Butchy Femme

Butchy femme is an informal label for a queer person, often a lesbian or nonbinary person, who presents as feminine overall but with a clear masculine or butch streak. It plays in the space between the classic butch and femme categories, borrowing from both without fully settling into either. Someone might pair a feminine look with an assertive, tomboyish energy, or mix soft and hard elements of style and manner. The term reflects how butch and femme have loosened over time from strict roles into a spectrum of expression. It is a casual, self-chosen identity rather than a formal category, so its exact meaning shifts with the person using it.