Made or become feminine in character or appearance; deprived of masculine qualities.
Past participle of 'effeminate,' from Latin 'effeminatus' (made womanly). The word has been used as an adjective since Middle English to describe someone who has adopted or developed feminine traits considered atypical for men.
This word shows up constantly in Shakespeare's plays as an insult, which tells you a lot about how obsessed Renaissance English culture was with rigid gender performance.
Past participle of 'effeminate,' carries the same normative baggage: the notion that a man 'became' or 'was made' feminine implies femininity is an acquired weakness or corruption, not a legitimate gender expression.
Avoid. Use 'gender-nonconforming,' 'presented femininely,' or 'rejected conventional masculine presentation' to describe without moral judgment.
["gender-nonconforming","feminine-presenting","rejected masculine norms"]
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