And it seems to be in America, it seems pretty universally reviled… Certain people feel like it's offensive to call a girl a “tomboy,” because it's saying that all these qualities that we think of as making a girl, a tomboy, being sporty and brave and independent, that those are actually boy things. And the attitude toward the word has changed. Well, I think one of the most interesting things about the word and maybe about these arguments we're having about language in general is how much the meaning of the word has changed. Highlights from the Interview with Lisa Selin Davis We learn about those who defy traditional gender boundaries - to be themselves. The book is a comprehensive deep-dive into the word, the concept, what it implies and doesn’t. (Aug.In 'Tomboy,' journalist Lisa Selin Davis explores the evolution of tomboyism from the Victorian era to a 21st century fashion statement.

Davis’s persuasive and deeply personal argument for moving beyond the gender binary will resonate with those curious about child rearing free of normative expectations. They weren’t crossing the line into lesbian and/or trans territory.” In coming out, Davis notes, tomboy actors Jodie Foster and Kristy McNichol mainstreamed LBGTQ issues, and today, “gender-creative” parenting-raising a child free of gender identity or expression until they decide for themselves-introduces a new approach. While the pop culture Girl Power movement in the 1980s and ’90s ostensibly promoted tomboy-ism in television and film, Davis learned from gender studies experts that “these characters were allowed and encouraged and beloved because they seemed straight and cisgender.

By the 1920s, the early childhood years-previously gender neutral, with lace, ruffle, and bow-adorned outfits for both boys and girls-became a proving ground to “prepare kids for their future adult performances of gender” with the introduction of boy/girl toys and clothing. Prompted by criticism of her 2017 New York Times essay about her gender-nonconforming daughter, Davis uncovered the mid-17th-century roots of the term tomboy and its evolution from having a negative connotation to a positive one in the late 1800s due in part to Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel Little Women. In this thorough and engrossing investigation, novelist Davis ( Lost Stars) posits that gendered child rearing may soon be a thing of the past.

Tomboy lisa selin davis