557–575., doi:10.1086/494087. Step off the beaten path and dare to be different with a name that has some edge to it. Stereotypes and definitions of butch and femme vary greatly, even within tight-knit gay and lesbian communities. Ellen . This usually limited them to a few jobs, such as factory work and cab driving, that had no dress codes for women. The word butch, meaning "masculine", may have been coined by abbreviating the word butcher, as first noted in George Cassidy's nickname, Butch Cassidy. It is pronounced Bah-CH- †. masculine. A term used by the non-binary/ genderqueer community as an alternative to girl/boy. The name Butch comes from the American origin and is a name given to girls or boys. It is not uncommon for women with a butch appearance to face harassment or violence. Instead, they argue that gender is socially and historically constructed, rather than essential, "natural", or biological. Neither, they're an enby! [citation needed] In 2005, filmmaker Daniel Peddle chronicled the lives of AGs in his documentary The Aggressives, following six women who went to lengths like binding their breasts to pass as men. [20] The term butch tends to denote a degree of masculinity displayed by a female individual beyond what would be considered typical of a tomboy. What is the most butch/masculine sounding girl name? [2][3] The terms were founded in lesbian communities in the twentieth century. [5] Their increased visibility, combined with the anti-gay rhetoric of the McCarthy era, led to an increase in violent attacks on lesbians, while at the same time the increasingly strong and defiant bar culture became more willing to respond with force. Butch and femme are terms used in the lesbian subculture to ascribe or acknowledge a masculine (butch) or feminine (femme) identity with its associated traits, behaviors, styles, self-perception, and so on. It is also important to note that those who identify as butch and femme today often use the words to define their presentation and gender identity rather than strictly the role they play in a relationship, and that not all butches are attracted exclusively to femmes and not all femmes are exclusively attracted to butches, although this was traditionally the norm. Women are badass. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Amazones d'Hier, Lesbiennes d'Aujourd'hui, Azalea: A Magazine by Third World Lesbians, "To Fight, Live, and Love at the Gender Border, by Isaac Lindstrom", "There's No Other Georgy Deep Inside – Coming Out As A Butch Straight Woman", "BUTCH Voices Conference Makes Masculine Of Center Womyn Heard", "How A Teenage Femme Snuck Her Way Into the Mineshaft— NY's Legendary Men's S/M Club", "New Directors Flesh Out Black America, All Of It", "Vintage Photographs: Butch-Femme Couples", "The Misunderstood Gender: A Model of Modern Femme Identity", "Butches, Femmes, and Feminists: The Politics Of Lesbian Sexuality", "InQueery: The REAL Meaning of the Word "Butch, "What We Mean When We Say "Femme": A Roundtable", "Masculinity is back! Whereas now I relish it. Those who identify as butch and femme today often use the words to define their presentation and gender identity rather than strictly the role they play in a relationship, and that not all butches are attracted exclusively to femmes and not all femmes are exclusively attracted to butches, a departure from the historic norm. However, the complexities of this don't always translate to th… [6] While in the '40s the prevailing butch image was severe but gentle, it became increasingly tough and aggressive as violent confrontation became a fact of life. Gay men who are more femme are sometimes described as "flamers." Specifically with regard to butches and femmes, lesbian historian Joan Nestle argues that femme and butch may be seen as distinct genders in and of themselves (see The Persistent Desire, 1993). Although femmes also fought back, it became primarily the role of butches to defend against attacks and hold the bars as lesbian space. Ellen . (I'm finding one for a masculine, tough female character) May 2, 2020 - Explore Jessica's board "Butch Girls", followed by 110 people on Pinterest. The 1950s saw the rise of a new generation of butches who refused to live double lives and wore butch attire full-time, or as close to full-time as possible. Conversely butch lesbians may be described as a "bulldyke" or simply just "dyke." Generally, when we think of “butch women”, we think of short hair, flannel, and denim. What is the most butch/masculine sounding girl name? [52] Their increased visibility, combined with the anti-gay politics of the McCarthy era, led to an increase in violent attacks on gay and bisexual women, while at the same time the increasingly strong and defiant bar culture became more willing to respond with force. [65] In the 21st century, some younger people were also beginning to eschew labels like 'butch' or even 'lesbian' and identify instead as queer. A masculine person (of any gender) can be described as butch. Butch (nickname), a list of people Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, an Old West outlaw gang; Butch Miller (wrestler) (born 1944), ring name of New Zealand professional wrestler Robert "Bob" Miller Butch Patrick, American child actor Patrick Alan Lilley (born 1953), best known for his role as Eddie Munster in The Munsters; Animals. Meaning: tough kid, thought to be a shortened form of butcher; also a nickname used as a method of differentiating father and son when both had the same first name Famous people nicknamed Butch. [67][68][69], The 21st century also saw a re-examination of the meaning of 'femme', with the term being used in a broader and more politically charged way, particularly by women of color, and some critics challenging what is seen as its appropriation by heteronormative culture. mk:Butch Butch, the second oldest (verified) dog ever, age 28 In the first instance, this argument situates 'traditional' gender roles as biological, ahistorical imperatives - a claim that has been contested by writers from Sigmund Freud to Judith Butler, Jay Prosser, Anne Fausto-Sterling, and many others. A butch lesbian who likes to dress in fine attire, like luxury suits and tuxedos, or whatever glamorous butch clothes they fancy. Often the "dominant" partner in a lesbian relationship, and especially of a butch/ femme lesbian relationship. [27] However, Joan Nestle asserts that femmes in a butch-femme couple make both the butch and the femme exceedingly visible. There is debate about to whom the terms butch and femme can apply, and particularly whether transgender individuals can be identified in this way. If not, that's rad. The term "homomasculinity" grew out of the gay-identity movement and the leather subculture of 1970's San Francisco. [13][14] Antipathy toward female butches and male femmes has been interpreted by some commentators as transphobia,[15] although female butches and male femmes are not always transgender, and indeed some heterosexuals of both genders display these attributes. [53] While in the '40s, the prevailing butch image was severe but gentle, it became increasingly tough and aggressive as violent confrontation became a fact of life. Stereotypes and definitions of butch and femme vary greatly, even within tight-knit gay and lesbian communities. a. [34], The term "kiki" came into existence in the 1940s to describe a lesbian who did not identify as either butch or femme, and was used disparagingly. A masculine person (of any gender) can be described as butch.[1]. Comedian Elvira Kurt contributed the term "fellagirly" as a description for queer women who are not strictly either femme or butch, but a combination. No one said you had to play by the rules, and with badass girl names, you don’t have to. Slang. "Oral History and the Study of Sexuality in the Lesbian Community", File:Butch Femme Society by David Shankbone.jpg, "Homomasculinity: Framing Keywords of Queer Popular Culture", www.tglynnsplace.com/transgender-definitions.htm, Butch-Femme Socials of the San Francisco Bay Area, Trans Butch Femme site with Information and forums, https://lgbt.wikia.org/wiki/Butch_and_femme?oldid=43327, Sarah Dowling, a character in the 1969 novel, Frenchy Tonneau, a character in the 1985 novel, HBO's Deadwood series had two lesbian characters: Calamity Jane played by Robin Weigert and Joanie Stubbs, played by. [35][36][37], Labels have been tailored to be more descriptive of an individual's characteristics, such as "hard butch" "gym queen", "tomboy femme", and "soft stud". Each one has its one sexual preferences, culture, names. b. [16][17], Scholars such as Judith Butler and Anne Fausto-Sterling suggest that butch and femme are not attempts to take up "traditional" gender roles. In these excluded communities, butch-femme roles persisted and grew throughout the 1970s. Tabitha . Defining the difference between a butch and a boi, one boi told a reporter: "that sense of play - that's a big difference from being a butch. Janet . The word femme is taken from the French word for woman. [26] Traditionally, the femme in a butch-femme couple was expected to act as a stereotypical feminine woman and provide emotional support for her butch partner. Taylor . Butch … Butch artist Daddy Rhon Drinkwater created a symbol of a black triangle intersecting a red circle to represent butch/femme "passion and love". [23], BUTCH Voices, a national conference for "individuals who are masculine of center", including gender variant, was founded in 2008. 3, 2016, p. 604., doi:10.15767/feministstudies.42.3.0604. Rush reported that women held strong opinions, that "role distinctions needed to be sharply drawn," and that not being one or the other earned strong disapproval from both groups. [24][25], Like the term "butch", femme can be used as an adjective or a noun. No one understands the pain and daily struggle of a butch or andro girl like a femme. '[66], However, others noted that butch women have gained increased visibility in the media, mentioning Ellen DeGeneres, frequently referred to as 'a soft butch', political commentator Rachel Maddow, once described as a 'butch fatale' and the character Big Boo in Orange Is the New Black, played by butch comic and actress Lea de Laria. Meanings English Baby Names Meaning: In English Baby Names the meaning of the name Butch is: Butcher. sv:Butch Kyle . Taylor . This was especially true in relation to the butch identity, as the organization held the belief that assimilation into heterosexual society was the goal of the homophile movement. Lesbians and genderqueer people who identify as butches or femmes have experienced a renaissance as the Internet has brought the butch-femme community together. Helga . It consists of 5 letters and 2 syllables and is pronounced Bu-tch. Butches had to take a subtle approach to butchness in order to exist in society. [31], While butch-femme roles had previously been the primary way of identifying lesbians and quantifying lesbian relationships in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, lesbian feminist ideology had turned these roles into a "perversion of lesbian identity". [2] Butch and femme roles date back at least to the beginning of the 20th century. [32], Femmes still combat the invisibility their presentation creates and assert their sexuality through their femininity. People. Welcome to our new web series InQueery, where we delve into the his, er, themstory of our favorite queer words. The terms butch and femmeare often used to describe lesbians, but also occasionally gay men. When used to describe women, usually used in reference to masculine lesbians. In her article, Somerson also clearly talks about how within the lesbian community some are considered more masculine than others. Gender expressions outside of the norm prevented assimilation. Citation from "Notapusy", Arrested Development (TV, 2005), Season 3 Episode 4 censored in hope of resolving Google's penalty against this site. [7] In the 1950s, ONE, Inc. assigned Stella Rush to study "the butch/femme phenomenon" in gay bars. If you want your little girl to grow into a powerful woman, give her one of these badass names to begin her journey. Some people within the queer community have tailored the common labels to be more descriptive, such as "soft stud," "hard butch," "gym queen," or "tomboy femme." Butch is an adjective used to describe one's gender performance. [59], In the 1970s, the development of lesbian feminism pushed butch-femme roles out of popularity. [10] The symbol was first used on their website Butch-Femme.com[11] (the website is now defunct). [5], Both the expression of individual lesbians of butch and femme identities and the relationship of the lesbian community in general to the notion of butch and femme as an organizing principle for sexual relating varied over the course of the 20th century. [56] In the 1950s, in an early piece of lesbian studies, the gay rights campaigning organisation ONE, Inc. assigned Stella Rush to study "the butch/femme phenomenon" in gay bars. Butch is not always rude, but often is used to describe a manly girl/lesbian. And even their own ways of hanging out with friends when they are not naked. Butch is uncommon as a baby girl name. The femme lesbian historian Joan Nestle argues that femme and butch may be seen as distinct genders in and of themselves. This concept has been called a "way to organize sexual relationships and gender and sexual identity". B utch as a boys' name is of Old English origin, and the meaning of the name Butch is "illustrious; butcher". Drinks. "[48], Butch and femme lesbian genders were only starting to become apparent in the 1940s, since it started to become common to allow women to enter bars without men. Genter, Alix. At one point both were considered derogatory; "dyke" has become a more neutral term, but may still be taken as offensive if used in a derogatory manner or by those outside the LGBT community. "Butch" can be used as an adjective or a noun to describe an individual's gender performance. Humanist Fritscher intended "homomasculinity" as an identity concept and never as an exclusionary concept as promulgated by Jack Malebranche in his latter-day book Androphilia. This concept has been called a "way to organize sexual relationships and gender and sexual identity". For others, including people who don't identify as female, being 'butch' Butch has its origins in the English-American language. Because they do not express masculine qualities, femmes were particularly vexing to sexologists and psychoanalysts who wanted to argue that all lesbians wished to be men. Lesbian separatists such as Sheila Jeffreys argued that all forms of masculinity, including masculine butch women, were negative and harmful to women. Butch and femme are terms used in the lesbian subculture[1] to ascribe or acknowledge a masculine (butch) or feminine (femme) identity with its associated traits, behaviors, styles, self-perception, and so on. Alcohol? (of a woman) looking or behaving like a man, or (of a man) being very strong with big muscles…. Femmes gained value as their own lesbian gender, making it possible to exist separately from butches. However, according to the Routledge International Encyclopaedia of Women, although upper-class women like Radclyffe Hall and her lover Una Troubridge lived together in unions that resembled butch–femme relationships, "The term butch/femme would have been categorically inconsequential, however, and incomprehensible to these women. This dress was very similar to butch dress, weakening a key identifier of butch lesbians. Thus, although these women did draw on models in heterosexual society, they transformed those models into an authentically lesbian interaction."[9]. [10], es:Butch y femme Kyle . Butch is an alternate spelling of Bert (Old English): pet form of names like Albert.Butch is also a form of Burt.Butch is also used as a form of Butcher (Old English).. STARTS WITH Bu-. [citation needed] In the New York City lesbian community, a butch may identify herself as AG (aggressive) or as a stud. [29] However, the 1980s saw a resurgence of butch and femme gender roles. The terms were founded in lesbian communities in the twentieth century. However, the femme-butch division is about more than just presentation; butch women actually present themselves and define "butchness" in a variety of ways. [1] Those who switched roles were called ki-ki, a pejorative term, and they were often the butt of jokes. [19] Femmes are not "read" as lesbians unless they are with a butch partner, because they conform to traditional standards of femininity. This usually limited them to a few jobs, such as factory work and cab driving, that had no dress codes for women. "Butch" tends to denote masculinity displayed by a woman beyond that of what would be considered a "tomboy." A butch lesbian who likes to dress in fine attire, like luxury suits and tuxedos, or whatever glamorous butch clothes they fancy. nl:Butch en femme [70][71], Masculine and feminine identities in lesbians. Davis, Madeline and Kennedy, Elizabeth Lapovsky (1989). 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