gender-bender
Challenges masculine-feminine boundaries
Gender-bender refers to a person who defies conventional gender roles or presentation—typically through dress, behavior, or appearance that blurs the line between masculine and feminine.
The term can describe anyone from androgynous fashion experimenters to drag performers to transgender individuals.
It also applies to things that challenge gender norms: a gender-bender of a movie that subverts action-hero tropes.
The word emerged in the 1980s and carries playful rather than clinical connotations.
Outside male-female categories
- genderqueerOutside the two-category system
- androgynousNeither distinctly male nor female
- genderfluidVariable gender identity
- agenderHaving no gender identity
bigender · intersex · queer · nonconforming · enby · epicene · fluid · questioning
Resistance through fluid
- cabaretLive entertainment venue
- burlesqueExaggerated mockery or risqué variety
- pantomimeDrama through gesture alone
- vaudevilleTheatrical variety entertainment
impersonation · theatrical · alter-ego · costume · disguise · masquerade · cross-dressing · transvestism
Violating accepted boundaries
- nonconformistRejects prevailing social standards
- provocativeMeant to provoke response
- unconventionalDeparting from standard practice
- counterculturalOpposing mainstream society
rebellious · iconoclastic · radical · avant-garde · irreverent · challenging · defiant · taboo-breaking
Recurring narrative device
- archetypeOriginal model for copies
- characterNature, symbol, or role
- protagonistStory's central figure
- narrativeAccount of events
storyline · representation · anime · manga · rom-com · Shakespeare · Tootsie · Mulan
nonbinary
Outside male-female categories
- genderqueerOutside the two-category system
- androgynousNeither distinctly male nor female
- genderfluidVariable gender identity
agender · bigender · intersex · queer · nonconforming · enby · epicene · fluid · questioning · self-expression
drag
Resistance through fluid
- cabaretLive entertainment venue
- burlesqueExaggerated mockery or risqué variety
- pantomimeDrama through gesture alone
vaudeville · impersonation · theatrical · alter-ego · costume · disguise · masquerade · cross-dressing · transvestism · charade
transgressive
Violating accepted boundaries
- nonconformistRejects prevailing social standards
- provocativeMeant to provoke response
- unconventionalDeparting from standard practice
countercultural · rebellious · iconoclastic · radical · avant-garde · irreverent · challenging · defiant · taboo-breaking · boundary-pushing
trope
Recurring narrative device
- archetypeOriginal model for copies
- characterNature, symbol, or role
- protagonistStory's central figure
narrative · storyline · representation · anime · manga · rom-com · Shakespeare · Tootsie · Mulan · Orlando
gender-benderconformist
One following accepted norms
traditionalist · straight-laced · conventional · heteronormative · macho man
gender-benderconformist
One following accepted norms
conservative · by-the-book · traditionalist · mainstream · conventionalist
gender, genders, gendered, gendering, genderless, transgender, cisgender, bend, bends