Girly girl is a term for a girl or woman who presents herself in a traditionally feminine way. This may include wearing pink, using make-up, using perfume, have long hair, have long nails, dressed in dresses, skirts, pantyhoses and heels, and engaging in activities that are traditionally associated with femininity, such as talking about relationships.[1]

The term is often used in a derogatory manner, but it can also be used in a more positive way, especially when considering the fluidity of gender roles.[2] Being a "girly girl" can then be seen as a fluid and partially embodied position – a form of discourse taken up, discarded or modified for tactical or strategic purposes.[3][4]

Social determinants

The female opposite of a girly girl is a tomboy. The male counterpart of a girly girl is a "man's man".[citation needed] The increasing prevalence of girly girls in the early 21st century has been linked to a supposed "post-feminist, postnew man construction of masculinity and femininity in mutually exclusive terms",[5] as opposed to the more blurred gender representations of previous decades.[6]

See also

References

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