Quote Originally Posted by Fab Karen View Post
Or sometimes women you find interesting. Dolly Parton has said ( paraphrasing ) "My role model growing up was this local woman who I later discovered was the local *****- I didn't know that, I just thought her look was pretty."
Mimicking a look isn't exactly what I meant. We grow up learning about how to be "ladies" so-to-speak from the women around us as children. Teachers, mothers, sisters, cousins, etc. Our images of "femininity" are varied and, often inadvertently, cultivated by our peers. So a GG's understanding of femininity and how we learned it, varies from a CDers unless their peer group was as primarily female as ours.

In my case, though I grew up in a predominantly male household, those women who influenced me as a child were profoundly feminine and strong. To me, femininity is the ability to be strong and still relatively "lady like" (i.e. not having to resort to lesser means for like effects). So I realize that I am quite masculine and yet feminine at the same time.

When I read on here about how clothing makes you feel feminine, I think "wow... clothing makes you feminine?" Of course it doesn't. Its the idea presented behind it and the indication alone with it. That's what most femininity is. Its just interesting to read what were primary influences for it.
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And here's a strange comment made by someone to me... they pointed out how many answers on here sounded as if femininity was positive yet masculinity was almost seen as a negative in retrospect. What do you gurls think? Do you see "masculine" traits as a negative thing on any degree?[/SIZE]