Lipstick Lesbians and Identity in the Lesbian Community

Lipstick lesbian is a term used to describe lesbian who exhibit feminine gender attributes, such as wearing make-up, dresses, pumps etc. and perhaps having other characteristics associated with feminine women.

A good example is Showtime’s television series The L Word, which presents most of its major lesbian characters in this way.

Butch/Stud Lesbian tends to denote masculinity displayed by a female beyond that of what would be considered a “tomboy.” Many butch lesbians tend to have short hair, do not wear makeup and do not exhibit what are considered feminine characteristics.

Many inside (and outside) of the Lesbian community are aware of the butch-femme dynamic. You will often see a femme on the arms of a stud/butch/AG lesbian..a pseudo gender role if you will. People outside of the LGBT community do not understand this dynamic interaction or why a woman would choose to be with another woman that is not feminine.

I identify as a lipstick lesbian because that is where I feel most comfortable, I enjoy and embrace every part of my femininity. With that being said I understand and enjoy the differences in our community that make us all unique. It’s all about finding out who you are and what makes you most comfortable in your skin. My partner is a stud and I find it extremely sexy that she is confident in her sexuality without having to feel that she needs makeup and pumps to do so.

Earlier in the century butch-femme roles were a way for lesbians to create identities for themselves and as a way to separate them from the mainstream. After the women’s liberation movement of the 70s many lesbians felt that these roles were imitating heterosexual relationships. However in the late 1980s many younger lesbians began to reclaim the butch-femme identity and this continues in modern lesbian culture.