Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with online culture. Both the internet and the LGBTQ+ community are ever-changing, with new slang terms and labels for things that maybe didn’t have a name or weren’t even acknowledged before.
You may have heard the term ‘femboy’ being used while perusing social media. In the grand scheme of things it’s a relatively new name for something which has been around for a long time. Maybe you’ve just seen the phrase while casually scrolling on X recently, as it’s trending all over the platform so it’s easy to stumble upon, perhaps you’ve seen some femboy memes?
But what exactly is a femboy? And why is the term trending now?
What is a femboy?
Right so let’s dive into it, first of all, I would advise against searching the term up on X as you’ll be met with tons of NSFW content. Of course, if that doesn’t bother you then go for it. The term ‘femboy’ is kind of self-explanatory, but to give the label a proper definition, a femboy would be defined as a man or non-binary individual who exhibits feminine features, which they will usually accentuate by wearing feminine clothing and often wearing make-up. Femboys blur the lines between boy and girl although it is not the same thing as being trans.
The word is derived from ‘feminine’ and ‘boy’ and has been in use since the nineties according to knowyourmeme.com. The term was originally derogatory, being used as an insult for men who did not express masculine traits. However, it has steadily gained traction online in a more positive light over the years and ultimately saw mainstream use around 2019.
Why are femboys trending?
At the time of writing, there are well over 5,000 posts relating to femboys on X resulting in the term trending in the US. Look, the internet works in mysterious ways sometimes, so it’s not always clear why something is trending. It isn’t immediately obvious why femboys are trending today, it’s just one of those phenomena that happens every once in a while, like a meteor shower, or a solar eclipse.
That hasn’t stopped confused X users from seeking answers:
Many are just downright confused.
Whilst some are quick to decry the trend, others are simply enjoying the show.
But none of this helps us get to the bottom of why femboys are suddenly trending. It’s likely that the recent surge in posts could be related to something known as ‘femboy friday’ a trend in which individuals who identify as femboys post on friday along with a hashtag.
Another possibility is this post from @tyson2004 which encouraged users to type “femboys are _” and let autocorrect finish the rest. The post was made on June 23 and has over 1,000 replies so it’s possible it got the ball rolling, and as people woke up on June 24 and saw the term trending they made posts asking why which only added to the trend growing even larger.
Either way, the femboy invasion of X seems to be unstoppable, so strap in and enjoy the ride.
