Nowadays, besides continuing efforts to address gender inequality and gender prejudice, we are witnessing social media platforms being swamped with old, yet newly framed concepts: “femininity” and “masculinity”. At first glance, these terms may represent the archetypal characteristics between each gender. Yet, at a closer look, this reintroduction is not truly an advancement in gender awareness, but outdated prejudices in disguise.
_______________________________
Finding a scientific explanation: what is Femininity/ Masculinity?
From a scientific standpoint, so far there isn’t an official definition for “femininity/masculinity” in accredited scientific studies, even though these terms have been in popular use. Our current understanding of them is mostly deduced from subjective descriptions based on personal perception and stereotypes from a male-chauvinistic society. The media has been selling “femininity” as “woman energy”, which encompasses traits such as: gentleness, sympathy, and meekness. On the contrary, “masculinity” equates “man energy”, characterised by rationality, strength, and toughness.
Is it living in alignment with your femininity/masculinity or conforming to prejudice?
One can easily find multiple social media content creators discussing the advantages of tapping into your inner energy. As most of them suggest, when women show their vulnerability and men their power, their lives will go smoothly. Take an example of the tiktoker Tú Cao Thanh, who shared about her transition to womanhood journey. She said living true to her gender identity and showing femininity boosted her confidence and brought joy to her life. Her story has showcased that living according to your femininity/masculinity can make life easier for some people. Yet, at their core, the terms “femininity” and “masculinity” are still social constructs shaped by traditional gender roles. These labels define men as the main breadwinner, bearing financial responsibilities, and women as homemakers, preparing family meals. In fact, “femininity” and “masculinity” are old wine in new bottles: they still are, essentially, gender stereotypes that limit our potential and shape us into the binary gender mold. We consider this a sexist perspective because the concepts of “femininity” and “masculinity” are seemingly categorising humans' characteristics and behaviors into gendered labels, even though they are not exclusive to any gender. As we have known, sexism guarantees no positive impact. Prejudices such as “women are not suited for technical professions” or “men should not take up caretaking jobs” have hindered many from pursuing their passion. According to reports from the UN Women, in Vietnam, women make up 30% of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) workforce, mainly because of social prejudices and lack of access to STEM education. This has led to not only limited job prospects for both genders, but also emotional stress. For example, men are conditioned to be strong and to show no emotions, which, in turn, drives many of them to suffer depression in silence. The World Health Organization (WHO) pointed out that suicide rate among men is higher than women’s in many countries, partially because of the pressure on men to “suppress their feelings”, therefore they feel hesitant to reach out for help.
A superficially progressive side of this trend is that it acknowledges the duality of femininity and masculinity within each individual, regardless of their biological sex. However, the ultimate goal of it is purely to exaggerate following gender energy as the sole key to success, despite being inherently rooted in stereotypes. That means, if you are a woman, you have to follow your “femininity” — be gentle, meek, and sympathetic. As for a man, you have to follow your “masculinity” — be strong, tough, and rational. Therefore, instead of encouraging self-exploration of one’s own unique identity, this trend has been prompting us to abide by gender prejudices.
Furthermore, femininity is also divided into different types. Take an article from the Elle Magazine for example. In this article, the author mentioned that some researchers have sorted “femininity” into 7 archetypes. To add up, they also categorised femininity into 2 types: light femininity and dark femininity. In particular, light feminine energy is characterised by girls with “angelic vibes”: innocent, soft, and sweet; whereas, girls with dark feminine energy carry “queen vibes”: sexy, powerful, and mysterious. At first glance, these categories may help women define their personal styles easier. However, a closer look reveals them to be obstacles for women’s personal development, coaxing women into accepting these terms as the standards. This categorisation proves to be an even more insidious attempt to impose rigid molds on gender roles. Rather than allowing space for improvement, where individuals can freely explore and make a mark for themselves, it intensifies the pressure to live up to social expectations.
In addition, these definitions are also woven into recreational and spiritual activities like tarot-reading and astrology-reading. Associating “femininity” and “masculinity” with zodiac signs, like Scorpio with “dark femininity” or Libra with “light femininity”, has fostered a pseudoscientific justification for gender stereotypes and deep-seated subconscious prejudices.
In some cases, “light femininity” and “dark femininity” are also projected onto physical appearances. A typical case is the comparison between the two stars Lisa and Zendaya at the same fashion event in 2013, which also went viral on social media at the time. From shared pictures between the two, many social media users commented that Lisa, with her sweet doll-like look, was an archetype of “light femininity”. On the contrary, the seductiveness and powerfulness seen in actress Zendaya represented “dark femininity”. Still, this act of labelling “feminine energy” is subjective, merely based on the women’s makeup and clothing choices.
Notably, advice and quotes on “femininity” have prevailed more than ever, targeting the confusion and disorientation of women amidst a society with turbulent changes in gender roles. In such situations, women are easily swayed by advice to “live true to your feminine energy” as an escapism, without knowing that they are still misled by a brand new stereotype with the same limitation and pressure. As a result, many people have mistaken conforming to these standards with attaining success and happiness, therefore losing their opportunities to make their choices and express themselves in their own way.
The absurdity of enhancing femininity/masculinity practices
Advice on “enhancing femininity” often include actions such as speaking softly, being empathetic, pleasing others, participating in activities like Pilates, yoga, or even using certain items like a Stanley water bottle. Similarly, “practicing enhancing masculinity” tends to focus on discipline, hard work, ambition, and physical activities like going to the gym.
Clearly, these actions are not inherently tied to any gender and can be done by anyone. When such simple behaviors are gendered and elevated to the status of a “standard lifestyle” it is no longer about encouraging self-improvement but rather about narrowing individuals’ potential. People are no longer free to choose what truly suits them but are instead expected to conform to what is deemed the “true energy” of their gender. Now, femininity and masculinity are repackaged as lifestyles, each reinforced by curated images of success. These images, in turn, shape rigid molds for how each gender should live, despite the fact that such behaviors are not limited to one gender.
The origin of “masculinity /femininity energy”
So why do people deliberately assign gender to an abstract concept like “energy”? The first and most obvious reason is for commercial purposes. There are courses that teach people how to succeed by “practicing enhancing gender energy” or advertisements that promote workout services like pilates, yoga, gym sessions, and the like. There are self-proclaimed “experts” who enthusiastically praise an ideal image of a highly feminine woman – someone who is beautiful, speaks gently, and has graceful gestures. In reality, however, this is nothing more than an outdated standard imposed on women, one that has existed for centuries. Descriptions of a hyper-feminine women are not much different from the obsolete set of expectations for girls – something society has long been trying to abandon, but now it's being glamorized by the media as a path to “success”. It's likely to be a model constructed solely for businesses to profit from manipulating their customers’ psychology.
The definitions of ”gender energy“ are somewhat manipulative, forcing women and men to behave according to their respective “gender energy” and all the difficulties that happen to people are due to their “gender energy” clashing with their biological “gender energy” (For example, a biological female but highly masculine or a male but highly feminine). “Gender energy” is praised as the solution to every problem in life, allowing you to become successful, loved, and eternally happy, so long as you live in alignment with your “gender energy” This manipulation ignores all of our efforts to learn, practice, and develop our awareness and cognition; it overlooks hard work and contributions to society; it dismisses traditional moral values such as gratitude or remembering those who helped you. Instead, it claims that as long as you have the “right” feminine or masculine energy, you will always be loved, happy, and carefree. Thus, a cycle of restrictive stereotypes is once again formed, telling people what they can and cannot do in order to live a good life. A fixed formula is being applied to people of various ages, situations, and personalities, all for one common goal: to be “loved” and to be happy.
From there, one of the purposes that many people practice “enhancing gender energy” is to have a fulfilling love. The rosy love stories painted by the media on social networking sites give viewers a blind faith about the “effectiveness” of “gender energy” in love. This belief has been mistaken right from the way of thinking about “being loved” in a relationship, in which love is also affected by the market economy, and people believe that they must “have value in the eyes of others” to be loved. The courses on social networks target this “being loved” psychology, while learners believe that this is the only way to prove their self-worth in the “love market” On the other hand, if they have already believed in “gender energy” young people today will tend to look for role models corresponding to the “femininity/masculinity” that they consider appropriate. This is not only a problem within the scope of “gender energy.” Young people today often do not truly have suitable standards for their companions. Their ideal lover models are often based on famous or fictional characters in the media and social networks such as CEOs, idols, soldiers. Young people often idolise these people, seeing them as ideal partners. They believe that if they are “loved” by those people, their self-worth will increase, corresponding to being in a different, higher position thanks to being chosen “to love” by talented people. The essence of a lasting love is that two people should have harmony in their souls (which is expressed through viewpoints, thinking, or attitudes), should accompany each other, and should accept to grow and mature together; the benefit you receive from accompanying outstanding people is to learn, grow, and mature; it is not that just by being labeled as a “lover” will your value skyrocket ;moreover, this is also not a sustainable form of “love”. These trends are reflecting the way many modern people “love” when every corner of life is influenced by media and capitalism; people tend to follow trends and flashy things, ignoring core values to truly develop reasoning and other skills, and choosing hasty, fleeting love affairs to satisfy vanity, needs, and create “illusory value” for themselves.
While it is undeniable that in some ways this change helps people become better versions of themselves, this way of communication makes us believe that we will only be “loved” when we offer some value to others, like a “commodity exchange” relationship in the market. For women in love, it is believed that if they are gentle, tolerant, and patient, they will receive “pampering” without having to give anything else in return; this shows that the woman “has value” For men in love, they must be resilient, strong, and supportive, pay for dates and always cherish the other person in order to have a chance to get into the “good graces” of women. Gender stereotypes are becoming increasingly apparent, but aren't virtues such as responsibility, discipline, perseverance, and patience qualities that every mature individual should strive for? Or should the cultivation of good virtues be considered in relation to gender as well?
Conclusion
Femininity/masculinity is essentially just old wine in a new bottle, reimposing old gender stereotypes onto modern people in a glamorous, flashy way and under the guise of “pseudoscience.” We are living in the 21st century, when social activists have been trying very hard to break down stereotypes imposed on the mass. Responding to the “gender energy” movement without consideration may be compromising the achievements of previous generations. That said, breaking stereotypes does not mean that you should absolutely not believe in or live according to that lifestyle; it means that you are not forced to develop according to a mold preset for centuries. You have the right to choose to live and become a person suitable to your circumstances, personality, and environment. Each person has their own developmental path and their own choices, and it is these decisions and choices that build their perspective, viewpoint, and identity, not something they have no right to choose like gender. We will have many constraints and obstacles on the journey of self-discovery, but biological gender will not be the barrier that stops humans on that journey.
English 
Vietnamese
Leave a Reply