What is a Demigirl: Meaning and Description (A guide)
By
PsychReel
In this brief guide, we will discuss the meaning and description of demigirl, as well as other types and topics that are included under gender identity.
Demigirl
A demigirl is someone who partially, but not totally, identifies as a woman, girl or otherwise feminine, regardless of their assigned gender at birth and a key feature is that a demigirl may or may not identify as another gender in addition to relating to the gender roles or norms of being a girl or woman.
A demigirl may also be called a demiwoman, demilady or a demifemale person and this may be someone someone assigned female at birth who feels very slightly connected or disconnected to that identification, but it is not necessary for someone to be anatomically a girl or woman for them to be a demigirl.
The main signifier of being a demigirl is that the feeling of being different from the assigned gender is not significant enough to create real physical discomfort or dysphoria, like it would likely be for someone who is transgender and feels the need to actively change their gender to be content with their identity.
Demigirl can also describe someone assigned male at birth who is transfeminine but who does not identify as binary, and they may therefore be more strongly associated with “female” than “male, in a social or physical sense.
Again, someone who was assigned the male gender at birth but identifies somewhat as a demigirl does not necessarily need to feel this strongly enough to want to identify as a woman or change their gender to fit into another gender role.
Demigirls may also identify as demigender, non-binary and/or transgender, and they may be on a spectrum rather than in one fixed gender identity.
The demigirl flag is meant to represent gender neutrality, which is a huge factor in the experience of being a demigirl, and it is meant to signify the feeling of being questioning and shifting of gender.
There are pink stripes in the Demigirl flag that represent the traditional color used for femininity while the other colors, which are shades of grey, indicate the partial nature of the gender, as is often seen in the phrase “gray areas”, which signifies the possibility that there aren’t just 2 things or lack of options, and many things exist on a spectrum rather than in a rigid system.
Demigirl or Tomboy?
Many individuals who are new to the understanding of gender identities might find themselves getting confused between the constructs of demigirl and tomboy, because in theory they may seem similar, due to the lack of obvious or stereotypical femininity in either.
A tomboy is a girl that dresses and acts like a boy, not in that they speak in a manly voice or act particularly aggressive or any of the other behaviors that are commonly associated with boys, but in their mannerisms and outward tendencies they may seem more like boyish girls.
There are, however, differences between being a demigirl and a tomboy, the chief one of which is that a demigirl can even be someone who was assigned a male gender at birth, but the same cannot be true for a tomboy, and a demigirl can also encompass other non-binary genders at times, whereas a tomboy may not.
The confusion many people seem to feel between demigirl and tomboy is evident in this description from someone on one of the forums about gender identity:
“Okay, so here goes. I was born female. I’m actually not asexual, but proudly bisexual (some asexual tendencies?). I never thought I should be a boy or male or anything, but girl-ness never felt quite completely right. I know I’m not transgender, since I’m comfortable with my “parts” so to speak. I liked Barbies and stuff when I was super little, but I grew up wearing boyish clothes, doing boy-ish things, but still wanting to embrace that part of me that’s a girl, i.e., wearing dresses, makeup, nail polish, what have you. If it matters at all I still do have distinctly “female” hobbies.
I’ve actually come to terms with the fact that feminine clothes are just not my thing. I’ve tried to wear dresses and all that sort of thing, and it’s cute, and I can appreciate it all, but it’s just not me. I prefer a slightly punk rock style that’s also somewhat androgynous (though not on purpose): skinny jeans, graphic t-shirts, Converse, flannel shirts, etc. I also DO still like clothes that I think are “cute” so the feminine-ness isn’t entirely gone. I also prefer to have long hair, as I think it makes me look pretty (and short hair looks bad on me).
So yeah, I guess I’ve grown up as the tomboy. But first of all I don’t like that word. It’s a little bit reductive and simplistic and somewhat sexist. Not to mention that, now with all this new visibility on non-binary genders, I feel like it doesn’t describe me right. I also don’t consider “tomboy” to be a gender identity, it’s looser than that, if that makes sense. It’s just an adjective. But more importantly to all this, I don’t identify with the “boy” part.
There are a few video game/book characters that I identify with on a personal level who happen to be male, but I’m realizing literally as I type this that they’re kind of androgynous. The strongest example is Link from The Legend of Zelda. Sure, he’s a boy, but most of his character traits (if he even has any) have nothing to do with that. And his features are generally somewhat androgynous, sometimes even feminine.
Video game rant aside, I still don’t identify with the “boy” part. I’m not trying to look like a boy when I dress in a men’s t-shirt. Also, I hate feeling like “one of the guys” when I hang out with my male friends. I want to be the girl in the group (not in a sexist way where they’re all staring at my chest or something, just in a neutral way).
I don’t TRY to be or look like a boy. I don’t even WANT to. I like having a female body. I like the parts of me that are feminine. I even like that I’m a girl, if that makes sense. But yeah. I just want to look like me. And me is….? A little bit of a girl, but certainly not girly. But also sort of non gender, but not so much that I have no gender at all. The word I’ve found that fits it best is demigirl, and since I’m definitely the kind of person that needs to have a name for it, this word helps a LOT. Just this knowledge helps a lot, really.
I guess in simple terms I feel like a girl, but not entirely? Like the other part of me (and I don’t know how strong either part is at any given time) is just sort of… nothing. I’m not-quite-girl. My question from all this is, from what YOU can tell, could I possibly be a whole thing separate from the word “girl” or am I really just a “tomboy” that wants to feel special.”
Intersex
Intersex refers to a variety of conditions in which a person may be born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that is not within the confines of typical definitions of female or male, an example of which might be a person who was born appearing to be female on the outside, but might have mostly male-typical anatomy on the inside.
Someone who is intersex might also be born with genitals that seem to be in-between the usual male and female types an example of which may be a girl who is born with a noticeably large private part, or lacking a typical female opening, or a boy may be born with a notably small male reproductive organ, or someone with a male sack that is divided in a manner that resembles a labium majus.
Some intersex individuals may also have mosaic genetics, which means that their cells may have XX chromosomes as well as XY chromosomes.
While most times being intersex may be an inborn condition, it does not mean that it is always a congenital thing, and sometimes the person may not realize they are interse till they reach puberty, or find themselves to be an infertile adult, and in rare cases they may even die of old age and the intersex condition may become known after autopsy.
Being intersex is different from gender identities or being transgender or any other aspects of gender identity or sexual orientations, because it has everything to do with biology alone and there is no social, psychological or cultural aspect to it, apart from the obvious one of being subject to problems that come about as a result of their way of dealing with the condition itself.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we discussed the meaning and description of demigirl, as well as other types and topics that are included under gender identity.
Being a demigirl may sometimes be confusing even to the people who identify as such, similar to how demiboys can sometimes be confused about what they are meant to identify themselves as.
The important thing to learn from the existence of various types of gender identities is the importance of being who one is and not paying too much attention to whether they should be called a demigirl or transgirl or any other gender.
If you have any questions or comments about demigirl or other gender identities discussed here, please feel free to reach out to us at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Demigirl
What pronouns do you use for Agender?
You can use pronouns like “they” or even “he” or “she,” for agender, depending on what they prefer. The best way to know what pronouns to use for Agender individuals or any other gender, is to show respect for someone’s identity and simply ask them what pronouns they prefer.
The most important thing in the selection of pronouns for the person you are talking to is to acknowledge that they don’t adhere to the identity you may be assuming about them, and to be aware of the fact alone is good enough when picking the pronouns you use for them.
What does ENBY mean?
ENBY means Nonbinary, and it refers to a category of all gender identities that lie anywhere outside the gender binary, that is, male of female.
People who identify with nonbinary as their specific identity may also be referred to as nb or enby, although these terms are often considered contentious, and there may be various different types of gender identities that come under non-binary.
How many genders are there in 2020?
There are many different genders in 2020, and some tallies suggest there may even be as many as 76 genders right now.
Historically, there have been two genders, male and female, but with the progress in society and the changing of norms, as is natural for any advanced species like humans, constructs like gender can change, and they have, leading to the existence of many genders in 2020 under the category of non-binary.
Do you need dysphoria to be non binary?
No, gender dysphoria is not necessary to be non-binary, because to be non-binary does not imply that one has to be suffering from a problmatic self-concept or conflicted identity.
Many people think that being transgender, for instance, is the same as having gender dysphoria, but that is not true, in fact, being transgender is not even considered a medical condition, the only reason it is still included in some medical classifications like te DSM or ICD is so that transgender individuals will be able to get insurance covered therapy or medical procedures.
Citations
https://isna.org/faq/what_is_intersex/
https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/149554-demigirl-or-just-tomboy/
https://gender.wikia.org/wiki/Demigirl
