[ferretchucker]

I think it's interesting that we keep going back to this notion of the "effeminate man" or "tomboy". Obviously, these ARE frames of reference that exist within our current discourses on gender.

What I was trying to get at in my original post was that rather than thinking of qualities as "masculine" or "feminine" we need to deconstruct BOTH genders and build up again afresh, free from the anchors with which we define character attributes. Obviously this kind of sociological revolution cannot happen overnight. But as I said, I think part of the problem is the emphasis on discussing and criticising portrayals of men and women as men and women, rather than just as people.