Masculine bodies, feminine symbols: challenging gendered identities or compulsory femininity?

abstract This article explores the experiences of a group of men who dress and construct their bodies and identities as ‘feminine’. The article engages with and interprets the social, political, psychological and economic consequences of these constructions. The research suggests that even though participants present or express ‘alternative’ forms of masculinity and femininity in contemporary South Africa, established norms of hegemonic masculinity and femininity go relatively unchallenged by the participants' same-sex relationships. The article illustrates that gender and sex as flip sides of a coin is a simplistic construction. The argument motivates that future research should be conducted that provides additional insights into the gendered identities which these ‘women’ have internalised, reproduced, and possibly challenged in their everyday lives.