Tending to make or render someone or something feminine or unmanly; causing a loss of masculine quality.
Present participle of the verb 'effeminate,' from Latin 'effeminatus.' The verb form emerged in Middle English and the participle form has been used as an adjective since at least the 16th century.
Victorian parents were genuinely terrified of 'effeminating' influences on boys—art, poetry, fancy clothes—which reveals how fragile they thought masculinity must be if it could be so easily damaged.
Present participle suggesting an active process of 'becoming' or 'being made' feminine, reinforcing the pathological framing—femininity as something imposed, acquired, or corrupting.
Avoid. Use 'adopting feminine expression' or 'expressing gender nonconformity' for neutral description.
["adopting feminine expression","expressing gender nonconformity","presenting femininely"]
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