The way a person behaves, looks, and moves that shows others what they are feeling or thinking.
From Middle English *demenen* meaning 'to conduct oneself', from Old French *demener* ('to lead, to manage'), from Latin *minare* ('to drive, to lead'). The noun form developed to mean a person’s outward conduct or bearing.
Demeanor is like your 'public weather'—even if you say nothing, people can read your mood from it. Two people can say the same sentence, but their demeanors can make it sound kind, bored, or threatening.
Expectations about 'proper demeanor' have been heavily gendered, especially for women, who have been judged more harshly for assertiveness, anger, or nonconformity in appearance and tone. In legal and workplace settings, women's demeanor has often been over-scrutinized.
Describe demeanor neutrally and specifically, and avoid holding different standards for different genders. Focus on observable behavior rather than stereotypes about how someone 'should' act.
["manner","bearing","conduct","presentation"]
Women professionals and activists have challenged narrow norms of 'appropriate' female demeanor, expanding acceptable styles of leadership and communication.
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