For those of you unfamiliar with the term ‘fem-boy’, it is essentially just a boy that dresses in a stereotypically feminine way. But why are they so popular on TikTok?
Well many young people seem to love these confident boys that show off their more feminine aspects because they are breaking male stereotypes and are challenging toxic masculinity. Many boys are sick of having to dress and act in a way in which is considered acceptable for a boy by society and equally, girls are sick of having to put up with overly macho men that adhere to the patriarchy because it benefits them.
Many male celebrities have also joined in on this trend recently, for example Yungblud, Harry Styles and Timothee Chalamet whom all have done photo shoots in either ballerina costumes, dresses, full pink suits, and ‘women’s’ blouses. TikTok fem-boys are also using make-up as part of their look which again has caught the attention of many young boys and girls alike.
The fem-boy trend however started much earlier with the likes of Freddy Mercury, Elton John, and Curt Cobain; all of whom flaunted their feminine side without care for what others might say. These absolute kings were looked up to by so many young people and still are because of the fearless attitude towards challenging societal masculine stereotypes.
We are getting tired of behaving in a socially acceptable manner. Women can wear suits. Men can wear dresses. Women can have short hair. Men can wear make-up. Who cares?
