Femininity is the bundle of looks, manners, and feelings that a group of people treats as “typical of women” — often gentle, delicate, pretty, careful. Though actually, the bundle is not a law of nature: what counted as feminine in your grandmother’s town (long hair, a quiet voice, never arguing) may look old-fashioned to her granddaughter. People also stretch the word. A dress, a colour, even a way of sitting can be called feminine. A man can be said to “have femininity” if he is soft or graceful; that can be kind, or it can be a jab, depending who says it and how. Femininity is not the same as being female (a body fact) and not the same as feminism (a belief about rights). Textbooks and careful talk use femininity; everyday English often reaches for “girly” or “womanly”, which feel looser and sometimes ruder.