"Femininity in general is seen as frivolous. People often say ... that to don a dress, heels, lipstick and big hair is artifice, fake and a distraction. But I knew even as a teenager that my femininity was more than just adornments; they were extensions of me, enabling me to express myself and my identity. My body, my clothes and my makeup are on purpose, just as I am on purpose." - Janet Mock
Mock is a writer, transgender rights activist and former web editor of People magazine.
Photograph courtesy of Janet Mock
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Are We Something Less?
"In this society, if a man is called a woman, that's the biggest insult he could get. Is that because women are considered something less?" - Andrej Pejic
Pejic is an Australian model -- the first-ever openly transgender model to be profiled by Vogue.
Photograph courtesy of The Society Management
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Feminine Is Powerful
"I learned growing up that [being] feminine ... is looked at as not worthy, something to laugh at, unlike masculinity, which is looked at as power. I grew up thinking to myself, 'You're already born into this body, you're already supposed to be masculine, and masculine is more empowering.' But I hate the idea of that.... Feminine is empowering. I am empowered by being feminine." - AJ Clementine
Clementine is a beauty, lifestyle and trans awareness vlogger on YouTube.
Photograph courtesy of AJ Clementine
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Innate Beauty
"I like the flowiness of skirts, the radiance and beauty of flower imagery and the cuteness and tenderness expressed by bows and lace. I actually think that these things are all somehow innate to me. My internal gender is flowy, cute, tender, radiant and beautiful." - Sophia Gubb
Gubb is an online writer and blogger.
Photograph courtesy of Sophia Gubb
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Embracing the Feminine
"In a world where masculinity is respected and femininity is regularly dismissed, it takes an enormous amount of strength and confidence for any person, whether female or male-bodied, to embrace their feminine self." - Julia Serano
Serano is a writer, spoken word performer and trans activist with a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biophysics from Columbia University. She is the author of "Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity."
Photograph courtesy of Julia Serano
