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Encyclopedia > Femininity
In some cultures, makeup is associated with femininity.
In some cultures, makeup is associated with femininity.

Femininity (also called womanliness) refers to qualities and behaviors judged by a particular culture to be ideally associated with or especially appropriate to women and girls. Distinct from femaleness, which is a biological and physiological classification concerned with the reproductive system, femininity principally refers to secondary sex characteristics and other behaviors and features generally regarded as being more prevalent and better suited to women, whether inborn or socialized. In traditional Western culture, such features include gentleness, patience and kindness. Download high resolution version (2048x1532, 902 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1532, 902 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Cosmetics or makeup are substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, apart from simple cleaning. ... Diverse women. ... For other uses, see Girl (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Female (disambiguation). ... -1... Secondary sex characteristics are traits that distinguish the two sexes of a species, but that are not directly part of the reproductive system. ... A family posing for a group photo socializes together. ... For this articles equivalent regarding the East, see Eastern culture. ... Gentleness is a value and quality in ones character. ... Patience, engraving by Hans Sebald Beham, 1540 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: patience Patience is the ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset, or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties. ... Look up kindness in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Contents

Feminine attributes

The feminine is most often associated with nurturing, life-giving qualities, creativity and an openness to those around. The modern social stereotype of a woman is the complete opposite to a man. A feminine woman has physical attributes which vary from that of a typical male. Furthermore, the psychological and behavioral differences that are considered feminine are the opposite of those associated with masculinity. These attributes result from the relationship between an individual's biology and the socialization they receive as a result of that biology.


Feminine physical attributes

Some research has indicated that a number of heterosexual men may be aroused by child-like smooth skin, big eyes, small noses and chins, though there are cultural differences in those preferences.[1] Some research has also indicated that a 0.7 waist-hip ratio arouses some heterosexual men. These studies have led the media to speculate that these are evolutionary indicators of feminine fertility, although such speculation has yet to be proven. Long eyelashes or high-pitched voices may also be considered feminine by some heterosexual men in the West.[not in citation given][2][3] The waist-hip ratio in women is often considered a key feature in physical attractiveness. ...


Women throughout history have sometimes gone to extremes to meet exacting cultural standards of what is considered attractive.


Cleavage

Larger breast size, a trait considered feminine, is suggested by visual clues, such as the cleavage between the breasts. Many women in western culture will emphasize cleavage to enhance femininity. They may do so by means of the cut of the outer wear, and by brassieres (bras) that push the breasts upwards and together. Special pads and inserts in the bra can also be used to aid in the positioning of the breasts higher. Aria Giovanni displaying cleavage Suzanne Valadon, painting by Renoir, 1885. ... Bra - front Bra - back A brassiere ( ; , commonly referred to as a bra, ) is an article of clothing that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. ...


Foot Binding

For centuries in China, foot binding produced unnaturally small and deformed feet, where toes often rotted due to lack of circulation. Small feet are still considered attractive culturally however. Today, feet continue to remain a fetish across the world over. Lotus Feet redirects here. ... Look up fetish in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...


Corsets

In the early twentieth-century United States and Europe, women wore corsets that restricted their movement and caused a variety of health problems, including shortness of breath, malformed organs, atrophied back muscles and difficulty in labor. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Hourglass corset from around 1880. ...


High Heels

Modern women often wear high-heeled shoes. The discomfort commonly associated with high-heeled shoes is endured for the visual effect of elongated legs. High-heeled shoes are shoes where the heel of the wearers foot is raised to be significantly higher than their toes. ...


Eating Disorders

Many women in the West also restrict their food intake in an effort to achieve what they consider an attractively thin body, which in extreme cases can lead to eating disorders. Measuring body weight on a scale Dieting is the practice of ingesting food in a regulated fashion to achieve a particular objective. ... Eating disorders are a group of mental disorders that interfere with normal food consumption. ...


Many people criticize the fashion and entertainment industries for promoting underweight [4] [5], unrealistic and arguably unhealthy ideals of feminine beauty.


Neck Rings

In parts of Africa and Asia, neck rings still signify femininity, in rare cases leaving their wearers crippled and dependent on their husbands. A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... A Kayan girl with neck rings. ... The word husband can refer to: A married man. ...


USA

In the United States, film, television, newspapers and magazines have promoted dieting, clothing, makeup and hair products, as well as cosmetic surgery[6] [7] [8] and drugs[9] [10] [11] as ways to achieve feminine beauty. This article is about motion pictures. ... Reading the newspaper: Brookgreen Gardens in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. ... This article is about the magazine as a published medium. ... Measuring body weight on a scale Dieting is the practice of ingesting food in a regulated fashion to achieve a particular objective. ... A baby wearing many items of winter clothing: headband, cap, fur-lined coat, shawl and sweater. ... Cosmetics or makeup are substances to enhance the beauty of the human body, apart from simple cleaning. ... This article is about the body feature. ... Plastic surgery is a general term for operative manual and instrumental treatment which is performed for functional or aesthetic reasons. ... Many drugs are provided in tablet form. ...


Domestic Tasks

Feminine work in the West has traditionally been tied to the domestic sphere. Cooking, cleaning and looking after children has therefore been regarded as work better suited to women. A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ...


Femininity in men

Main article: Effeminacy

Femininity in men, as masculinity in women, is often considered to be negative due to its contradiction of traditional roles. A common stereotype of homosexual men is that they are effeminate, with exaggerated feminine traits. In reality, gay men, like all men, range from very feminine to very masculine[citation needed]. Drag culture, often associated with homosexuality, makes a virtue of male femininity. This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... For other uses, see Stereotype (disambiguation). ... Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Notes

  1. ^ You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}.. Archived from the original on 2006-11-20.
  2. ^ Voice Academy: text only
  3. ^ Sara Wasserbauer, M.D. - The quest for perfect eyelashes
  4. ^ ABC News: New Message to Models: Eat!
  5. ^ BBC NEWS | Europe | Madrid bans waifs from catwalks
  6. ^ Beautynet.com - home
  7. ^ cbs13.com - Fat Grafting: Latest Trend In Breast Augmentation
  8. ^ Is bigger better? Breast surgery linked to boost in self-esteem and sexuality. Archived from the original on 2007-06-07.
  9. ^ Cruel price of trying to be 'feminine forever' - Second Opinion - MSNBC.com
  10. ^ THE YEAR IN IDEAS; Botox Parties - New York Times
  11. ^ Throw A Botox Party?, Fun Times Without Wrinkles - CBS News
Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

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Grammatical gender - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (4245 words)
In Spanish, the suffix -o is characteristic of masculine nouns and the suffix -a is characteristic of feminine nouns.
Since the noun lind (shield) is grammatically feminine, the pronoun seo (the, that) and the adjectives brade (broad) and tilu (good), which refer to lind, must also appear in their feminine forms, as well as the pronoun hire (her), which adopts the grammatical gender of its referent.
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