XOGender is a xenogender encompassing individuals who in some way feel connected to the music of the Canadian R&B/Hip-Hop artist Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, professionally known as "The Weeknd". The Weeknd's music centres around a plethora of themes including hyper-sexuality, melancholy, addictive tendencies, and substance abuse, as well as hypomania, recklessness, glamour, and grandeur. These themes can be used to describe the core gender traits that characterise the lives and expressions of people identifying as XOGender.
The origin of Abel's professional alias is yet another abstract concept that can be used to describe gender identity and expressionism, specifically those relating to carelessness and recklessness. Abel left his home and old life behind at the age of 17, dropping out of high school and getting into a car with his friends to what he describes as "a look of total disappointment" from his mother. This weekend as Abel describes it, never ended, leading to him using the alias of "The Weeknd" for his professional career following this event. This grandeur and finesse often used by XOGender individuals to describe the nature of their identity as well as their preferred expression of it.
Terminology
Most (but not all) XOGender individuals call themselves "XO(s)". Others might find themselves more comfortable with not being identified with umbrella terms, and instead more comfortable identifying with microlabel genders under the XOGender umbrella.
Symbolism & Aesthetics
XOGender individuals often use symbols and aesthetics from the album covers to help explain parts of their identity. Some of these symbolic metaphors include:-
Balloons: Balloons are a staple of this identity, the first music project that The Weeknd worked on that would actually be released was the mixtape, "House Of Balloons", this is representative of a real life house in downtown Toronto where Abel would often throw parties rampant with substance abuse and sexual intercourse. The "balloons" are a metaphor for being high on drugs and substances, as helium balloons fly high. XOGender individuals use balloons symbolically to represent their sexual tendencies being heightened while under the influence of substances.
The Bloody Nose & Bandages: Being a staple of the album "After Hours", the bloody nose and bandages represent the free yet often hurt and broken spirit of XOGender individuals. XOGender individuals may opt for band-aids on their noses to enhance their identity through aesthetic means. After the superbowl halftime show, XOGender individuals donned full face bandages to show their support for Abel as well as their expressionism.
Exuberant Hairstyles: Prevalent among some microgenders of the XOGender community, the hairstyles that are often over-the-top and obnoxious represent the untainted creativity and freedom of these individuals.
Fall/Autumn: XOGender individuals often incorporate an autumn colour palatte into their expressionism and identity to Abel's identity as "The King Of Fall", these colours also represent the cold yet bright and cheerful paradoxical nature that XOGender individuals often identify themselves with.
Personality traits
While almost every XOGender has their unique identity and personality, a major part of the XOGender identity lies within their gravitation to particular ideals and personifications of feelings that best define their gender and mannerisms.
These are generally those of reckless spending, taking high risk bets for the hell of it, a proclivity for substance abuse and a tendency for addiction.
These traits don't necessarily translate into tangible, real world actions, although they might, these often merely describe the nature of one's gender identity and expressionism in an abstract, sometimes tangible sense.
Microgenders & Gender-fluidity
There exist subcultures and microgenders under the all encompassing XOGender pertaining to the difference eras of Abel's professional career. These microgenders do not always conform to these tones and often defy them, they are relevant to the gender identity, yet not all important. These are merely the best attempts to describe one's internal characteristics and personality traits pertaining to gender through words. The most identified microgenders are:-
Trilogender: This is a microgender for XOGender finding their gender identity and gender characterised by the compilation of mixtapes released by The Weeknd under the title of "Trilogy", some individuals might also identify as "HOBGender", "Thurgender", and "Echogender" in respect to the 3 mixtapes compiled in this album. This identity revolves around themes of a dark moody atmospheric melancholy, substance abuse, as well as hypersexuality.
Kissgender: This is a microgender for XOGender individuals finding their gender identity best characterised by the themes of grit, loss, horror, fame, losing oneself, and love, used as the underlying tones of The Weeknd's first studio album, and second album overall, titled "Kiss Land".
BMGender: This microgender is characterised by the feelings of loneliness shrouded in independence, fame, mindless behaviour, recklessness, and romance. These themes being the tones upon which The Weeknd built the abstract musical genius of his third album, "Beauty Behind The Madness".
Stargender: XOGenders identifying as stargender often refer to themselves as "Starboy(s)" and "Stargirl(s)", throwaway terms used in Abel's 2016 musical venture into synthwave, "Starboy", while not entirely characterised by the genre, it drew influence from the works of hypnagogic pop artists as well as including features from legendary french house electronic duo, "Daft Punk". Starpeople (The gender neutral term used by Starboys, Stargirls, and nonconforming members of the community) feel that their gender identity is best characterised by a return to electronic roots, and themes of dysphoria fronted with pride, confidence, aesthetic, and vigour. This group collectively makes up second most identified-as microgender of the XOGender community.
Melanchogender: The third most identified as microgender comprises of individuals finding the nature of their gender identity and gender characterised by tones of abandonment, grit, loneliness, and regret. These individuals sometimes express their gender through dark red and moody atmospheric tones as in the cover of The Weeknd's shortest musical project, "My Dear Melancholy,"
Aftergender: This is the largest demographic of the XOGender community, representing their gender through the tones of atmospheric glamour and grandeur with underlying tones of dark moody blues and substance abuse. This community finds its roots in The Weeknd's "After Hours", an excellently balanced, wonderfully produced, and skillfully mixed return to roots album carrying over both tones of moody R&B as well as overconfidence, hypersexuality, recklessness, and abuse.
Fluidity between these microgenders is extremely prevalent in this community due to the temperamental nature of the feelings created by this identity, members often feel themselves better represented by the umbrella term of XOGender because it covers all these microgenders regardless off the peaks and bows.