Different Types of Lesbians and how to Recognise them!

FairytaleGirl

Alright, at the request of a few members, I - as a regular on the scene since I was 16 (oh god thats 8 years) - have decided to post a 'Different types of Lesbian' thread - to help those lesbians with crappy Gaydar.

Now - this is a half serious/half tongue in cheek thread. The reality of it is that ANY woman you pass in the street could be a Lesbian/Bisexual. There are no rules/looks/styles that solely define a womans sexuality.

However - I have found that there are certain styles that scream 'Lezzer' to those in the know.

The Hair.

Hair is the crowning glory of any person - but particularly lesbians.
Lesbo Hair can often be broken down into three Categories.

Dyke Cut, Butch Cut, and Hard-to-tell-Girl hair.

Dyke Cut
Think Cooler than cool, Just out of bed, I dont even own a brush type hair - Stylistically - these can vary:








Butch Cut

Usually seen on older/ butch lesbians. Often coupled with mens jeans and checked shirts. Less 'Carefree' and stylish than the dyke cut.





Hard-to-tell-Girl hair

This can be anything from Fashiony - longer 'Dyke Cut' hair to full on hair extensions - Im a Femme/Straight girl hair.








Like I said - especially for Femme lesbians - hair means nothing - but is often an indicator, particularly for younger 'dykey' lesbians.

The Clothes/Dress Sense.

There are various styles you may be bombarded with on walking into a Gay bar. Some more common than others but useful to know and be able to identify outside of the 'Scene'.

The Butch Dyke.

Pretty self-explanitory.

The Masculine Lesbian

Think Sam from Lip Service.Power suits. Usually minus make up. Again often attributed to older lesbians.




Preppy dyke.
a common younger style now, I see this alot among my peers. Usually defined from preppy straight girls by lack of makeup.





Dykey Dykes.

Think boxer briefs. On Display with vests/tank tops.





Femme.

Femme lesbian are just like stragiht girls in their fashion choices. Dresses/Skirts/Heels/long hair. Harder to spot - Even in a gay bar.
Think Alice from The L Word.



The Boy/Girl.

Again, super popular among the younger lesbians and baby dykes. Basically you're unsure if theyre girls or boys. But theyre lesbians with shorter hair who like to shop in Topman.



Accessories.

Accessories are a regular occurance in Lesbians day to day outfits - and can help tip a decision as to wether someone is gay or straight.
Think hats/Ear plugs/bracelets (rainbow ones)/Tattoos/Sunglasses/ Piercings.











So that's it. Well, for now. If anyone wants to add feel free!!

FairytaleGirl

Some Sites to Help;

http://www.autostraddle.com/top-10-lesbian-fashion-style-icons/2/

http://www.dykeduds.com/

http://f**kyeahlezfashion.tumblr.com/

http://www.fashion-victims.org/fashion/the-psychology-of-lesbian-fashion/

FairytaleGirl

Ambersky

Thank You Fairytalegirl for putting that together.
Of course as Lesbians we are not necessarily going to all agree on everything but I think we have something to work with in your broad brush strokes there.
As one of the older Lesbians mentioned in the Butch Cut and the Masculine Lesbian I would like to add my perceptions of the style.
I see you used some famous younger Lesbians to illustrate your points I will use some famous Older Dykes to illustrate what I mean.
(a note to readers remember ordinary people dont always look this good)
Other posters feel free to disagree with me or have a different perception.

Lesbians who came out in the 70s 80s and early 90s did not necessarily think a Dyke look meant you were Butch.

Ellen 54 Looking Dykey relaxed natural look


Melissa 51 Looking Dykey, very short hair here but a bit of femme about her as well, something about the eyes a bit of make up perhaps.


KD Definite Dyke but looking more Butch than Ellen or Melissa even in this prone position.

Many straight people or people who were not use to the subtleties of the Dyke look, just thought anyone not looking Femme and Straight looked Butch or Like a Man.
Some of us who looked Preppy or Gamine when we were younger with small or tall slim bodies now dont have that young cute look but we are not Butch either, if you know what I mean. Of course some of us just look even more Butch.


KD in her youth


KD now 2012 age 51

Not all of us who dont look Femme are Butch. Butch can be a way of being and something you identify with, or it can be a way you dress on a particular day, or it may just be that people mis identify you because they are not use to looking at older Lesbians.
Some people just say older Lesbians are going for a masculine style when this may not be so.
So this is my effort at increasing older lesbian visibility




Clare Balding 42


Urvashi Viad 53


Kate Clinton 64 Lesbian Comedian


Phyllis Lyon 79 and Del Martin 83 getting married after being together for 51 years

FairytaleGirl

Absolutley love your post! Nearly got my tissues out for the last picture *soo cute*

Major thanks for clarifying bits I couldnt

Ambersky

And Im really interested in hearing whats going on in younger lesbians sense of style and identity. So thank you too for starting this thread.

baby and crumble

Not too sure where it fits in, but there's also what I like to call "Dapper/Academic Dyke"- I don't identify as butch, and a lot of people don't immediately peg me as gay (!!!) but I'm also not femme at all, and personally I'm too old to be known as a boi or anything. Like someone else said, butch is often a whole identity, rather than a visual or aesthetic choice. I am pretty much the exact opposite of butch in my daily personality!!!

I get confused these days going out on the scene, I mean I'm only heading to 30 now but i feel sooooooooo old. That's neither here nor there, just a personal observation. Older lesbian style is very different to younger lesbian style- I think it comes down to knowing who you are in general- most women coming into their 30's and 40's have an innate confidence welling up that comes from being secure in themselves. What I wore in my early 20's is a million miles away from what I wear now- but I always wanted to be wearing the types of clothes I wear now. Does that make sense?

baby and crumble

Also-

http://www.autostraddle.com/15-ways-to-spot-a-lesbian-according-to-some-really-old-medical-journals-139954/

Babybuff

you'd recognise me as a lesbian by the way I wear boxershorts in bed














I want to do a mini pacman

baby and crumble

Babybuff wrote: »

you'd recognise me as a lesbian by the way I wear boxershorts in bed

Only in bed? Pffft, femme.

Babybuff

I'd stuff them into my pants if they weren't so puffy. (they're mens boxers, from the mens dept because I'm so hardcore )



actually don't really know what category I'd fall under, I can take from a little bit of everything of the above at different times. I'm told that I'm femme looking, doesn't matter if I'm sporting a mohawk and wearing12 hole docs, I still look tame. which is grand all the same.

carly_86

Do ya just love the real l word they are all so hot.

Ambersky

Funny how concerned so many people seem to be about lesbians looking like men. I don't know how many times I have heard even gay men say things like they don't mind lesbians but they think a woman should look like a woman.
Gender role stereotypes can be really hard on people and not just trans people.
Just came across this video and though Id share.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcyesgl68oY

skwinty

gotta say girls, great idea for a thread!!

Them pictures are great.. really put a smile on my face!

I've been out for the last ten years and feel myself really embracing my femininity as i've gotten older. when i was younger i did adopt a more boy-ish look which helped me be identified as a lesbian. However, my outlook on this now has changed and the idea of looking gay actually bothers me. I get that some people are comfortable with a masculine appearance, but we don't have to dress like that anymore to be recognised as lesbians.
I have come across some friends who aren't overly feminine been mistaken for being straight and it frustrated them.

Why can't we just accept that us lesbians come in different shapes and sizes and that we shouldn't judge others??

Variety is the spice of life after all

wonderfulname

How did I miss that video? It amuses me no end, at home I get a crap load of "girl or boy" and I actually quite enjoy it, the only thing that bugs me is people correcting others or answering for me, but I'm in London the past couple of days and quite literally everyone has gendered me male, don't know how to feel about that one, I blame hipsters...

As for if being masculine is some kind of peacocking attempt, nah, not here, I was boyish all my life, conversely I tried not to be for a number of years in some sort of a stupid "my sexuality doesn't define who I am" phase, turns out that wasn't a very good idea and my gender expression is actually considerably more important to me than who I screw, still trying to figure out how that works...

Ambersky

Pixar have just released an animated film called Brave in which the central female character breaks traditional gender stereotypes.

Questions are being asked,"is she a lesbian?"
So what do you think. Does she fit the bill.

one of the best replies to the question I read is here
http://jezebel.com/5921127/merida-from-brave-isnt-a-lesbian-but-she-could-be

But could Merida be gay? Absolutely. She bristles at the traditional gender roles that she's expected to play: the demure daughter, the obedient fiancée. Her love of unprincess-like hobbies, including archery and rock-climbing, is sure to strike a chord with gay viewers who felt similarly "not like the other kids" growing up. And she hates the prospect of marriage - at least, to any of the three oafish clansmen that compete for her hand - enough to run away from home and put her own mother's life at risk. She's certainly not a swooning, boy-crazy Disney princess like The Little Mermaid's Ariel or Snow White. In fact, Merida may be the first in that group to be completely romantically disinclined (even cross-dressing Mulan had a soft spot for Li Shang).

In Brave, Merida isn't interested in the young men trying to win her hand, or in marriage. Which is not to say that she is gay. There's nothing in the film to suggest that she is; and Markovitz doesn't assume that because she enjoys outdoorsy activities, she must be gay. But because her character is not defined by her sexuality — unlike, say, Ariel, Jasmine, or Cinderella — she could be a lesbian. The point is: Kids will notice that her happily ever after isn't dependent on a wedding. And that feels like a step in the right direction.

I- cant- wait- until it is released here.

wonderfulname

But there are straight and bi girls like that too? It's not a never before seen character portrayal and that's because so many people identify with it. I don't get assessing sexuality on the basis of personality traits, as nice as it is to see a female character aimed at young people not be a vacuous turd, and as great as it is that there's a mainstream character lots of lesbians can identify with, I don't see why you would start querying sexuality, what's the point?

Ambersky

wonderful name said
I don't get assessing sexuality on the basis of personality traits

You cant assess them on the basis of appearance either if it comes down to it.
You dont actually know someone elses sexual orientation until they tell you.
Lesbians often dont fit gender stereotypes and when you are trying to spot or recognize other lesbians its not always about appearance.
I think thats why some people are having fun with the idea that this Pixar character could be a lesbian.
I dont know any other female lead animated character that does not display at least an interest in a male character thus clarifying her heterosexuality.

In a paper in the latest issue of Gender & Society, University of Michigan sociologists Karin Martin and Emily Kazyak report that Disney films
"…depict a rich and pervasive heterosexual landscape," despite the assumption that children's media are free of sexual content. The movies repeatedly mark relationships between opposite sex lead characters as special and magical.

We will never know of course if the animators or writers were creating a character based on a lesbian but I certainly would give someone like this a second glance ...... what am I saying.... I mean I would if I were an animated character too.

Wonderfulname said
as great as it is that there's a mainstream character lots of lesbians can identify with

,
Yep thats about it and its no little thing. A mainstream character lots of lesbians can identify with is wonderful.

Wonderfulname said
what's the point?

Its fun guessing if she might or might not be lesbian.

The OP started this thread because of the difficulty some newly out lesbians were having recognizing other lesbians. The question was "how can you tell" and as we know, you cant actually but thats the point all this is is trying to spot someone by appearance or personality traits who might be a lesbian.

InkGirl8181

I have short hair and I spike it. I am like a preppy lesbian. But love tattoos and i am covered in them. Looking for some girls to talk to. I'm 31 and love meeting new lgbt people.

RiseToMe

Haircuts in the barbers with the clippers, quite a few tattoos, multiple piercings, men's boxers day and night, shop in mens dept!

We're all shapes and sizes!

carly_86

InkGirl8181 wrote: »

I have short hair and I spike it. I am like a preppy lesbian. But love tattoos and i am covered in them. Looking for some girls to talk to. I'm 31 and love meeting new lgbt people.

You lookin for a date

Annasopra

carly_86 wrote: »

You lookin for a date

Just a reminder of the part of the charter that says no personals ;-)