Soft Butch

Soft butch is a term used mostly by lesbian, bisexual, and queer women for a gender expression that mixes masculine traits with softness, femininity, or androgyny. It sits between butch and femme, describing someone who shows some stereotypically butch characteristics without presenting as fully masculine. A soft butch might favor masculine or androgynous clothing while keeping gentler grooming, mannerisms, or style choices. The label is descriptive rather than fixed, and people define it for themselves, so exactly where soft butch lands on the spectrum varies from person to person. It is one of many words queer women use to name the wide range of gender expression within their communities, alongside terms like butch, femme, stud, and tomboy.