It’s time for our series of posts here at Jessica Who?, titled “Word of the Week”. In these short articles, from here on out published each Friday, I will explore the various labels and umbrella terms used to label us. By doing this, I hope to educate not only myself, but also anyone who may not be familiar with these terms. Feel free to add your own knowledge to each post by leaving a comment 
.
The label that we will be examining is: en femme
Standard Definition
En femme is borrowed from the French language and literally translates to “as a woman”
Derogatory?
Not in the slightest.
What’s It Really Mean?
En femme is just an alternate yet fancy way to say that you are dressed as a woman. It has long been a preferred phrase within the transgendered community.
My Take
I love this phrase because it’s such a pretty way to put into words the state of being dressed as a woman. Instead of terms that can offend or sound clinical in nature, en femme simply sounds beautiful.
Although I frequently utilize en femme when writing, I hardly ever speak it. I don’t know why but I suppose that over time that could change.
Your Take
Have you anything to add? Please leave your take on this word in the comments section, I hope we can open up a dialogue and learn from each other while educating the masses.
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I definitely prefer to use en femme instead of “dressed up”. Dressed up can mean lots of other things and it just sounds like you’re playing dressup when in reality I feel like it’s so much more =)
Yea “dressed up” sounds kind of non-serious
I agree – it’s a great term to use in writing, but it can sound pretentious when spoken. (As do MANY French terms! ~~le giggle~~) My question is, should we start using the opposite term, en homme?
lol @ le giggle
Let’s use en femme in a sentence, shall we?
He thought his purple & yellow pimp daddy zoot suit looked quite pimp-a-licious, however, in reality it looked a bit en femme.
haha! good one
I love en femme ! When I pronounce it, it sounds more like “on fom”;
I use it all the time. It sounds so much better than “dressed” and has
a much more subtle meaning. ” Vive La France”
I agree, it sounds way better
I struggle with this one. I think having read it many times in forums and whatnot, that – for me at least- it’s a bit cliche. Still better than ‘femmed up’ which is just wrong
Yea I’ve also noticed it being overused at times
I like the term however I do not tend to use it. Even when wearing Fem clothing I just consider my self just dressed. To me it has the connotation of trying to pass as a woman. Which is not what I try to do.
That’s a good point, I do agree that en femme has more of a connotation towards passing
Julie M. Shaw suggests “en homme”. I say NO to that.
Drab is a more effective way to indicate the opposite of “en femme”‘
En Homme sounds like a rapper from LA
LOL! Good point, though, Warren. When I am in male mode I do feel very “drab”.
en femme
The reason why this is acceptable is that it is “French”. Speaking as an English person, France has always been associated with glamour and fashion, and the use of many french expressions reflect this. I general use, of course, is the word “Derriere”. Just think of the many alternatives to this, some of them not at all pleasant! Also, fragrance and perfume as synonyms for Sceny. They just sound better, don’t they?
That’s a great point Sylvia
May I add that “embonpoint” (= fullness, or plumpness in French) seems now to be a synonym for a well developed bust! Please excuse typos in my preceding contribution!
Hi Jessica
I too love the term ‘en femme’ (should really be pronounced ‘on fam’ rather than ‘fom’) and am quite happy to use it in conversation. Either make me feel especially feminine as opposed the ‘in male mode’, ‘in drab’ or even a somewhat colloquial ‘en drab’.
Slightly off track, my wife never asks me if I would like to ‘dress up’ of an evening, but asks whether my ‘alter ego’ would like to visit.
Do you think this term gets used much in our circles. We seem to like a bit of latin and french!
Hugs
TinaCortina xx
The word “drab” really sums it up, doesn’t it!?!