Bellingham WA. 19 She/her
What does being butch mean to you?
“Being butch.. well.. people like to put labels on things, so, I guess being butch to me is being comfortable, you know?, and I just express myself however I want and that’s labeled as butch. But it’s just being comfortable.”
What is butch culture in relation to lesbian culture?
“I feel like how people think its different is butch people are more masculine and hard, and to be a lesbian would be more soft, not as intense.”
What is the culture surrounding that word for you?
“For me, butch is a girl who dresses more masculine, and for me I’ve dealt with people, almost like, misgendering me and I’ve struggled with that. When people see you they just assume. I’m struggling with it currently, it makes me feel invalidated because they’re looking at how I represent myself through clothing rather than me as a person.”
Do you feel comfortable correcting people
“I’ve never corrected anyone when they misgender me, I’m just like ‘sure! Whatever!...’ Cause those few uncomfortable seconds where you’re like.. ‘actually..no..I’m a girl.’ are hard, and it’s just not comfortable for me to do that. I’d rather just not.”
What do you notice about differences between generations of butches?
“Young people are more forward with presenting as butch I’ve noticed, because its more accepted. You can be more open and vocal. I feel like back then it was more like, I don’t know, rugged? Like if you saw a girl in guys clothes your butch.”
How would you describe your style?
“Androgynous. I have days where like, I dress feminine and am ‘cute’ and days where I just want to dress in traditionally men’s clothes, and well when I dress more femme I definitely get more attention than if I’m dressed in guys clothes. I think that’s just associated with the visual expression of femininity. I feel more comfortable when I’m in men’s clothing, it’s easier.”
What are some stereotypes about masculine or butch women, and do you relate to them?
“I think the biggest one is people think you’re ‘so hard’ and I don’t relate to that at all. I try to look hard but I’m soft. I try to look hard so people don’t mess with me, but I’m really soft.”
How do you feel about the way butch women are portrayed in media?
“They’re normally not appealing to men, which is like, the point, they’re usually bigger, and ‘hard’. I think its displayed negatively. I think it is more accepted though, I mean, look at shows like ‘Orange is the New Black’. Everyone was flipping over Ruby Rose and stuff like that, so it’s a bit more normalized in society.”
What makes you feel beautiful?
“When my girlfriend compliments me, ha, I mean, um just being who I want to be, and dressing however I want to dress. Just being me, the freedom in that is liberating.”
Last words?
“Just don’t believe everything the media tells you on how to be beautiful, get to know people before you assume anything.”