FEAR AND STRENGTH
For the purposes of this series, defeminization will be referring to the act of people who appear female and also people who identify as female attempting to look less like a woman in order to deflect misogyny and discrimination. This performance is often a reaction to the treatment of women in our society, held as sex objects and ridiculed for everything and anything expressed or experienced. A person perceived as a woman is somehow lesser than someone who is not, and in the most extreme situations, a person perceived as a woman is somehow seen as deserving of comments dissecting their appearance, interests, and ability or willingness to perform sexual acts.
The irony of this act is that it is often met with the same reaction as when a female-presenting person dresses themselves as such, and thus rules out any effectiveness that defeminization might have. Where wearing a typically feminine outfit often guarantees the unwanted attention of male-identifying people, such that it is expected, there is a special rage that is felt when that
same attention is thrown at a woman while performing the act of defeminization.
This brings forth the argument of whether or not there is a way to effectively deflect what is commonly referred to as ‘the male gaze.’ Is there a way to do that, without one being male themselves?
Another layer that is important to add to this conversation is the desirability factor. It is crucial to note that the perceived attractiveness of a woman only affects the type of attention they garner. Women who are perceived to be undesirable by men are not left alone but ridiculed for that very reason, and there is no way that a person perceived as female is allowed to enjoy their life without the input and opinion of the men around them, whether or not they be strangers or close friends.