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Oct 10

Alright alright, i know you have them.

While Judith Antos doesn't seem traditionally masculine in the way that she dresses, believe me, there's way more to her personality than you can tell from a picture lol, and all the men she works with consider her pretty mannish.

Though, Judith personally believes "A tomboy is just what a man call a woman he's afraid of."

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I guess Lucia counts since she's pretty bossy :laughing:

Mara-Nina is also pretty aggressive

How does being bossy make someone a tomboy?

That’s not very nice.

Haru is a tomboy since she has interests that would be considered masculine, but she's not very aggressive and confrontational. In fact, she's a pacifist like her friend Tsukasa. Also, her tomboyishness contrasts with Tsukasa, since he's a feminine guy. I haven't shown it yet, but trust me, Haru is a tomboy.

If we're using this definition of a tomboy, I guess Kyara falls under the category.

Though I kinda find it a bit old fashioned or outdated? To me it feels like it heavily relies on very traditional gender roles.


tomboy's don't have to be aggressive or confrontational, just like not all men are aggressive or confrontational.

Abby doesn’t want to be on this planet anymore. She flies to Cila instead

spaceship noises

Bye losers.

Claudita can also count as a tomboy... :joy:

Fights come to her without even looking for them...


I gotta agree with this...I really struggled to find any characters of mine who fit the description, because I simply don't think that way about constructing characters anymore. Like, sure, I have plenty of girls who wear masculine (?) clothing, but the way they think about dressing themselves and the way their gender and personalities feed into that (if they're at all connected) can't simply be boiled down to something like 'tomboy'.

For instance, I have Jackie (left), who dresses kinda masculine, I guess? And her stoic attitude and role as a post-apocalyptic community leader fit well into the 'tomboy' stereotype. But I don't really see her as 'boyish' for having those traits (and I don't think she would either). I mean, I drew her as a short cute girl for a reason...that's how I see her, as just a passionate, dedicated young lady who protects her people.

Conversely, I have Weaver (right), who is much more overtly masculine in appearance, and I designed her that way on purpose. But I didn't think of her as a tomboy; I thought of her more as a butch lesbian specifically...and then gave her a peppy, bubbly personality to immediately subvert that archetype. ^^ I think anyone who got the opportunity to see her physical affection and sweetness in-story might also hesitate to call her a 'tomboy'...despite her appearance, she acts way too girly, displaying behaviors that aren't generally acceptable for boys even today.

On that note: because of the continually evolving schema of what's considered 'masculine' behavior for a female-gendered person, the word 'tomboy' is slowly but very obviously losing any real meaning. ^^; Case in point, the OP-- most people in 2024 would just call that a 'girlboss'. Not some kind of 'combination tomboy'; just a straight-up girlboss.
Tbh, the fact that the character in question wears overtly female-gendered clothing makes the 'tomboy' label questionable even by more antiquated standards, but I think it's important to note that being 'assertive' and 'commanding' is no longer considered at odds with femininity, at least not in the West. There are still gendered standards for how those traits should be displayed (and accepted...), but the traits themselves aren't exclusively masculine anymore.

All that is to say, if you want to make the claim that a character with long hair, lipstick, a skirt and ruffled blouse is a tomboy, you need more than just "she's NOT demure and obedient!" The goalposts have moved since 1965...

I’d say Mev is a tomboy- especially because this set in an era where women wear long skirts and dresses. GIRL WEARING PANTS???? SCANDALOUS!!! :scream: you try traipsing around in the woods in gown and you’ll see why pants are the better option. She’s mostly just tomboyish in the perspective of “ye olden days.” She does whatever she wants, lives by herself, evades property taxes, steals chickens… Stuff women generally wouldn’t do.

Yeah exactly.
At some level it feels that the modern use of the word "tomboy" is pretty much just a style of fashion haha.

Of your characters, I would probably call Jackie a tomboy (if I had to use the label, which I honestly kinda don't) purely on an aesthetic level.

And I am with you, I too wouldn't call the character OP posted a tomboy either. She looks more like a uppity librarian or a strict teacher to me haha.

Not to start an argument, just to express an opinion, since what is considered 'mannish' still depends on a number of factors and perspectives.

I consider there to be a wide range of what's considered a tomboy, and what could be considered mannish largely depends on the angle a person is coming from. In modern main stream american culture, many traits that used to be considered tomboyish are not considered that anymore, but they are in my culture, and many of the characters in the story Judith (from the op) is from are conservative and/or immortal, growing up in eras with a sharp stigma for what was acceptable for women.

I consider myself a combination of tomboy and girly girl, like Judith, which is why I like to represent different ocs as different kinds tomboys as well. I think women can have a combination of traditionally masculine and feminine traits while their attitudes sometimes lean in one direction or another, hence, Judith leaning toward tomboy despite her traditionally feminine way of dressing.

Many parts of Judith's personality lean toward what is considered traditionally masculine, even beyond what was mentioned in the op (because I don't want to promote the cliche that all men are aggressive, but it's generally not considered feminine either, and she is very aggressive.)

In the culture I grew up in (and I am only 19) my personality is still considered anti-feminine for desiring independence, valuing my strength, etc. It all depends on the angle you come from, and you really can't limit the word to one perspective of how the world has changed or developed. Honey, in a ton of ways and places, it really hasn't.

So we may not be in the 1965s anymore, but you might be surprised at the way some people still view a woman's role and many of the characters in the OPs story are of this mindset.

I'd also like to represent a wide range of what could be considered a tomboy beyond the cliche. The fashion is great, but there's more to being a tomboy than clothing too, in my arrogant opinion as a woman who still considers herself a tomboy.

So, hey, it may be a fairly outdated term, but it's still used and can be applicable even for a girl who dresses in a traditionally feminine way for a number of reasons. (And actually, some people do consider girl bosses masculine, hence, tomboyish)

So yes, she may have long hair, lipstick, a ruffled blouse, etc, or look like a librarian. But that's still limiting the idea of a tomboy to an aesthetic, and there's more to a person's personality than fashion alone.

There are any number of ways a woman can break from the mold/standard of what society expects them to be, and that is how I personally define a tomboy. A woman breaking away from the traditional gender standard (or even a portion of the standard) imposed on them. A picture doesn't give anyone a chance to get to experience her personality either.

Just my perspective on the topic. Honestly, so many portions/groups/cultures of the world are still operating on the "outdated" standard. And there is for sure more that makes Judith a "tomboy" (in air quotes) than what was mentioned in the OP. I admit, I didn't describe her very well, which may be the cause for confusion. But I don't want to turn it into an essay either lol

I agree with @DokiDokiTsuna

Tomboy is usually for girls (children) and young women who dress or act like a boy.

It's not really a term I associate with older women. I think terms like butch or masc is more often used. But your character doesn't really look like a tomboy or a butch woman.

@NickRowler yeah, that's how I often see the word used as well. Tho she is actually a young woman at age 26, despite the gray in her hair (which is younger still, contextually, since she's immortal) and she's been that way since the MC first met her at age 18.

While masculine may be more often used I don't think a tomboy is just defined by the way they dress, but also by their personalities. It's an and/or situation. Tho I do admit, my perspective on what people consider traditionally masculine is however, influenced by the culture in which I grew up, where many of my own habits/traits are considered mannish.

The reason why I like the character Judith so much is because her visuals stray so far from what most people would consider a tomboy, but it's hard to judge a person off the superficial. It contrasts her from the female lead and her best friend, who would both probably be considered closer to tomboys in appearance, but aren't personality-wise.

In general, I don't think that term is worth using at all, so I only use it for characters (and myself, who I consider a tomboy girly girl combo) because it's rooted in cliches, and real people are too complex to be categorized that way, imao. However, since characters CAN be categorized, I think it's interesting to see how visuals can contrast personalities and coordinate complexities in a character's design. I categorize my female leads as tomboy vs. girly girl vs. fairly neutral by what direction their attitudes lean in, and I think fashion is only one portion of the attitude in the overall ranking

Nah Ernest did.

But Elsie is very good with tools. She’s a tinker and helps everyone around town fix their things.

Here you kinda have the same problem as with your use of toddler. There's a pretty well understood definition of the word, and your personal use of it - while you're free to do so - conflicts with that causing more confusion than is necessary.