Androgyny
If referring to a flower, see Hermaphroditism in plants and Plant sexuality.
For the song, see Androgyny (Garbage single).
Androgyny is a term derived from the
Greek words
andras(άνδρας) (meaning man) and
gyne(γυνή) (meaning woman) that can refer to two concepts regarding the mixing of both male and female
genders or having a lack of gender identification.
The first is the mixing of
masculine and
feminine characteristics, be it the example of the loud fashion statements of musicians like
David Bowie or the balance of "
anima" and "
animus" in
Jungian psychoanalytic theory. The second is in describing something that is neither masculine nor feminine, for example the
Hijras of
India who are often described as "neither man nor woman".
Androgynous traits are those that either have no gender value, or have some aspects generally attributed to the opposite gender.
Physiological androgyny (compare
intersex), which deals with physical traits, is distinct from behavioral androgyny which deals with personal and social anomalies in gender, and from psychological androgyny, which is a matter of gender identity. A psychologically androgynous person is commonly known as an
androgyne, although there is a politicized version known as
genderqueer.
To say that a culture or relationship is androgynous is to say that it lacks rigid
gender roles and that the people involved display characteristics or partake in activities traditionally associated with the other gender. The term
androgynous is often used to refer to a person whose look or build make determining their gender difficult but is generally not used as a synonym for actual
intersexuality,
transgender or
two-spirit status of people.
Lesbians who don't define themselves as
butch or
femme may identify with various other labels including
androgynous or 'androg' for short. A few other examples include
chapstick lesbian,
tomboy, and 'tom suay' (Thai for 'beautiful butch'). Some lesbians reject gender performativity labels altogether and resent their imposition by others. Note that androgynous and butch are often considered equivalent definitions, though less so in the butch/femme scene.
In fiction (particularly
anime and
manga), androgynous characters are growing in popularity. Examples include Envy from
Full Metal Alchemist,
Haku from
Naruto,
Luppi from
Bleach, and
Sailor Uranus from
Sailor Moon.
Perhaps one of the most well-known androgynous characters would be
Bridget from the
Guilty Gear video game series.
Elves in fantasy-fiction are portrayed as androgynous.
*
List of transgender-related topics*
Feminine side*
Ardhanareshvara, androgynous aspect of the
Hindu deity
Shiva/
Shakti*
Postgenderism*
Ageless*
Effeminate*
Visual Kei, Japanese rock stream with androgyne aspects
* Bem, Sandra L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 42, 155-62
* Dynes, Wayne
Androgyny Encyclopedia of Homosexuality. Dynes, Wayne R. (ed.), Garland Publishing, 1990. pp. 56-68.
*
Sandra Bem and androgyny*
Androgyne Online
