The term Femme is a word derived from the French word femme, meaning a woman who is a wife. In the lesbian community, the word Femme is an identity, and is also used to describe a woman who maintains the more feminine role in a lesbian relationship. Most women who are Femme are typically unidentifiable, and can be easily mistaken for a heterosexual woman. Since these women prefer to dress in women’s clothing, and “act” according to the constructed image of a female, they are not viewed as being lesbian. Generally, Femme’s feel comfortable in their female bodies and can both perform and behave naturally as feminine women. The term Femme in relation to identity attributes gender, domestic, societal and community roles, which most Femme’s acquire through the identity.
Mostly, women who identify as Femme are more connected and aware of their femininity. In comparison to heterosexual women, Femme women wear women’s clothing and enjoy the extensive labor that goes into the formation and process, of fabricating beauty through internal and external appearance. Women appreciate going to the salon to get their hair styled and their eyebrows waxed. Some women also enjoy getting manicures and pedicures. According to societal ideologies, these processes express the idea of femininity in womanhood and how beauty is obtained. Many women who are Femme’s share these same experiences and the idea of being pampered conforms to what role they play in their relationship as a lesbian.
The Femme identity suggests a number of roles that signify the way lesbian women correspond to their identity. In most lesbian relationships, if a couple desires to get pregnant, the Femme is expected to carry the baby. Since carrying a baby is viewed as the more feminine role because biologically only a woman can carry a baby, the Femme commits to child -bearing. Despite the fact that many lesbian relationships consist of a Femme and Stud/ Butch, some lesbian couples consist of two Studs/Butches, and they may or may not choose to carry or even have a baby. In a lesbian relationship, the natural system of having a baby, which both women can physically experience, is assumed by the Femme role.
*In this blog I worked towards defining the more feminine identity within the lesbian community by writing about the identity of a Femme. For this post I was able to interview a lesbian who identifies as a Femme and also plays this role in her own relationship. Femininity is constructed by the way Femmes dress, act and portray them selves in society. In studying the Femme identity it is important to note that the image of the female body becomes naturalized and expressed in different ways.
Work Cited:
Internet Source-
Diggs Group
Queer United, Electronic Blog Document
http://queersunited.blogspot.com, accessed November 4, 2009
Interview-
Ezeigwe, C, Interview by N. Smith, Recording Interview, Boston, MA, November 3, 2009