Are you a tomboy?

Graceful. Beautiful. Delicate. Charming. These are just some of the terms used to describe typical feminine characteristics. But these words may make some girls cringe. Some of them feel a sense of non-identity, where they would never aspire to fit into any of these characteristics. These girls might just discover they belong in the world of tomboys. Who is a tomboy? Let us find out.

The onset of behavior as a tomboy occurs during childhood and pre-adolescent to adolescent years. A tomboy is a girl who displays more masculine characteristics in terms of behavior. Socially, she would like to hang out with boys more, and not belong to the category of ‘girly girls’. A tomboy should not be confused with a cross-dresser. But she would prefer dressing up in clothes which are not female specific. For example she would prefer trousers, jeans, and shorts as opposed to skirts, gowns and blouses.

She would also not like to display her feminine identity in others ways such as carrying fancy purses, wearing designer shoes, wearing make-up, having a long hairdo. A tomboy would also like to engage in sports and activities which are more challenging and aggressive.  A girl who is a tomboy is most likely to be quite conscious of their behavior. She may adopt the attitude as a sort of rebellion against socially accepted norms. It may also be because she does not want to be restricted in living her life due to gender-defined roles. However, such behavior is considered normal and is to be considered as just a phase.

It is also said that these traits tend to lessen for most people in their adult years. This is mainly due to emotional and physical development during the onset of puberty. But to some extent, a tomboy as an adult would still not prefer being too feminine, dressy or delicate. The term tomboy need not necessarily be indicative of any type of sexual preference. Though, studies have shown few of them end up having a lesbian orientation in later years.

End of the day, it doesn’t matter what type of personality traits you possess. It is important to be confident, comfortable and happy with your personality type.