tomboys

tatum o'neal in "papermoon" (1973)

what makes a tomboy a tomboy?
on line dictionaries definitions say that a tomboy is “a girl who behaves in a boyish manner” (worldwebonline.com), more specifically “a girl who acts or dresses in a boyish way, liking rough outdoor activities” (collins english dictionary). synonimes of the words are considered “hoyden” (“a high-spirited, boisterous, or saucy girl”) and “romp” (“one, especially a girl, that sports and frolics”).
those definitions look rather poor, as it often happens when we deal with definitions developped into a mainstream mentality that keeps gender studies into little account. wikipedia gives a more detailed/gender aware description:

A tomboy is a girl who exhibits some characteristics of the gender role of a boy.
This social phenomenon typically manifests itself through some of these characteristics:
* The wearing of typically masculine-oriented types of clothes.
* The practice of games and activities (often physical in nature) that are typically considered to be the domain of boys.
* Heterosociality, the preference to befriend boys rather than other girls.
There is a perceived correlation between tomboys and lesbianism. While some tomboys later reveal a lesbian identity in their adolescent or adult years, masculine behavior typical of boys but displayed by girls is not a true indicator of one’s sexual orientation. “[ ...] Historically, tomboys have been defined, as suggested in the examples mentioned above, by “boyish” behavior (like more physically active, technological, and scientific interests) and wearing boys’ clothing. In recent times, as the ubiquity of traditionally female clothing such as dresses, blouses and skirts has declined among Western females, the distinction has become more and more one of behavior. A general increase in the popularity of women’s sporting events (see Title IX) and other activities that were traditionally male-dominated, is today broadening tolerance and lessening the impact of “tomboy” as a pejorative.[citation needed]
Childhood gender roles are handled somewhat differently for tomboys and girlish boys. Gender scholar Judith Halberstam has claimed that while the defying of gender roles is often tolerated in young girls, older girls and adolescents who display masculine traits are often repressed and punished.

you can read the full article here. a lgbt perspective can be read here.
when i have more time i will comment on it and develop reflections. i can’t do it everything right now!

the only important thing i want to focus now is that being a tomboy doesn’t necessary mean being gay – at least in about 15% of cases… i am joking! – and in case you are a gay tomboy, one thing is being a tomboy, another thing is being a butch!

the first fictional examples to come to my mind are jo from little women, idabel from capote’s other voices, other rooms and katherine hepburn’s characters like sylvia scarlett in george cooker’s same-titled movie. going back to reality i was – and still am – a tomboy for sure.

so here come the first pictures:

• katherine hepburn
• daria werbowy
• valeria solarino