The essence of femininity from a transgender person’s perspective

Abstract

As defined by the American psychiatric association (APA), the term transgender is an individual in which the assigned sex given at birth based on the external genitalia does not align with the gender identity adopted by the individual. This research aims to explore the embodiment of femininity as perceived by transgender women and how one constructs such feminine identity, gender and womanhood from a biopsychosocial approach. Moreover, this study aims to present a realistic view of the lives of these trans-women and their experience with the feminine identity, how society interprets this form of femininity and how such societal reactions affect trans-women. An empirical qualitative method was chosen to collect in-depth information to explore how trans-women experience femininity whilst delving into the construct of the feminine identity, gender and womanhood. As a tool to gather data, semi-structured interviews with transgender women were used. The participants chosen for this study came from different walks in life and were different ages to achieve a more varied and rich data with regards to experiences and perceptions. Ultimately, the study found that femininity is a spectrum influenced by many factors namely the upbringing received by the caregivers, the environment where one grows up in and the traits that the individual possesses. All these factors combined produced the feminine identity that these transgender women came to harbor and chose to manifest in the society they live in. Furthermore, the study uncovered emotions that these women feel in their trajectory towards femininity in particular; envy, sadness and disappointment with one’s overall “male image” resulting in dysphoria that further exacerbates the want and need to transition into the female sex. Finally, the research participants concluded that for them femininity is what gave them strength and freedom to live the life they always dreamt of and wanted whereby femininity was seen as an aspiration and a form of protection from the stigma experienced pre-transitioning.