What the meaning of boyish & girlish?

Question

I wish to know can the word boyish or girlish be use in both sexies

Answer 1

normally when a guy is being describe as boyish, it would mean that either he look younger than his age or his behaviour is abit child-like which is of acceptable level to majority...

if a guy is being describe as girlish, it would simply mean that he is sissy...

if a gal is being describe as boyish, it would mean either her character is very straight forward or she don't feel or behave like a gal...

if a gal is being describe as girlish, it simply that she is very feminine...

Answer 2

A boy is a boy so he can't be boyish and a girl can't be girlish. However, a girl can have a boyish hair-do if she were to shave it off and a boy would have a girlish hairdo if he curled it and wore ribbons in it. A pink shirt might be considered girlish on a boy and a Tuxedo might be boyish on a girl. Too girlish could be used for a girl if she wore too much lace and too boyish could be used for a boy if he wore too much leather. However, you have my permission to use these terms however you want.:-)

Answer 3

Girlish Charm

Answer 4

The meanings depend very much on the context. I think it's more common to use 'girlish' to describe an older woman (e.g., "a girlish figure") than it is to describe an effeminate male. "Boyish," too, oddly enough, is often used to describe girls and women. ("A boyish figure," for example, refers to a slender girl or woman with small breasts and slim hips.)

On the other hand, one might say that a woman has "girlish charm" or a man "boyish charm," meaning that they've got a childlike innocence that makes them socially appealing. In this case - except for when the speaker is being ironic - the cross-gender reference, like you have with body type, doesn't apply.

Occasionally people use the terms to describe young males and females who appear to be more androgynous than their peers - so-called "tomboys" and "sissies" - or assume roles and attitudes that society has traditionally seen as markers of masculine (for girls) or feminine (for boys) behavior. In these cases, I think we don't see 'boyish' and 'girlish' used too often because both of these words have generally good connotations, whereas people often have negative reactions to individuals who deviate from what they perceive as the norm.

There's a double-standard, though. Calling a girl "boyish" is usually a good thing; calling a boy "girlish" is usually mean. The reasons for that - if we could get to the underlying motives - are very complicated, and indicate both a longstanding prejudice against effeminacy in men and a deep and pervasive undervaluing of traditional roles of women. These prejudices are so deeply ingrained in most of us that we don't realize how much we expose when we call a girl "boyish" or a boy "girlish" as a way of being polite. In these cases, the polite alternative is as damning as the traditional insult, if not more so, since it pretends that making such distinctions and judgements is perfectly acceptable.

Please understand, though, that there's a great deal of play in usages here, and everything depends on context. If we go back to the "girlish figure" example, an overweight person might find that term annoying because it implicitly betrays the speaker's preference for young, thin women, while "boyish figure" might indicate to a flat-chested woman that she's somehow less womanly simply because she doesn't have large breasts. Every gift (i.e., praise to someone) is a burden (i.e., insult to someone else).

Though I've gone to some lengths to get to the bottom of the usages here, and possible reactions to them, I'm really not advocating pure political correctness. Context is the most important cue to what vocabulary is most appropriate. If someone winces when you call him "girlish," you'll know that you need to keep talking and be more specific about the assumptions and perceptions you're trying to convey. If he smiles, then you've used the right word.

Answer 5

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/awu2q

For starters, that's a stereotype that exists, but really it's in minority. Gender and sexuality are being understood more and more now as spectrums as opposed to an on/off thing. For instance, there are (very) straight guys who are more effeminate and (very) straight women who are plenty masculine. I think there is probably a mix of biological and cultural/environmental causes for it, but I don't know if anyone really knows. Part of the problem is that traditionally gay people who can pass as straight, usually do. So the gay people that straight people are usually aware of are the ones who have a harder time hiding it. I think also that for many straight people, thinking that gay guys are not really men and lesbians are not really women is a way to distance themselves from them so they can discriminate against them more easily. Not sure if my meaning is clear there. Anyway, the best way to get more info is probably to go explore some LGBT organizations. If your still in high school is there a gay/straight alliance, for example? The best way to learn about gay people (or any type of people) is to meet some. Then you can see how varied they are. And since you're bicurious, meeting them is probably what you want to do eventually anyway I'm guessing.

Answer 6

boyish charm...

girlish attitude

i have heard both of these used alot by people at my school

Answer 7

Boyish is a term used to describe girls who acts somewhat or look like a boy...the same applies to boys who may have female type behavior. These terms are not usually associated with homosexuals.

Answer 8

boyish is for boys and girlish is for girls

Answer 9

it means sum1 who does stuff boyish do i.e. play footie etc n girlish means havin too mnay pink stuff!

yeh it can b used in both sexes

Answer 10

yes, you can say a boy is being girlish and vice versa