The Femmephobia 101 Workbook

What comes to mind when you think about femininity? Can men be feminine? Can lesbians be feminine? Why or why not? In what ways have you been “put down” because of your feminine traits, interests, or mannerisms? Is masculinity treated the same way as femininity in society? Is there a word for the way society treats femininity? Yes, there is! It’s called FEMMEPHOBIA! While many see and feel the weight of how society treats femininity, we don’t necessarily have the words to describe it. In this workbook, we introduce the concept of femmephobia to talk about how society devalues and controls femininity - whether it’s femininity in women, men, or nonbinary people. Femmephobia is a prejudice we have all witnessed, participated in, and experienced - yet we never discuss it! This beautifully illustrated workbook sparks a much-needed conversation about the “social rules” that label femininity as somehow “less than” masculinity. It consists of information, examples, questions, and lots of personal reflection exercises that cover topics like examining our relationships to femininity; naming and examining assumptions we have about femininity; considering the consequences of "breaking the rules" of femininity; debunking myths about femininity; untangling femmephobia from misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia; identifying examples of femmephobia in our world; and challenging femmephobia through revaluing femininity. We are all born into a world of “gender rules,” expectations, and assumptions. This workbook offers a starting point to begin questioning these rules and how they limit, restrict, and devalue femininity, helping readers value and embrace feminine diversity and understand the broader impact of femmephobia.