Gender Bender

A gender bender is someone who presents in a way that departs from the social expectations tied to their gender, often playing with or blurring the line between masculine and feminine. The term also describes art, fashion, music, and theater that does the same. It carries a strong tradition in rock and pop, with figures like David Bowie and Prince, and in drag and broader queer culture. The idea has roots in 1960s and 1970s movements built on the notion that the personal is political, and some people bend gender as self-expression while others do it to challenge norms directly. The phrase is informal and, depending on who uses it, can read as playful or as dismissive.