Androgynous refers to the act of having or showing qualities that are associated with both femininity and masculinity. It can involve behaviors, presentations, and roles which were/are typically culturally associated with being a man and being a woman. Androgynous can be used as a description of one's gender, one's gender presentation, or both.
Androgynous should not be confused with androgyne. Androgyne is a specific gender that is a mix of male and female or is in between male and female. Androgynous is a quality that a gender can have, but is not a gender identity on its own. Genders that are associated with androgyny include: androgyne, femache, eclipsian, lingender, and proxangi among others. Not all people with androgynous genders will present androgynously, and not all people who present androgynously have an androgynous gender. People of any gender or sexual orientation can present androgynously.
Typically androgynous presentation involves:
- Simultaneously showing traits associated with femininity and masculinity. For example, having facial hair and wearing make-up.
- Another definition is showing traits that can be associated with either binary gender. For example, wearing unisex clothes. This form of presentation can also be described as gender neutral.