Femme

Femme identity is deeply personal. It's difficult to generalize about what it is to be femme. Some femmes love wearing short skirts, stilettos, and make-up. Others feel more comfortable in jeans, cowboy boots, and a natural face. Some people assume that femmes are submissive, but many femmes are happy taking a more dominant role in their relationships and professional lives. Some are mild and meek-mannered.

Some suggest that femme women are attempting to adopt traditional gender roles. However others, such as lesbian historian Joan Nestle, believe that femme is a distinct gender all its own. Yet both people within the GLBT communities and heterosexuals have been known to question the difference between femme lesbians and straight women, beyond their differing sexualities.