tomboy

A socially acceptable cross-gender identity where an anatomical female behaves not in a stereotypically feminine manner, and instead exhibits masculine mannerisms. Behaviours may range from wearing mens' cothing, associate with other males, partaking male sports, or anything defined by stereotype as male. Not to be confused with female-to-male transsexualism or butch lesbianism.

tomboy: a vernacular term applied to a girl whose developmental differentiation of gender-identity/role (G-I/R) as stereotypically defined is in variable degree discordant with the evidence of her genital morphology. See also sissy boy

Dictionary of Sexology Project: Main Index

tomboy

A romping girl, who prefers the amusement used by boys to those of her own sex.

The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.

While not necessarily a determining factor of sexual orientation in North American or European cultures, tomboys, or TB (Hong Kong), Toms (Thailand), T (Taiwan) are a subgroup of the lesbian subcultures of many Asian nations. In these cases it is not an entirely lesbian identity, as the closest American equivalent, the butch identity, is. This identity is part social, part gender, and part sexual. Although these groups are not necessarily re-enforcing the male/female binary that comes under attack in many areas of queer studies, each group has a feminine counterpart: TBG (short for tomboy girl), Dee (short for lady), and Po (short for Lao Po) corresponding with TB, Tom, and T respectively.

Fanny Fern wrote the following back in 1870 in her publication, Ginger-Snaps:

   Never apply the word "tomboy" to a girl who is taking healthy and innocent exercise. Are there not mincing misses enough about us, who pervert girlhood by adult nonsense, till the whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint? Better, a thousandfold, be "tomboys" than such things as these. "Tomboys" have lungs and chests and rosy cheeks, and grow up to be healthy mothers of healthy children. Doctors may not like them, but common-sense and husbands do; though, truth to say, these terms are not always synonymous.

Wise and sound advice then and now; as well as now and then.

Tom"boy` (?), n. [Tom (for Thomas, L. Thomas, fr. Gr. )+ boy.]

A romping girl; a hoiden.

[Colloq.]

J. Fletcher.

 

© Webster 1913.