[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Darth Denkay

...Butch is coupled with masculinity, but then what is masculinity? For that matter, what is femininity?

...Where do these characteristics stop and stereotypes begin? How can we distinguish between the two? That's really what I'm asking, whether it be about butch identity, feminist identity, scientist identity, or artist identity. Make sense?

To me, masculinity and femininity are presentations, or representations, of the same energy, but differently.

I know...clear as mud.

Identical twins. Same appearance but often VERY different personalities. Butch and femme are like identical twins for me. Same energy, split equally and presented differently.

Stereotypes exist because of the same characteristics being shown, over and over again. Often, they are one and the same. The icky part kicks in when the stereotype becomes a caricature.