Girl-Mode

Girl-mode is informal trans community slang for presenting outwardly as feminine. It is the counterpart of boy-mode, which describes presenting as masculine, and both terms are used most often by trans women and transfeminine people, especially online. Someone might say they are in girl-mode when dressed, styled, and moving through the world in a way that matches their gender, and in boy-mode when they present as male for safety, work, family, or other reasons, sometimes while undergoing hormone therapy. The language reflects the reality that presentation can shift by setting during transition. It is casual, community-generated slang rather than a clinical term, and not everyone chooses to use it.