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Helpquestion - what is the difference between feminine and frilly?
hi
I'm a guy and I'm kind of wondering, what do the women here mean by frilly as opposed to feminine? Isn't treating femininity as weakness anti feminist?
I'm a guy and I'm kind of wondering, what do the women here mean by frilly as opposed to feminine? Isn't treating femininity as weakness anti feminist?
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Feminine = more elegant
Frilly = lots of syllables, complicated letters, etc
There are some frilly names I like but generally it's a stylistic thing. Also, it has nothing to do with femininity. Sebastian is frilly but it's not feminine.
Frilly = lots of syllables, complicated letters, etc
There are some frilly names I like but generally it's a stylistic thing. Also, it has nothing to do with femininity. Sebastian is frilly but it's not feminine.
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"Frills" don't have anything to do with "weakness," do they?
It might be an unfeminist stereotype to equate them with each other, or with femininity, IMO.
Frilly doesn't mean silly, it just means ... seeming embellished, something like that, in a not-frivolous way, but sometimes with a frivolous effect. Like literal frills on a garment. They can be appropriate and dignified, and they also can be silly or contrived.
... and frivolous can be good or bad too, because it can mean inane, but also playful. These are just possible aspects of femininity ... and also possible aspects of masculinity, but I usually use other words for man-names (frilly = stuffy, pretentious, foppish; frivolous = glib, slick, chipper, puppyish)
As someone said, feminine usually just means "presumed female" but it can also mean something about an impression of an energy, sexiness, bearing, etc that is particular to females.
Names that are weak just sound weak (if I liked them, I might choose to say they are breezy or delicate). Imogen, May ... Milo, Ambrose. Weak is gender-neutral!
Frilly is usually but not always feminine, and about half the time it's neutral or positive.
Names I like that seem frilly: Raffaella, Jessamine, Charmaine, Priscilla, Demetrius, Sebastian
Names I don't like that are frilly: Primrose, Belphoebe, Clementina, boy Darcy
It might be an unfeminist stereotype to equate them with each other, or with femininity, IMO.
Frilly doesn't mean silly, it just means ... seeming embellished, something like that, in a not-frivolous way, but sometimes with a frivolous effect. Like literal frills on a garment. They can be appropriate and dignified, and they also can be silly or contrived.
... and frivolous can be good or bad too, because it can mean inane, but also playful. These are just possible aspects of femininity ... and also possible aspects of masculinity, but I usually use other words for man-names (frilly = stuffy, pretentious, foppish; frivolous = glib, slick, chipper, puppyish)
As someone said, feminine usually just means "presumed female" but it can also mean something about an impression of an energy, sexiness, bearing, etc that is particular to females.
Names that are weak just sound weak (if I liked them, I might choose to say they are breezy or delicate). Imogen, May ... Milo, Ambrose. Weak is gender-neutral!
Frilly is usually but not always feminine, and about half the time it's neutral or positive.
Names I like that seem frilly: Raffaella, Jessamine, Charmaine, Priscilla, Demetrius, Sebastian
Names I don't like that are frilly: Primrose, Belphoebe, Clementina, boy Darcy
This message was edited 10/18/2016, 12:24 AM
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I agree generally with what others have said in regards to frilly vs. feminine. They're not really interchangeable IMO, and a name can be feminine and not frilly.
To answer your second question, it likely depends on the context of how "feminine" is used. I see it used in one of three general contexts:
1. Sometimes I see people responding to a name that can be used among both males and females, such as Carmen, Harper, or Avery. Because these names are much more typically used among females (in 2016, at least), someone might say "This name is feminine to me." I don't really see a problem with this; it's just responding to a societal likelihood about a name.
2. Sometimes I see people responding to a name that is exclusively used for males, but has "soft" features, such as Julian or Asa. This is a little bit muddier. It might be someone's rightful opinion that Asa sounds like a girl's name, or that Julian sounds "too effeminate" for a boy, but is that a reason to dislike it? Maybe! Not sure! (In my opinion it is not.)
3. Sometimes I see people responding to a name that is frilly or long, like Isabella or Georgiana, and they say something like "I don't like this name because it's too feminine." This is weird to me, but I think maybe sometimes they aren't expressing themselves with the best terminology. I don't think it's that people dislike feminine names as a whole (maybe some do, idk), but that they dislike frilly names and are just throwing an umbrella term to describe them.
A lot of assumptions on my part here, lol, but I don't think I'm that far out of line.
To answer your second question, it likely depends on the context of how "feminine" is used. I see it used in one of three general contexts:
1. Sometimes I see people responding to a name that can be used among both males and females, such as Carmen, Harper, or Avery. Because these names are much more typically used among females (in 2016, at least), someone might say "This name is feminine to me." I don't really see a problem with this; it's just responding to a societal likelihood about a name.
2. Sometimes I see people responding to a name that is exclusively used for males, but has "soft" features, such as Julian or Asa. This is a little bit muddier. It might be someone's rightful opinion that Asa sounds like a girl's name, or that Julian sounds "too effeminate" for a boy, but is that a reason to dislike it? Maybe! Not sure! (In my opinion it is not.)
3. Sometimes I see people responding to a name that is frilly or long, like Isabella or Georgiana, and they say something like "I don't like this name because it's too feminine." This is weird to me, but I think maybe sometimes they aren't expressing themselves with the best terminology. I don't think it's that people dislike feminine names as a whole (maybe some do, idk), but that they dislike frilly names and are just throwing an umbrella term to describe them.
A lot of assumptions on my part here, lol, but I don't think I'm that far out of line.
This message was edited 10/17/2016, 8:41 AM
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"Frilly", to me, in names, means its got some extra to it that makes it a bit more adorned than other names--Christine and Christabella are both feminine names for sure, but Christabella is significantly more "frilly".
Consider that a frilly, lacy dress isn't going to be more or less feminine than a little black dress, it's just a different style.
I wouldn't say that disliking frilliness in a name is the same as equating femininity to weakness. There are male names that could be described as frilly too, imo-- Maximilian certainly has a bit more frill to it than Maximus or Maxwell.
Consider that a frilly, lacy dress isn't going to be more or less feminine than a little black dress, it's just a different style.
I wouldn't say that disliking frilliness in a name is the same as equating femininity to weakness. There are male names that could be described as frilly too, imo-- Maximilian certainly has a bit more frill to it than Maximus or Maxwell.
This message was edited 10/17/2016, 7:37 AM
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Ditto this
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This...
Frilliness is extra bits on the end of a name, when there is a simpler version. Boys names can be frilly too, although i would probably call them "over the top" rather than "frilly", much like the use of "handsome" and "beautiful". There are also less over adorned boys names than girls names.
Frilliness is extra bits on the end of a name, when there is a simpler version. Boys names can be frilly too, although i would probably call them "over the top" rather than "frilly", much like the use of "handsome" and "beautiful". There are also less over adorned boys names than girls names.
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There's no hard and fast rule, it's all in the ear/eye of the beholder. It's the kind of thing you can't really explain, but you know it when you see it.
Margaret is entirely feminine, but you would never call it frilly.
Annabelle is feminine and I would call it frilly. But it isn't only the fact that it has the very feminine elle ending or the very feminine anna beginning; Anna itself doesn't strike me as frilly, and neither does Michelle.
Margaret is entirely feminine, but you would never call it frilly.
Annabelle is feminine and I would call it frilly. But it isn't only the fact that it has the very feminine elle ending or the very feminine anna beginning; Anna itself doesn't strike me as frilly, and neither does Michelle.
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Yep. And I like "frilly" names.
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