rarely outside of 4Chan. Previously, the Femboy has been little heard of even across the rest of the internet,, so I'm not too far off. Do you still need me to change it? - F
No need to change at all, I somehow missed this quote! Sorry for that - S
Article is sized appropriately, covering major viewpoints and aspects. It stays focussed on the subject of femboys throughout, with good use of summary style - S
Good job balancing viewpoints in this contentious subject. Significant viewpoints, both positive and negative, are represented in the reception section, and neutral language is used throughout. Fringe beliefs are included, but clearly labelled to avoid a false balance. - S
It is stable.
No edit wars, etc.:
The recent history of this page was originally setting off alarm bells, but on further inspection it mostly seems to be reverted vandalism. I wouldn't say that the remaining constructive edits are enough to call this unstable - S
It is illustrated by images and other media, where possible and appropriate.
File:Cavi.jpg: Licensed correctly with a VRT ticket. Caption seems fine - S
File:Femboy flag.svg: PD tagged correctly as below the TOO. Requirements for unofficial flag use in articles are met as this is discussed in sources. Nitpicking here, but I think the caption should say "A proposed femboy pride flag" or similar since this is one of many designs. Since there are multiple unofficial flags, we shouldn't label this the unofficial flag? - S
Non-GACR: Suggest adding alt text for accessibility - S
Non-GACR: Per MOS:IMGSIZE remove fixed px sizes - S
Overall: An interesting and well-balanced article. A few problems to fix in GACR1&2, but still manageable - S
Pass/Fail:
The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
WP:ISATERMFOR
Hi, I recently edited this article changing the first sentences from "Femboy... is a slang term for a male or non-binary individual who express themselves with traditionally feminine behaviours." to "Femboy... is a male or non-binary individual who express themselves with traditionally feminine behaviours." This was to put it in line with the policy described in WP:ISATERMFOR, which states: "Most Wikipedia articles are not dictionary entries, and opening sentences like the above ought to be cleaned up in accordance with our Guide to writing better articles. Editors should boldly replace these cumbersome phrasings ("is a term for", "is a word that means", "refers to") with the more direct "is" construction". I don't see how this article would be an outlier in that sense, how is this article's scope distinct from what the articles for, say, butch, dandy or even boy do? Also, according to WP:REFERS, "the introduction is using a term, rather than mentioning it", meaning the article should be about what the word refers to, rather than the word itself, as that is what Wiktionary is for. Issan Sumisu (talk) 11:59, 4 January 2024 (UTC)
Yeah, I understand. However, we do have articles about words themselves and pieces of slang; in a broader sense, something like Jazz (word) doesn't really belong on Wiktionary; in a narrower scope, see something like Twink (gay slang), or Femme. When I wrote this, I put it in the latter direction, where we're focusing on the word itself; indeed, that's how it's discussed in quite a few of the sources, especially the academic papers. I don't think femboy has enjoyed as much usage as a noun that dandy, for example. If you want to try rearranging the article to focus on what a femboy is, feel free, but right now, the majority of the article is about how the word is used and its associations so I think it would be a bit strange if the lede just went in a different direction. Frzzltalk;contribs 12:16, 4 January 2024 (UTC)
Presence Section - History
I am not familiar with wikipedia editing and discussion etiquette, but I am very familiar with the history of this term from 2010 - present.
The sentence "Around 2018, the term femboy was found almost exclusively on 4chan" is not accurate and should be revised. More effort should be made to provide a complete history of the term's evolution since the 1990's. The term was frequently used in online communities connected to yaoi well before 2018. Its use before this time was very widespread, to the extent that sources to cite should not be difficult for anyone to find, regardless of their familiarity with the term. 2601:642:C003:8780:E866:8D84:D36C:65CE (talk) 04:04, 29 January 2024 (UTC)
Sex and gender distinction
@Skyshifter: Firstly, sex and gender are completely different things.
Just because an individual has a penis does not mean that they are male.
Just because an individual has a vagina does not mean that they are female.
Besides genitals (external sex organs), sex is defined by presence of many anatomical structures such as gonads (internal sex organs e.g. testes, ovaries), accessory reproductive organs (uterus, fallopian tubes, cervix, prostate, etc.), sex hormones, secondary sex characteristics, etc.
I know that anatomy has nothing to do with the article.
But differences between sex and gender must be stated.
Male ≠ man
Female ≠ woman
Intersex ≠ non-binary
This is because sex and gender are different things.
It is possible for people to be born without any gender, and they are called agender people.
But it is impossible for people to be born without a sex.
what does intersex have to do with anything?
Many intersex people are non-binary, and can also use "femboy" as a label.
You said "we're talking gender here"; "male" is not a gender; "male", "female", and "intersex" are sexes; "man", "woman" and "non-binary(ies)" are genders, along with the agender trait.
The lead sentence can either be:
"A femboy is a male or intersex individual..."
OR
"A femboy is a man or non-binary individual..."
I think that the latter is better because the article mentions gender, and not anatomical sex.
Also, it would be better if all instances of sex are replaced with gender, except for the fact that sex has nothing to do with being a femboy. —CrafterNova[ TALK ][ CONT ] 15:11, 3 February 2024 (UTC)
@CrafterNova: Hello! Honestly, what you said at the beginning surprised me. I am one of the main editors of transgender topics at ptwiki, and I am literally questioning my gender identity! I'm genuinely sorry if my first impression was that I was transphobic; the complete reverse of that! I know well the distinction between sex and gender. Here we just had a misunderstanding regarding the usage of the word "male". Wikipedia's own article for Male states: "In humans, the word male can also be used to refer to gender, in the social sense of gender role or gender identity." And currently, the word "male" in the femboy article links to "male gender". So it is clear that "male" is referring to gender here. That's why I said we were talking gender there. I'd also note that we could be excluding AFAB male or non-binary femboys — which are completely valid — if our lead referred to male sex and intersex instead. Like you said, "sex has nothing to do with being a femboy", so we should indeed only be mentioning gender. The current lead is perfectly fine considering "male" refers to gender here; however, I'm not opposed of changing "male" to "man", if it clears up confusion. Skyshiftertalk 16:16, 3 February 2024 (UTC)
@Skyshifter: The article for male is not a Wikipedia policy. It is WP:VAGUE and confusing to use words, that generally refer to sex, to refer to words that generally refer to gender.
The usage of "male" to refer to the "man" gender, and usage of "female" to refer to the "woman" gender cannot be justified, because if it were, then "intersex" could also be used to refer to "non-binary", but it isn't. There is no valid reason for such ambiguous usage of words, since it rather causes confusion to readers.
This ambiguity in usage of words, for sexes and genders, is rather discriminatory, and, to be fair, transphobic in some cases.
Unfortunately, most Wikipedia policies such as MOS:GENDER, MOS:GENDERID, MOS:LEAD, etc. do not differentiate between sex and gender.
I think it would be better if we propose changes to these policies at WP:VPP, which I have been thinking about for some time. —CrafterNova[ TALK ][ CONT ] 06:12, 4 February 2024 (UTC)
I believe that such changes are absolutely important for gender-neutrality, sex-neutrality, and inclusivity of all people.
As a fellow LGBTQ+ ally, I sincerely and humbly request for support for this proposal. —CrafterNova[ TALK ][ CONT ] 18:40, 6 February 2024 (UTC)
@CrafterNova: Sorry for not responding to your ealier comment, I forgot. I don't think I have a formed opinion on the matter. From what I've seen, it does seem that terms like "male" and "female" can refer to gender very commonly in English, so looking from that perspective, it doesn't seem outright wrong to use the terms that way. Language can change over time, and it seems that "male" and "female" can refer, respectively, to "man" and "woman" nowadays. However, as a non-native English speaker, I can possibly be missing the nuances of the meanings or differences between the words male and man, and female and woman. Skyshiftertalk 19:27, 6 February 2024 (UTC)
"male" doesn't inherently mean AMAB. I would argue that transgender men are male despite being AFAB, for example. "male or nonbinary" and "man or nonbinary" IMHO mean roughly the same thing. Tdmurlock (talk) 08:47, 10 March 2024 (UTC)
Rewrite the "Presence" section?
I feel we should remove this; "Reddit has hosted both sexual and non-sexual femboy content: r/feminineboys was started in 2012 and has two hundred fifty one thousand members by February 2024; the site also contains the pornographic r/FemBoys."
I feel this is more of an "expression" thing as opposed to "presence", and tbh is this really need to be mentioned? 108.49.72.125 (talk) 21:19, 21 February 2024 (UTC)
please remove "bicalutamide" in Attributes section
In the "Attributes" section, there is a passing reference to femboys using bicalutamide as part of feminizing HRT to avoid breast growth. This is very much not accurate.
I am a transgender woman on feminizing HRT, and I take bicalutamide daily. Bicalutamide is often prescribed as an antiandrogen, meaning it blocks testosterone. It does not, however, prevent any breast growth (I have a 34C chest). Tamoxifen can be prescribed to do so, but it also has some pretty dangerous side effects. Ashrose688 (talk) 11:06, 10 March 2024 (UTC)
"seeing that the muscularity of femboys as differentiating them from the labels of effeminate or gay."
are femboys aren't effeminate? What? What does this even mean? The previous quote doesn't even mention muscularity. 172.99.147.181 (talk) 20:38, 26 March 2024 (UTC)
image displaying a femboy should be removed or changed
who is this random dude with a skirt and thigh high do we even have the permission for that image? this is un-encyclopedic Ratiorain (talk) 11:48, 18 April 2024 (UTC)
a) a Brazillian femboy Instagram model b) yes, check the VRT ticket on Meta c) why? generally it seems to sum up the core elements of being a femboy, and is immediately identifiable as such, so serves well as the lede image. not sure how it's unencyclopaedic, we're not WP:CENSORED - not an arguement per se, but it's on most of the other language edition wiki pages for Femboy. Frzzltalk;contribs 18:42, 18 April 2024 (UTC)
a Brazilian femboy instagram model? this doesnt sound too general for it to be put in a article that displays a neo-adjective, it should still be replaced with a more general image and not a random image of a Brazilian guy, perhaps a more popular figure will do the job. Ratiorain (talk) 19:56, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
We already have an image of a more notable figure who is or was known then as a femboy, of F1NN5TER, which has been around for over a month now. I see no problem with using a very casual(?) image here, perhaps it proves that femboys are less of a novelty, so to speak. Carlinal (talk) 12:58, 27 April 2024 (UTC)
Use of F1NN5TER's image
@Tamzin, I'm pondering over removing the image of F1NN5TER that you added, over its relevance to the attributes section. I'm concerned about applying images more loosely on this article, especially after I removed a poorly placed third image of a femboy (excluding the flag) and there doesn't seem to be any weight in adding F1NN5TER's image here. There's neither a cited mention of him nor Twitch although there is a mention of gender fluidity in a subsequent section. Maybe in terms of fashion his image is unique, but I don't see how it's enough to differ from the head image. Could you provide a justification or counterargument? Carlinal (talk) 13:07, 27 April 2024 (UTC)
@Carlinal: My argument would be simply, it makes sense for the attributes section to have an image of someone who exemplifies several of the things discussed in that section, and it is furthermore good for the article to have an image of a notable femboy (or a notable person who at least identified as a femboy when the photo was taken—bit less clear now). The image is of higher quality than the one in the lede, so if we're going to use only one, it should be F1NN5TER's... But I'm not sure why we can't have two. -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (they|xe) 16:22, 27 April 2024 (UTC)
Funny. I used basically this exact reasoning in a previous section. Guess I wasn't sure if that's a legit argument initially. Indeed, if a(n Internet) celebrity is into it, who wouldn't? Thanks for the response, I'll leave it alone. Carlinal (talk) 05:35, 28 April 2024 (UTC)
Should be removed now that they openly identify as a trans girl and therefore the inclusion of it as well as calling them a "he" is derogatory. JackVegas7 (talk) 01:40, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
@JackVegas7 Where is the article calling him "a he"? You're acting as if you were F1NN5TER himself, because in all sources, news, and his social media accounts state he uses both he and she pronouns. So using "himself" is correct. If you act as if he is not genderfluid, the one misgendering him is you. LEILA FERRAZ (talk) 02:08, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
did they change their mind again or something? everything i have heard is that they're a trans girl, not genderfluid or something, but actively transitioning and openly a trans girl. Either way, genderfluid = not a femboy. Femboys are cis males. Still a bad image to have added (as well as them not really using the term to self describe anyways/believing femboys are a fad and its just a gateway to being trans, which is cringe lmfao.) JackVegas7 (talk) 02:53, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
they actively state they "made it 4 years" of being a femboy and no longer use the term. If nothing else its not accurate to have the image anymore. JackVegas7 (talk) 02:56, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
I noted this in §Image RfC below, but just to avoid this sitting here unrefuted: No, he identifies as genderfluid, taking he/him or she/her with preference for the former. Not sure if he's referred to himself as a trans girl, but if he has, it's not in the binary sense of the term. As to the word "femboy" specifically, he still refers to himself as "Worlds #1 Femboy™" on OnlyFans. -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (they|xe|🤷) 07:30, 26 February 2025 (UTC)
So...not a femboy.
They use it for porn addicts attention, but then refuses to use the term otherwise and elsewhere.
God Finn in general has been nothing but a curse on the femboy community, putting them here when they aint a femboy and dislike it and put down the term is stupid, ESPECIALLY when they groomed their audience into believing they were trans instead. leaving that picture up is stupid. 47.214.244.227 (talk) 13:25, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
Wikipedia is not in the business of deciding who is valid as a femboy. We have the photo because it's a good image of someone who has been a prominent example of the femboy aesthetic. Even if Finn entirely disavowed the word "femboy," the image would still be suitable for that purpose. Wikipedia guidelines don't even require an image to ever have depicted the thing it's used to illustrate, let alone require it to currently depict that. But in this case, it does currently depict that, because "femboy" is one of several gender labels Finn currently associates himself with. -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (they|xe|🤷) 13:48, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
F1n is on hormones, which does not represent most femboys, and slightly conflicts wit the definition of femboy. Image should be replaced with a more cookie cutter form. Notavalidperson (talk) 00:55, 21 November 2025 (UTC)
Being on HRT doesn't conflict with the definition of a Femboy, unless you're using a very narrow definition, which this Wiki Article probably shouldn't convey as Femboy is still a very general label. an Image that represents Femboys who take HRT whether Cisgender or Transgender should be included in the article, since femboys who take HRT are mentioned once already and there already is an image example of a more "Cookie Cutter" form of a Femboy ~2025-38944-27 (talk) 06:39, 8 December 2025 (UTC)
This, F1NN5TER is trans now, not a femboy. Kazachstanski nygus (talk) 16:11, 6 July 2025 (UTC)
He describes himself in different places as genderfluid (e.g. his Twitter), trans (e.g. this interview), and a femboy (e.g. his OnlyFans). These are not mutually exclusive terms. -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (they|xe|🤷) 18:06, 6 July 2025 (UTC)
Proposed image change
I'd suggest changing the image titled 'a femboy' to another picture, that'd be a little more expressive, and preferably not contain a minor.
I got in touch with a femboy and got his approval to use his picture Elagabalus83 (talk) 14:20, 1 May 2024 (UTC)
I mean, that's great, but what exactly is wrong with the head image we have right now? I don't think it's a problem with a teen if it's over identity expression, my argument being that femboy isn't exclusively pornographic, and if it's used as a comfortable label among minors in the same way that "trans" or "non-binary" are, then that's perfectly fine. I encourage it, even.
Also, I did some research over the credited model in the image (Cavi.jpg), CavifaX. He has a Newgrounds account stating he's 27. If the Newgrounds account isn't actually him I'm interested in a counterargument. ∩^ω^∩ Carlinal (talk) 05:37, 2 May 2024 (UTC)
Great points being made, and thanks for clarifying the model's age! I guess my suggestion to change the image would be more about expression rather than age after all. There are much better images out there of femboys when it comes to calrity. If we want to do a good job expressing what a femboy is through a picture, we should use one where the model is wearing as many of the attributed clothings and elements as possible ( not just thigh highs and skirts, but crop tops, arm warmers, fishnets, dolphin shorts etc.). The current model only dressed feminine from the waist down. I think as the face of the femboy identity we could use a picture much more telling.
I'd love to hear your thoughts or even a counterargument :D it's always nice to debate with smart people ⸜ᵔ ω ᵔ⸝ Elagabalus83 (talk) 19:36, 2 May 2024 (UTC)
Thank you for the reply! I wouldn't mind if you uploaded the image anyway, that means we have more options. Carlinal (talk) 21:19, 2 May 2024 (UTC)
Thanks for the opportunity! I got permitssion from the model and uploded the picture (Jo The Femboy.jpg) Elagabalus83 (talk) 11:13, 3 May 2024 (UTC)
Hmm, looks like it got deleted immediately. Túrelio said there's "No evidence of a free license at the claimed source." Can you contact them about this? Perhaps the file can get a ticket of confirmation about its license. Carlinal (talk) 17:26, 3 May 2024 (UTC)
Current photo is FemboyPup.jpg which is just... eh? Are cat-ears supposed to be female? Or are femboys meant to be furries? There's some cringe stereotyping going on here and I'd prefer a more normal example of a femboy to be in the photo. FMasic (talk) 02:33, 17 January 2025 (UTC)
There are additional options over at Commons:
Potential replacements
This might be copyvio, but I am not sure. I like this image better because it clearly shows a man wearing stereotypical feminine clothing with face obscured.
Should a dropshipping store really be an external link? While there is some blogs about femboy culture, I really think there are some better options for additional infomation. 628318Tau (talk) 02:34, 28 May 2024 (UTC)
Has a number of incorrect parts with no real backing?
1: There is no sexual connotation inherent to the term. Femboys are non-sexual at a baseline, and their definition is completely unrelated to sex.
2: Feminine "behaviors" is not accurate, as generally the common definition for femboy reflects a personality along the lines of a normal average male as opposed to behaving in ways considered traditionally feminine. The femininity, or "fem" in the word "femboy" is related to the appearance of the individual, not the personality.
3: Gender variance is also inaccurate, as femboys are cis males. It is not accepted broadly to be anything other than cis males, though some contend this point, very few agree with them, and the general consensus is cis males are the only ones eligible to be considered femboys, with no other gender identities being applicable to the term, instead falling under the category of "roseboy" or similar terms.
4: In gender studies it is NOT a term for trans people, as it is seen as heavily derogatory to refer to a trans individual as a "femboy" or similar terms such as "tomboy"
5: In porn studies there is no clear cut role for femboys, nor is it used specifically to denote a "submissive" individual, nor is it considered an identifier for a submissive male.
6: The term "boi" means young gay man??? What? Its just a slight change in spelling for boy. Not once has boi been used to mean "young gay man", not in pop culture nor in technical terminology.
7: Non-binary individuals are not femboys. Femboys are exclusively cis males.
8: "femboi" is simply an alternative spelling to Femboy, with no specific connotation towards other gender identities or anything. The word you would look for for non-cis male identities fitting the description would be roseboy, as femboys are exclusively cis males.
9: Sissies have nothing to do with femboys, as it is a fetishization of being trans, not anything to do with being a femboy.
10: It is not used to signify a bottom role, nor is that the purpose of the term. A femboy is a femboy, that does not come with a role attached.
11: Boywife is a word with nothing to do with femboys, instead relating to a male who takes on a traditional housewife role, with feminine qualities being optional beyond that. The most hyper masculine man on earth could be considered a "boywife" fitting the role of a housewife.
12: "Pussyboy" is another word for the slang term "cuntboy" which is to denote a male with female genitals, and a derogatory slur for trans men, generally those who are pre-op.
13: "Exclusively seek to be" that whole sentence is outright just, incorrect, and with no substance or backing. Sounds more like a fetishization as opposed to anything substantiated by reality, and therefore is irrelevant fluff unfitting to the article, as well as an unnecessary and inaccurate addition to it.
14: Femboys have certainly been fetishized, and with that being a problem, a great deal of division has happened within the community itself, with strict definitions being made and those falling outside of it harshly judged and berated for using the term inaccurately.
15: Femboys have no desire to transition. They are comfortable as males and seek nothing further besides maintaining a feminine appearance. A femboy seeking to transition is what is known as an "egg", which is a person who is on the verge of a realization of a trans identity.
16: "Around 2018, the term femboy was found almost exclusively on 4chan" Who...who wrote this? have they just...never been on the internet, ever?
17: "femboy outfits" is an active contradiction considering the fact that this article also makes the correct claim that being a femboy has no inherent need to crossdress nor is it a mandatory part of the identity.
Generally this article needs a great deal of touching up. A lot of incorrect information or contradictory info is present. JackVegas7 (talk) 01:39, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
You will need to provide sources to support all this, especially since most of your claims seem to be contradicted by sources already in the article. I don't have time right now to go through all of them, but just taking a few at random:6. is supported by 7. is supported by 8. I'm not sure what you're objecting to; the only place the article distinguishes the sematics of "femboi" from "femboy" is "the variant femboi may refer to "softer" individuals" which is supported by 10. is supported by 16. is supported by Overall the article seems well-sourced; if you see any statements that are not sourced you can bring them up here, but objecting to sourced content without providing any sources that support your opinions is not actionable or constructive. CodeTalker (talk) 03:11, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
First source substantiates no claims, simply makes it on its own without any precedent set for it. Furthermore, research into it claims the term is used for significantly more than the applied term used here, denoting everything from trans, genderqueer, or as a regular definition I saw on research, a lesbian who adopts a boyish apperance. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Boi
With so many contrasting definitions from various sources, its relevance to the article is largely fluff at best.
2nd source is a source of contention upon research, but the broader consensus is that cis males are the only femboys, and from a stricter definition, would be the common consensus and proper definition (with Roseboy being pointed out as an alternative term for those outside of cis male requirement within the page itself.) https://gender.fandom.com/wiki/Femboy
Other similar sites define or lump the two together as a net, and therefore any external usage is either A: unrelated to femboys and the page, or B: is simply just an alternative spelling used in slang the same way "ion" is short for "i dont" or "hai" is another way to say "hi".
4th source is majority speculating and interpreting multiple sources as well as actively providing both sides of the coin involved directly quoting another source by saying "the problem is that we assume feminine men are bottoms in the first place. The all-consuming need to conform to archetypes punishes every gay man—why is it that, thousands of years on from Ancient Greece, we still bow to a heteronormative ideal of a masculine top and feminine bottom? (O’Flynn, 2018)", which would also refute the claim that the source explicitly supports or confirms this as set in stone, and often refers to the concepts of people fetishizing or stating roles alongside the term as "sexual fantasy" and arent considered definitive or outright claims to definiting the word, and the femboy term comes with no inherent bottom definition, otherwise concepts such as "femboydom" or the japanese equivalent of "josou seme" https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Josou%20Seme would be contradictory and nonexistent. Furthermore, the source also claims the usage of the term results from "sexual fantasies" in that manner, as opposed to any real definition. This source does not support the claim made, and the only two usages of the term femboy within the paper are both quoting people using the term in relation to either conversations had casually and not in direct definition, or in regards to a sexual fantasy without explicit definition attached. Simply stating an effeminate male is automatically a femboy is incorrect as well, as that would mean individuals such as James Charles, RuPaul, and other similar figures are femboys, when it is not the case, and more a matter of self description based on the definition already available.
Even simply looking up the phrase "femboydom" or "dom femboy" produces a number of results, already shooting down any concept of it being an inherently assigned position by term. A bedroom role is outside the definition of femboy and therefore is unassociated, as well as the source not contributing to the claim made.
5th Source does NOT support that claim either. In fact, there is no mention of 4chan on the page itself, and the examples of usage show common usages on everything from tumblr to reddit as far back as 2014. JackVegas7 (talk) 03:41, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
i am a femboy who doesnt identify as particularly more "submissive" or dominant, has only ever dated women.. bothers me to see an article like this being taken seriously, thank you for working to debunk it 73.72.68.45 (talk) 19:07, 30 June 2024 (UTC)
Had it cited at me before, and then just looking through it shows a number of inaccuracies. If you wish to help, further find sources for my points in this previous post and perhaps we could get it updated to be improved to accurate depictions, as a number of sources are contradictory or just do not support or make the claim they are stated to validate. JackVegas7 (talk) 05:51, 3 July 2024 (UTC)
Hiya, I wrote the majority of this article, although I'm aware innaccuracies have been introduced by others (especially Chumchumlol) since I wrote it. When I did it, I pretty much took every source that had information on femboys, and collated them, and tried to make sure to include the author in the prose when something was controversial. If you'd like to improve the article, please do so: however, anything you can't just delete stuff that you think isn't true, and new information needs Wikipedia:Reliable sources: wikis, UrbanDictionary, "look it up" aren't.
Once the disruptive editing on this (don't worry, not by you) has stopped, I'm going to come back to the article in a couple of months and tidy it up, and if there are any new sources, I'll add them. I'll try to make it clearer when it's the opinion of a scholar - Professor X saying that the word femboy is used in the porn industry to mean Y is different from saying that "dom femboys don't exist", so I'll make that less ambiguous if no-one else does before me. Once again, please do introduce your suggestions, but only if you can actually reference it, or it's just mess for others to clean up . Frzzltalk;contribs 16:50, 3 July 2024 (UTC)
Aight
also, "professor x sayin y in porn industry" i know what you are talking about, and he made multiple claims otherwise and mostly seemed to just look over a bunch of stuff from various views. Let me know when you intend to continue and I will happily provide my own expertise in the matter (Having been apart of and within the community for over a decade now) and provide sources as I did to previous questions and comments to my other breakdown of what that guy brought up to me. Sources are still there if you wish to implement my fixes, although it seems I cannot edit stuff manually so I haven't tried to, well, implement them. JackVegas7 (talk) 03:15, 16 July 2024 (UTC)
furthermore, a "reliable source" for a slang term could and would definitely include stuff like an official site regarding lgbt activity, and urban dictionarys highest voted option, dictionary sites regarding definition, the only one I could say you have a case for is the Wikis but those get corroborated by other sources alongside them. JackVegas7 (talk) 03:19, 16 July 2024 (UTC)
@JackVegas7
2. As a Femboy in several Femboy Communities, yes it is very often part of your personality, not just appearance.
In Fact, most People i know basically just base their whole Personality around being a Femboy, just like how some People base their whole Personality in Football/Soccer or about them being a Youtuber. SaxonianEmpire (talk) 06:34, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
this article is inaccurate and creepy
im a femboy, i prefer women. as many do. what is this fetishistic nonsense abt being a"bottom gay identity". wikipedia editors are such incels i stg 73.72.68.45 (talk) 18:45, 30 June 2024 (UTC)
the other person who pointed out that this article is terrible and incorrect is doing the lords work 73.72.68.45 (talk) 18:50, 30 June 2024 (UTC)
Most femboys are generally gynosexual, but thats not really something relevant to simply defining us so I never felt the need to get verified sources and whatnot to add it. We could definitely work to improve it. JackVegas7 (talk) 05:52, 3 July 2024 (UTC)
Discussion moved from my User:Ca talk page
[Original heading: Reverted many of your edits on "Femboy" 7/26/2024]
Good afternoon my fellow American. I have reverted many of your edits for misunderstanding the contents of the articles which have been presented. You claimed that "Social Media + Society" was an article, however it was a scientific publication. You also claimed that it was referring to challenging heteronormative views of masculinity. That is simply not what the paper is referring to. It is referring to how beauty is rewarded digitally and it is showcased with femboys. It is also not referring to heterosexual content as triumphing homosexual content for the reason it is heterosexual, the paper is referring to how homosexuality tends to be more unpopular than heterosexuality. It has nothing to do with hereonomativity. I also reverted your claim of "The alt-right have deemed the emergence of the femboy a result of the LGBT chemicals conspiracy theory" because it is entirely nuanced to claim every self-proclaimed alt-right individual believes femboys to be a byproduct of the chemicals. For there is complexity which goes into political affiliation. However, a few of your edits were good and those were upheld. I once again removed a few anecdotes in which you and the people have added. Jolly day! Chumchumlol (talk) 21:05, 29 July 2024 (UTC)
Hi @Chumchumlol, I am not American, but thank you for being willing to discuss this with me.
Due to femboy culture's popularity among the youth, some have speculated regarding the longevity of the femboy culture is not what the cited source is saying. It is not saying that the femboy culture is dying out, but an individual femboy may not be able to stay a femboy as they age.
Source: "Obvious questions arise in the face of the expressed desire to live through a prolonged boyhood: whereas other non-binary identifications commonplace elsewhere online, such as ‘agender’ or ‘androgyne’ suffer from simply being difficult for many to grasp, ‘Femboy’ seems evocative enough, but to be suggestive of a state that will struggle to be sustained. Can one remain a Femboy by the end of one’s 30s? 40s?"
As well as avoiding the difficulties which come alongside gender dysphoria . I don't see the cited source mentioning gender dysphoria. Can you point to a specific quote?
"representing an element of sexual fantasy" A direct quote was modified. A big no no. The source says "represents" not "representing". Brackets are used to indicate changes.
Many have deemed the emergence of the femboy a result of the LGBT chemicals conspiracy theory The source says that view is common to members of the alt-right, not to everyone. How about "many members of the alt-right"?
I think Specifically, men’s engagement with the traditionally feminine domain of beauty and appearance is often veiled in allusions toward masculinities’ hegemonic qualities, particularly heterosexuality and muscularity, undermining the inclusive potentials of their content online.
A scientific publication of Social Media + Society has said the "femboy aesthetic" on TikTok "map[s] onto and reinforces extant patterns of gender inequality", and "how beauty is rewarded symbolically and materially in online spaces. I think we are arguing with semantics here, but scientific journals do publish articles, in most senses of the term. See the article on academic journal: "Content typically takes the form of articles presenting original research, review articles, or book reviews."
A direct quote was also modified without any brackets. I think we have differing interpretation of the study. First, the study was limited to the most popular creators only, not all creators on Tiktok. It would be misrepresenting the source to say otherwise.
Secondly, I disagree the study is about beauty standards. It is about "radical" TikTok creators fail to challenge heteronormativity. It only discusses beauty as it relates to gender associations. Few examples from the study pointing this out:
First sentence: "News reports and online comments suggest that social media applications like TikTok play an important role in challenging traditional notions of masculinity."
"Specifically, men’s engagement with the traditionally feminine domain of beauty and appearance is often veiled in allusions toward masculinities’ hegemonic qualities, particularly heterosexuality and muscularity, undermining the inclusive potentials of their content online."
"Although these depictions have become slightly more varied (Barry & Martin, 2016; Ricciardelli et al., 2010; see also Attwood, 2005), they continue to reflect vestiges of the hegemonic male—namely they depict men who are heterosexual, muscular, and white (Waling et al., 2018)."
"In this way, men police the boundaries of normative masculinity and heterosexuality, asserting that, though they may transgress gender expectations, they are neither feminine nor gay" Catalk to me! 06:16, 30 July 2024 (UTC)
Alright Ca, let me start out by saying that I indeed make a rookie level blunder by not adding a source in for the "As well as avoiding the difficulties which come alongside gender dysphoria". I had the source pulled up but I forgot to cite it and now I have it and it'll be adjusted for. Now that has been completed.
As for "representing an element of sexual fantasy". I have removed the quotations and the problem is solved.
As for "due to femboy culture's popularity among the youth, some have speculated regarding the longevity of the femboy culture", a source has been cited.
As for "Many have deemed the emergence of the femboy a result of the LGBT chemicals conspiracy theory". I accept your bipartisan proposal to replace the sentence to "many members of the alt-right".
As for
"A scientific publication of Social Media + Society has said the "femboy aesthetic" on TikTok "map[s] onto and reinforces extant patterns of gender inequality", and "how beauty is rewarded symbolically and materially in online spaces."
I reject your idea to change that to
"An article in Social Media + Society has said the "femboy aesthetic" on TikTok "map[s] onto and reinforce[s] extant patterns of gender inequality", and "how beauty is rewarded symbolically and materially in online spaces".
Because it is still simply not an article but rather a scientific publication. However I will change it to
"A scientific publication of Social Media + Society has said the "femboy aesthetic" on TikTok "map[s] onto and reinforce[s] extant patterns of gender inequality", and "how beauty is rewarded symbolically and materially in online spaces."
I understand that you disagree the study is about beauty standards. But I ask you hearken to what the author has stated here's a direct quote from the abstract "our findings contribute to a broader discussion of the role that social media play in reproducing inequality along the lines of gender, race, and sexuality, including how beauty is rewarded symbolically and materially in online spaces." So yes, it is indeed partially about beauty standards.
As for your claim that "It is about "radical" Tiktok creators fail to challenge heteronormativity." I would like to point out that the source cited disagrees with you. They say "we find that TikTok creators both challenge and reinforce traditional notions of masculinity, subverting widely recognizable tropes, and gender norms". So no, they did not fail to challenge. They did challenge.
"In this way, men police the boundaries of normative masculinity and heterosexuality, asserting that, though they may transgress gender expectations, they are neither feminine nor gay" is quite the humorous part of the article where they're referring to how some don't consider liking femboys to be homosexual whatsoever.
However, it does not have anything to do with "A scientific publication of Social Media + Society has said the "femboy aesthetic" on TikTok "map[s] onto and reinforces extant patterns of gender inequality", and "how beauty is rewarded symbolically and materially in online spaces."
For that reasons I'll be upholding my edits/revising them. Thank you for reaching out. Chumchumlol (talk) 03:23, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
I appreciate the responses to my comments. However, there are some elements I still think are problematic.
The quote "As well as avoiding the difficulties which come alongside gender dysphoria" is sourced to a anonymous opinion piece on an advocacy organization Genspect. It only represents on person's experiences so it would not be a reliable source for the claim. Same goes for due to femboy culture's popularity among the youth, some have speculated regarding the longevity of the femboy culture", It is cited to an student-run newspaper in Oxford University. It would not be a reliable source for scientific claims related to sociology. Also, I don't see anywhere in the cited article saying that femboy culture is disappearing. Can you point to a quote in the cited article?
Removing the quotation marks in "representing an element of sexual fantasy" would be a worse solution since it is now unattributed copying of someone else's words. Use brackets instead like previous versions of the page.
I still disagree, but I do see your point. Would you like to get a third opinion on how to most accurate summarize the Social Media + Society article?
On a unrelated note: I don't know how proficient you are in English, but "destroyed" has very strong and negative connotation in the English so using such words like "Revision of what Ca destroyed" would not be appropriate in a collaborative environment. Catalk to me! 11:40, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
I've removed the two sentences cited to Genspect. Flounder fillet (talk) 20:52, 7 August 2024 (UTC)
I have relocated the discussion from my talk page to let other editors weigh in. Catalk to me! 15:31, 2 August 2024 (UTC)
Semi-protected edit request on 11 August 2024
This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request.
Change "also spelt femboi, is a slang term for males" to "also spelt femboi, is a slang term generally used when referring to males or non-binary persons".
This will allow for the page to encompass more uses of the word "femboy" as it is used to refer to non-binary persons who are feminine. ItsThatOneJack (talk) 01:05, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
Partly done. The body already said this, so no further source was needed, although I've gone ahead and copied the source up to the lede anyways, as ledecites are generally a good idea on definitions of slang terms. I went with somewhat broader wording tha requested, though, as, per the source, "femboi" can also refer to women and transmasculine people. -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (they|xe) 02:26, 11 August 2024 (UTC)
Tomgirl vs femboy.
So, Is tomgirl and femboy the same thing? Or are they different? Should I add tomgirl to redirect to this page? Miyunya (talk) 10:38, 17 August 2024 (UTC)
The best place to ask this is probably WP:RD. Also, tomgirl is already a redirect. Flounder fillet (talk) 02:27, 18 August 2024 (UTC)
Adding an origin point
The word femboy, as it is defined currently, has no real origin point and noone has tried to investigate a concrete origin; so, to add a bit of context to the claim that it originated in the 1990s, one could use gay artist Ed Check's 1996 thesis as it explicitly mentions the word femboy on p.103 as a part of a 1992 art piece he created. I think the addition would go something as follows:
"The first documented mention of the word was in a 1992 work by gay artist Ed Check.[1]"
Here is a big qoute from the page, to confirm that the word femboy was used/developed/originated in the same way as suggested in the article:
"Nicknames at School (1992) continued to represent the paradigmatic shift in my art making. Nicknames at School coalesced my interests in masculinity, personal history and sexual identity. The 6" by 8" collage consists of a photo (from a 1960s health text) with accompanying text. Under a looming facade of a high school with hundreds of students waiting outside to enter the text reads: 'The things you learn and the experiences you have in school help to form your personality." I added more text in large letters along the bottom and right edges of the photo: candy voice, homo, f*g, c*cksucker, pansy, f*ggot, queer, femboy (my emphasis), and Nancy - all named I had been called at some point in school (...) those words, defining my experiences in school, were paradoxically a part of my healing and reclamation of my sense of masculinity, self-dignity and pride in my sexual identity" (p.103). HalfWayEssay (talk) 00:15, 7 January 2025 (UTC)
Nice find.! I would be hesitant to call it the "first documented mention" of the word, as someone could have found an earlier one. Some may also consider this WP:original research, which is not recommended by policy. It would be better to find an expert source (i.e. a dictionary) that has a list of early attestations. Catalk to me! 01:41, 7 January 2025 (UTC)
Yeah I figured it would clas with the original research clause, but as for the first thing I really have scoured pretty much every other source. WayBackMachine, supposed earlier mentions of it in queer groups, Google Scholar and even some queer archives and have come up empty handed at every turn; so saying "first documented mention" might be a bit overboard I agree, but maybe switching it to "one of the first" would work? Also dictionaries, as far as I've found (Dictionary.com; Wikitionary; Collins English Dicitionary), don't provide examples, which is why I went looking for one myself. But yeah it is a consideration game as to whether that outweighs breaking with WP:original research. HalfWayEssay (talk) 07:10, 7 January 2025 (UTC)
There's been a lot of changes to both the lede image and the one in § Attributes, and discussions so far have been inconclusive, so it's probably time to have an RfC to get a formal consensus. I don't really like image RfCs but it's better than edit-warring. Below I've listed the four images that have been used in one or both of those slots, plus three mentioned by Ca above. If there's any previously used/proposed images that I've missed, or if anyone has other images to propose (see c:Category:Femboy), feel free to add them. -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (they|xe|🤷) 07:24, 26 February 2025 (UTC)
Please first list your pick for the lede, then your pick for § Attributes.
B/G; D. A, B, and G are all good representative examples of femboy selfies, but the dirty mirror in A bugs me. For the second image, well I may be biased because I took the time to get a hold of the subject and get him to license it, but I think if there's precisely one Wikipedia-notable femboy it makes sense to include a photo of him, and D is a good illustration of the aesthetic that the section describes. (And since a few people in the past have been worried about misgendering, note that F1NN5TER is genderfluid and still calls himself the "Worlds #1 Femboy™" on OnlyFans.) -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (they|xe|🤷) 07:24, 26 February 2025 (UTC)
I prefer B the most, mainly due to it having by far the highest resolution. Also the subject's face is not visible, which I suppose is a benefit when that is not the topic of discussion. D and G are also good images; E is decent, but since it doesn't show the bottom half of the subject's outfit at all, it is a less informative image than the others. I Oppose A and F on image quality – Tamzin has already pointed out the dirty mirror in A, and F is not quite in focus. As for placement, I think having B in the lead and D and/or G in #Attributes would be best. Toadspike[Talk] 10:29, 26 February 2025 (UTC)
B–High quality size-wise, clear depiction of the style, anonymity of the subject. I think C and D are more so examples of F1NN5TER's gender expression than a depiction of the femboy style as defined in this article's lead. Yue🌙 02:45, 6 March 2025 (UTC)
B looks the best out of the options, but he's also wearing a tail and dog ears, which slides into the distinct but sometimes overlapping furry fandom. SWinxy (talk) 02:48, 16 March 2025 (UTC)
Ah, right the Attributes section, my bad. I'd pick D. Looking at the article now, I'm slightly amused that my pick for the two match what's already there. SWinxy (talk) 03:53, 16 March 2025 (UTC)
Having read SWinxy's 02:48, 16 March 2025 (UTC) post, I do feel that we shouldn't be overemphasising the animal side - the point is to show human characteristics that are both masculine and feminine at the same time. So, on that basis, the lead image could be C (1st pref) or G (2nd), the Attributes one D (1st) or F (2nd) with the caveat that I don't think that we should use a F1NN5TER image in both places since it would create the impression that nobody else exists. --Redrose64🌹 (talk) 08:46, 16 March 2025 (UTC)
I believe there are interest and representation issues with 'F1NN5TER' being in such a notable public-facing position. Meanwhile 'FemboyPup', the figure in the photo who was replaced, is a credible femboy in Australia for representation of femboys. Having organised femboys marching in the Sydney Mardi Gras parade viewed by millions as one of the first grassroots femboy groups. I'm also sure they'd be happy to provide an image of themselves that doesn't have a relationship to furries (not that I see how it undermines the conveying them being a boy who is feminine - it's like saying because the cover is a dress it means we only wear dresses or in F1NN5TER case only a subculture of 'e-girls'. Perhaps there should be a collage if this truly was believed to be a problem; I digress).
To expand on it's importance to bring up F1NN5TER as not a good representation for us. There is a way the indigenous mob in Australia largely understands the term boy; brotherboy similar to a way we aim to define femboy. Nobody who sees femboy as a valid gender expression should consider it on a time limit in the way F1NN5TER does, and it isn't on a time limit. They claim that there are no femboys who have identified as such for more than 5 years as they identify as trans instead after that (https://youtube.com/shorts/aUs196iM8VM?si=t4_G4ql5pYeK2ZSx), which is not true, even in my own case being over 5 years of identifying as a femboy. This is where F1NN5TER lands on femboys (in conjunction with another public figure speaking on behalf of femboys without any credibility to do so) https://youtube.com/shorts/QZ22YIoeXwc?si=vWx8LAgErcmRaZRo. This artificial restriction that to be a femboy is to partake in trend and aesthetic; to play roles rather than to exist through them - rather than it being (as the etymology suggests) a feminine person who identifies as boy adjacent enough for them subjectively. It undermines the reality of offline people who have this diverse gender expression, all because of it's growth online. It's a classic case of the left handed people statistics. The portion of people who use femboy as an aesthetic and trend may only do it for a short period of time as it's not their gender expression at heart, but this helps real people who aren't doing it as a public figure or performance realise that it's an option. Nobody should be declaring that to be a femboy is anything other than to be a feminine person, to do so is to appeal to some very bioessentialist perspective that harms all gender diverse people.
There is more to representation than how someone looks and it's important to take that responsibility seriously and thoughtfully.
Speaking out on this figure due to their fame/large following is also difficult as it only takes one person from their audience to put this in circulation; infamously audiences can be a bit rough with their response. This makes it loaded to reject them being the figure. It also means Wikipedia has to contend with standing by online content creators - who at times use controversy as a way to build audience.
Thank you coming to my post sleep TED talk. Sorry ideas aren't put elegantly, I've been meaning to put this out into the world in some form but have been swamped. I hope that Femboys Australia someday soon can produce some better material about this. Sammy0panda (talk) 21:37, 21 March 2025 (UTC)
This seems like a not so thought out reply.
I understand the point you're making, that F1NN5TER isn't a good representative for the wider femboy community, but I think it lacks a lot of nuance. FemboyPup has, if you aren't being hyperbolic, had quite an impact on femboy culture and done more than I could ever dream of for the community. I also know this for a fact since, if they are indeed the same person, they have been credited - in a non-femboy related piece of philosophical work (Amy Ireland and Maya B. Kronic's "Cute Accelerationism") - as either a "friend, anemone, facilitator, inspiration, [or] fellow cutie" (p.192). This just shows how far their reach really is, which is not disputed whatsoever, it is a fact; it is after this that our opinions diverge though.
First of all, I do not understand your first point about how the indigenous people of Australia define the term brotherboy since it feels irrelevant to how femboy is defined because femboy is, in how I understand it, supposed to transcend nationality. To illustrate what I mean by this, we can take the Japanese otoko no ko (literally "male-daughter" in English). Otoko no ko is defined similarly to how femboy is, yet has its cultural differences, as discussed in this 2021 paper by Michelle Ho. If this is how to understand your argument, then it is irrelevant due to what I stated beforehand. No femboy should be treated above any other because of nationality or cultural context.
Now, moving on to the two YouTube clips you cite, I dislike how you frame these. The first video is, in all regards, bad. I dislike that F1NN5TER has detached themselves so much from their past as a femboy, to the point where they just blurts this out; it is reductionist and perpetuates the "femboys are just closeted trans women/eggs" narrative. However, we must also recognize the fact that F1NN5TER has personal experiences which inform their perspective. They expressed their gender non-conformity through being a femboy before realizing they were genderfluid and therefore this conclusion might seem the most natural to them. Does that excuse it? Absolutely not and this does weaken the case for F1NN5TER being a good, if former (considering they're now genderfluid), representative for femboys.
The second clip, however, is just you plainly misunderstanding the original video that F1NN5TER is reacting to. The original video is an introduction by Abigail Thorn of "Philosophy Tube" to the writings of queer feminist philosopher Judith Butler. What they're discussing here (both Thorn and Butler) is the "performativity" theory of gender, which is quite possibly the least bio-essentialist gender theory out there. I don't quite like how Thorn describes being a femboy, proclaiming that "it's less a thing that you are and more a thing that you do, like a job" but this is just going in-line with how Butler conceptualizes gender, as is the purpose of the video. But I don’t even believe that she’s proclaiming that being a femboy is just a "trend" or has to follow an "aesthetic," that's just how Butler themselves conceptualizes all gender; it’s pure social constructivism. I would also like to ask, quite rhetorically so, what even is bio-essentialist about the argument she’s making? If anything, it promotes the view that non-cis men can also be femboys, something we should all rally around. And before moving on, I don't even necessarily agree with Butler or Thorn - because I am more inclined to the view that the psychoanalysts Avgi Saketopoulou and Ann Pellegrini promote (see their book here) - but I don’t believe that this clip is an indictment of F1NN5TER’s character, much less Thorn’s.
I am also confused at what it even means to be “credible” enough to speak on femboy issues? Thorn could’ve very well just spoken on femboys from what she gathered from the internet but decided to seek out F1NN5TER because they knew their stuff, because they’d been dressing fem whilst identifying as male for 4 years. This type of gatekeeping does nothing but inhibit good femboy discourse, because of arbitrary “credibility” restrictions. If we do away with them we might be able to find people, already struggling with their gender identity, who see an open and friendly invitation to discuss what being a femboy is and learn something new. This is what queer discourse should be about, always.
I don’t necessarily believe that F1NN5TER even is the best choice for the photos in this article, because I agree with you that looks should come second to representation, nor is this a valiant attempt to defend them (they’ve already defended and expanded upon this take here). I see this reply as ill-informed and as something written by someone who was frustrated and angry, rather than a genuine critical look at representation. Thank you for reading. HalfWayEssay (talk) 14:27, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
Just adding this here so I'm not just arguing with a person without also adding my own opinions into the mix, I think B, D, and G work best, and then we'd have to weed it out from there.
I understand the concerns over the overlap of furry aesthetics with B, but I think furry aesthetics are an integral part of many femboys' aesthetic style so it's a caveat, but not a major one. Furthermore, the rest of the outfit is quite emblematic of the femboy aesthetic (thigh highs, skirt, arm warmers, soft hoodie, the e-boy style beanie) when put in constrast to something like F1NN5TER's D or C, which in my opinion are more femme leaning without doing much with the unique aspects of femboy aesthetics (especially C). And, as mentioned by Sammy0panda and Tamzin, FemboyPup is a popular and prominent femboy who still sticks by the femboy label and is a good representative for the community, insofar as the image is a reflection of that.
As for D, this is of course a pic of F1NN5TER during HRT, which seems like a slight red flag in representing the average femboy, who isn't (from experience/how hard it is to get HRT) on any type of HRT. However, I think it plays a lot more with the unique femboy aesthetic than C and therefore can be argued to better than C and they were/(are?; see first reply in this thread by Tamzin) pretty much the most popular femboy on the internet.
As for G, it is good overall; plays with the aesthetic, the angle is nice, the quality is good, everything just works all in all. As for more than that, I don't have much more. So - I'd vote for D § Attributes and B for lead - with G as a replacement for either. HalfWayEssay (talk) 18:45, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
Locking the page
Some people edit this page just for fun of to spread their hate. Imo this page needs to be locked from editing because there's too much vandals 188.163.14.62 (talk) 21:26, 16 April 2025 (UTC)
You can request page protection at WP:RFPP, but I don't think the current level of disruption is high enough that an administrator would be likely to grant it. -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (they|xe|🤷) 04:15, 17 April 2025 (UTC)
Critics have shaky arguments, replace with different critics.
Many arguments directly contradict themselves, and claim that you have to be part of a specific group in order to break gender stereotypes in the right way, which is completely incorrect. if i put on a skirt, this is breaking gender stereotypes, i don't have to think a certain way, be part of a political movement, or participate in discussions with queer people or anything, just existing inherently disproves old timely stereotypes. the author also singles out straight femboys for not being able to break gender stereotypes by being feminine, witch is completely arbitrary.
Moving on to the argument of femboys existing perpetuating the patriarchy, i.. uh... wtf???
I will assume this is referring to femboys being given preferential treatment over woman, which has no research to back it up, and in my own life is just plain false. both feminine and masculine woman in my experience on the internet are both accepted as normal and fine, however when a boy puts on a skirt, they harass them. A potential counterargument to this is that they can just un-femboy, but this carries the same flawed logic as the claim that all gay people can just stop being gay.
These criticisms are less critiques, and more just mumbo jumbo from a fever dream.
also, of all criticisms of femboys, this is the best we can do? There is SO MANY MORE COMMON CRITICISMS That ARE DOWN TO PERSONAL OPINION, AND OR OBJECTIVE FACTS, NOT FALSE INFORMATION! These in comparison are completely dogwater that approximately 2 sentient beings in the multiverse believe.
tldr, the critics section does not offer any critiques, just irreverent mumbo jumbo. These criticisms should be replaced. i will do this if no one stops me in a couple of days when i have some actual free time. Notavalidperson (talk) 01:28, 21 November 2025 (UTC)
@Notavalidperson: I worry that your critique focuses too much on your opinion of what's valid criticism. The standard we're supposed to consider here is Wikipedia:Neutral point of view, specifically its sections on due weight and balancing aspects. There may be a due-weight-based argument against the current sources, but I don't think you're making it here. Personally, I'm most concerned about us directly citing criticisms rather than citing academic analysis of those criticisms. Polemics about the validity of a gender identity are not something I would usually consider a good source to cite; even if they are reliable, their bias makes them ill-suited to establish due weight. Other articles on LGBTQ subjects don't give similar credence to criticisms of the concept of being gay, trans, etc., but rather cover those for what they are—viewpoints particular to various ideological movements, much as criticism of femboys is particular to, depending on the nature of the criticism, either Christian conservatism, radical feminism, or some strains of binarist transfeminism. So I think that angle is worth discussing. -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (they|xe|🤷) 04:00, 21 November 2025 (UTC)
Note: I probably don't have time to sort this out, but I wonder if Elli, who knows more than me about femboys anyway, might be interested. -- Tamzin[cetacean needed] (they|xe|🤷) 17:37, 21 November 2025 (UTC)
I agree with you to an extent - I think the argument made in the Mission [20] article are some of the weakest - but these articles are also some of the few academic engagements with the femboy phenomena that are not in some way polemical (see Tamzin's reply). So, either we make the argument that they are too biased (the due-weight argument that Tamzin also mentions), or we make the argument that the critiques don't make sense in a theoretical sense. Let's interrogate both of these points.
Lee is arguing that femboys, who she refers to as ”straight men,” merely inherit the "preliminary and private discussions that occurred largely in the shadows of the LGBTQ+ underground communities" about crossdressing in the late 20th century and shouldn't get to "claim responsibility for breaking such boundaries, when in reality, this has been a long-occurring conversation amidst the LGBTQ+ community." Lee’s central arguments rests on the idea that masculinity, which is now detached from the outward toxic macho ideal of years past, still retains its core of ”self-importance and command of attention.” So, in Lee’s opinion, the femboy phenomena, or rather the phenomenon of ”[w]earing a skirt as a famous cisgender man,” isn’t actually about breaking gender norms, but just yet ”another way of wearing the pants” as reinforcement of traditional patriarchal gender norms. I don’t agree with Lee, plain and simple, and at times I feel as if the veil of neutrality slips, with her engaging in some quite crass generalizations about a community that she is clearly unfamiliar with (see her using “straight men” to refer to all femboys). This reads as a piece influenced heavily by the early mainstream media coverage of the rising popularity of femboys (2020-2021) which predominantly featured folks who dressed more like the 90’s effeminate twink or the early Covid era e-boy/soft boy (see Akhidenor, 2021). This is not to discredit that kind of gender nonconformity, but I don’t think it was as eccentric and groundbreaking as the aesthetics most, or most stereotypical(?), femboys adhere(d) to (skirts, thigh highs, cat ears, anime/kawaii aesthetic overall, all that good stuff which femboys got from the otokonoko in the early 2000’s, see Chris the Femboy’s video here [0:35-2:10]). Furthermore, critiques of the “soft boy" were precisely that, instead of actually allowing men to change for the better, it provided some men with a smokescreen to continue acting out cishetereonormative masculinity without the outward appearance of the “macho man” (McMeekin & Morgan, 2021; see also the contemporary discourse around “performative masculinity,” covered extensively by FunkyFrogBait, 2025). If this is indeed the case, Lee’s take makes slightly more sense, especially when she buttresses it with the case of Young Thug, who, despite “sport[ing] a floor length ruffled skirt on the cover of his 2016 mixtape No, My Name is Jeffrey,” would then go on to “purposely misgender Dwayne Wade’s transgender daughter Zaya” and say “that Lil Nas X was wrong to come out as gay during pride month.” But this is obviously a single case and therefore not representative of an entire community (this goes for femboys, e-boys, soft boys, etc.), which further weakens Lee’s already quite weak point. Combine that with the polemical feel of the article, I can say I agree with you that this shouldn’t be one of the main two articles providing good faith/academic criticism of femboy culture, especially considering it barely scrapes the surface of actual femboy culture/aesthetics and therefore lacks representativeness. TL;DR in terms of theory? Slightly passable, makes sense in some cases such as that of Young Thug. In terms of bias and academic neutrality? Too much in my opinion.
Having established all of the above, the Foster & Baker paper [12] actually becomes easier to approach, since they use a lot of the same creators as examples (and for their analysis) and analyze them through a similar theoretical lens. First of all, let’s make it clear, you didn’t read the critique Foster & Baker levied at femboys with the idea that femboys, despite their gender nonconformity, reinforce patriarchal modes of masculinity. This is highlighted by you saying that you “will assume [that] this is referring to…” which is especially egregious considering they say why in the very quote you’re supposedly mad over, which has nothing to do with preferential treatment. Instead, what Foster & Baker are arguing is that patriarchal heterosexuality, or rather just heterosexuality as it currently exists within a patriarchal society, co-opts gender nonconformity and robs it of “the inclusive potentials of men’s gender presentation online” (7). Borrowing from another paper (McCormack & Anderson, 2010) - which argues that despite the softening of masculinity and an overt rejection of homophobia, “the presumption of heterosexuality remains” (p.843) - they write
When and if men cross gender boundaries and engage with hybrid masculinities, they do so while alluding to masculinities’ hegemonic qualities, pairing their behaviors with lyrics and physical gestures that sexualize women and reassert men’s virility, bravado, and strength as a form of heterosexual recuperation (Foster & Baker, 2022, 9).
In fact, they get quite close to parroting the same ideas that Lee espoused in her 2021 essay; they “caution that men’s ‘radical’ moves signal little, if any change, to the gender order” (9). However, despite all these points being fairly salient, if you can slug through their academically dry dissection and direct quoting of rap lyrics, it’s not necessarily about femboys. Citing again from Foster & Baker:
Chase Hudson (@lilhuddy) frequently stacks rings, necklaces, and bracelets together alongside his earrings and painted nails. Hudson’s presentation online has been praised as widely representative of TikTok’s ‘femboys,’ ‘the subculture of young, hot and online teens . . . known mostly for making irony-steeped videos of themselves in their bedrooms wearing tragically hip outfits’ (Jennings, 2019). Although nail-painting and the use of makeup have been similarly lauded by popular press reports surrounding men’s gender transgressions online, our analysis reveals little if any evidence to suggest that the most popular men on TikTok make use of nail-painting and makeup on a regular basis. Between the two, the use of nail-polish is more common, appearing in 6% of all videos coded, whereas makeup appears in only 2% of all coded videos. Far from a common, these elements of adornment arguably represent a more radical departure from traditional configurations of masculinity (2022, 7).
So, in the words of Foster & Baker themselves, using nail-polish and makeup, some of the most important feminine signifiers that many femboys use, was only found in 2-6% of the top creators they analyzed. That’s because this analysis, despite featuring the word femboy in the title of the paper and in the title of a section of their paper, is not primarily about femboys. It’s about hybrid masculinity, the fact that in their analysis of the top 43 male influencers on TikTok, “aesthetic, feminized modifications [dyes, highlights, perms, etc.] are not uncommon, lending support to the notion that men’s engagement with hybrid masculinities is on the rise” (7). Whilst they seek to “explore the femboy aesthetic,” (2) they only make passing remarks about how “[m]akeup, jewelry, and the use of nail polish are often cited in the media as evidence that TikTok’s ‘femboy’ culture is on the rise (…), or else to suggest that the boundaries surrounding traditional masculinity are shifting online” (5-6). The academic rigor here seems lacking, basing the analysis off “coding for the presence” (6) of the aforementioned traits, based entirely off of one secondary source which mentions femboys only once in passing (the article is Rodgers, 2020). By their own admission (see the block quote), they barely found the traits they are coding for in these 43 male creators, yet we still use it as academic analysis of femboy culture/aesthetics/identity, with Foster & Baker even concluding, despite all this, that they “empirically and conceptually interrogat[ed] TikTok’s femboy aesthetic” (9). TL;DR in terms of theory? It makes sense, is rigorously argued for by good data, though with a dataset with barely any representation of femboys and a criterion that doesn’t really include that many traits of the femboy aesthetic (but does include, as mentioned beforehand, many of the traits associated with the e-boy/soft boy aesthetic, popular at the same time on TikTok, see Akhidenor, 2021). In terms of bias and academic neutrality? Superb, nothing to comment on here.
That last bit got a bit out of hand, but I essentially agree with you @Notavalidperson on the point that including these articles in the critique section is maybe not the best, but your reasoning for that is way off. @Tamzin I wanted to ask if you had any idea of what we could replace these with, if you think my analysis/critique is salient (I am very sorry it is so long). HalfWayEssay (talk) 23:54, 1 December 2025 (UTC)
Why is F1NN5TER here?
She has stated that she is trans, and that she calls herself a "femboy" because she'd be made victim of targeted harassment if she didn't. ~2026-29738-6 (talk) 21:19, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
F1NN5TER is an Ex Femboy
F1NN has stated she's having Facial Feminisation aswell as other Transgender procedures for affirming gender, she does not identify as a femboy it's her audience/followers forcing the label. It's strictly used for marketing purposes for her Onlyfans. ~2026-47500-4 (talk) 13:56, 22 January 2026 (UTC)
I’ll add that this was a former label Coolgurl5555 🩷 (talk)(sign) 19:33, 28 February 2026 (UTC)
“Secret Femboys”
I do not believe this section should be here. It has many grammatical errors and isn’t encyclopedic. I removed it and another editor removed a slightly older version, but @Mr Pibble has restored it again. What are the thoughts of other editors? Regards, a most likely very cozy Cooldood5555 ✈️ (let's talk) 14:19, 22 January 2026 (UTC)
I removed the substandard photo (the alt text of which was blatantly incorrect), it might constitute a WP:BLP issue. The text should probably go too. --Redrose64🌹 (talk) 17:58, 22 January 2026 (UTC)
Yeah. Even after the attempt to clean it up, it was still pretty much incoherent and the section title was awful. I've removed it. --DanielRigal (talk) 20:52, 22 January 2026 (UTC)
Article is reductive and harmful
Despite not being a sexualized term (which this article acknowledges), this article states overtly sexual things and associations which simply cannot apply to an entire population, given that some may be asexual, or the fact that a large number of femboys are CHILDREN, much like how this applies to tomboys. This article should treat it like an identity, as the Tomboy article does a much better job of. There are already a few other topics in the talk page which have the same sentiment.
While sexualization is an issue, the article itself should not perpetuate this by sexualizing a population, especially one which includes minors. Emily * Emi-Is-Annoyed(message me!) 12:20, 23 February 2026 (UTC)
@Emi-Is-Annoyed if you don't mind me asking, do you have any examples? TRSmolCookie (talk) 09:50, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
@Emi-Is-Annoyed I took a look and I definitely see what you mean. And, if we're being totally honest, femboys are most definitely sexualised, though that has nothing to do with the core concept of being a femboy. It's weird, to say the least. TRSmolCookie (talk) 12:23, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
From a purely WP:VERIFIABILITY perspective, I agree parts of this article seem odd:
In gender studies, the term has also been used as an identifier for individuals on the transgender spectrum" This could use clarifying—like what is a "transgender spectrum"? In any case, it is not supported by the body, so per WP:LEAD I've removed it.
According to Dictionary.com, the variant femboi may refer to young trans men or butch lesbians. Seems to be a misreading of the source, which states Femboi emerged as a variant of femboy and potentially draws from the meaning of boi as it exists in the LGBTQ+ community. Here, boi usually refers to younger individuals in the LGBTQ+ community who express masculinity in some shape or form. This term is sometimes used by young transgender men or masculine-presenting lesbians. (it appears the referant for "this term" is boi, not femboi)
The label femboy is used on platforms such as Tumblr to signify a gay sex role similar to that of a female in Western culture; it is related to terms such as and pussyboy in its usage to denote "self-identified effeminate androphilic males who exclusively seek to be penetrated by dominant, masculine men". The cited article seems to deliver more perspectives than that are included in this Wiki-article—I'll look into this tommorow.