Femboys and their ilk are impossible to ignore on the internet today, having infiltrated online culture slowly but surely over the past decade. A long-time staple on 4chan, "femboy" has become an identifying label for cute boys in tall socks on TikTok and Twitch in recent years, with a wide assortment of memes accompanying them. But where does the word come from and what does it mean?

What Does "Femboy" Mean?

The word "femboy" has a long history of being a mean and derogatory way to refer to feminine men, but this does not reflect the use of the word currently. In general, the word is used simply to describe a man or a boy that likes to dress effeminately or act "girly," and has been used as a cute term of endearment in LGBTQ+ communities since the 90s. Femboys have always existed, but memes about them only took off on the common web sometime in 2019.

When Did Femboy Memes Become Popular?

"Femboy" has been a popular label in anime culture for the past decade, and this fact is reflected in femboy memes that often portray an anime-style art form. Some of the earliest femboy memes were made to counter memes that celebrated the tomboy, a word used for buff, boyish and androgynous women. Moreover, the subreddit /r/femboymemes was created in the spring of 2019 as well.

What Are Some Popular Femboy Meme Trends?

Perhaps the most popular femboy meme trend, often credited for popularising the term "femboy" itself, is the Femboy Hooters meme. Sometime in 2020, people decided that it would be both funny and awesome to imagine a Hooters restaurant run exclusively by femboys. The trend was incredibly catchy, leading to a furor of memes regarding the topic.

Another popular femboy meme is Femboy Friday, which is a variant of the X Weekday trend that encourages topical posting on a given day. Femboy Friday became a day for people to post their Femboy pictures, post a femboy meme or dress up in a maid costume to post a TikTok.

A popular femboy creator is Twitch streamer F1NN5TER, also known as Jude or his crossdressing alter-ego, Rose. F1NN5TER initially began crossdressing as part of a bet with a friend but continued to do so after he realized how popular his e-girl alter-ego was. F1NN5TER still identifies as a boy who likes to dress like a girl, making him one of the most famous femboys online.

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For the full history of femboys, be sure to check out our entry on the slang term here for even more information.