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03:23
1
Q: How would a gender non-conforming woman present in a society where clothing is largely unisex?

1995inHUNI have a character who's biologically female and identifies as such but I imagine her as quite masculine as well. Apart from having short hair and maybe binding her breasts, what else could signify her gender presentation if clothing is mostly unisex in this society? Both men and women typically ...

Masculine hair style, maybe? Do females typically wear makeup?
What's the problem? Ignore clothes (which lack gender significance in this society) but otherwise conform appearance to a somewhat masculine ("butch", for lack of a better term) appearance. Avoid jewelry, make-up. feminine hair styles. Does your character actively need to make a statement about their gender non-conformity? If so, defy whatever gender-defining behaviors your society has.
@Matthew I did mention short hair, that's the best I could come up with, too. Yes, women do wear make-up but its usage is similar to medieval times in that outside certain social events, it's mostly associated with prostitutes.
@1995inHUN: In medieval times wearing makeup was associated with prostitutes, yes, a bit, but also with being of high class. High class women and men wore makeup (or what passed for makeup in those days, at least). (And the world is wide. I commented assuming that by "medieval" you mean specifically western-European medieval. Elsewhere well-to-do women wore very elaborate makeup.)
Suppose this unisex clothed society would be very liberal toward gender-related wishes, this individual could take some hormones and grow a beard ?
03:23
Fun fact: Breast binding was popular in the 1920s among flappers. Flat chests were considered to be very feminine. Breast binding is also common in Japan among kimono-wearers. Ideally, a woman wearing a kimono should approximate a tube in shape. Curves ruin the look and do not allow proper display of kimono designs (kimono should not have unnecessary folds and fabric must be nice and smooth). Sarashi is used to bind breasts. Various belts (and even towels) are used to increase the size of the waist. The curveless shape is considered to be very beautiful, elegant, and feminine.
I think you're misunderstanding the concept of conformity. Given the minimal aspects of the society you've described, a non-conforming woman could wear high heels and a miniskirt, because that doesn't conform to the described fashion for women.
Why don't you ask Cheery Littlebottom?
@AlexP You have a point. Besides, I know that even in medieval Europe, Italian women were highly known for their cosmetic techniques. I suppose, in my setting, make-up is associated with the upper-class, too, but there is a conception that too much make-up is tasteless for "well-bred women".
Consider that (if you're in the US or western Europe, at least) you live in or near societies where most clothing is fairly gender-neutral. Jeans and a t-shirt are pretty much acceptable for most people, most of the time.
Perhaps she could make her own clothes?
rek
rek
03:23
Aren't "what can this character do?"-type questions considered too story-based for this stack? This isn't a question about the world but what options a specific individual might choose.
This query does not contain enough story-related details to warrant 'Too Story Based' reason for the closure. The 'opinion-based' option is also non-applicable since the question can be answered using facts and theories related to the field of gender studies.
rek
rek
@JasonC It doesn't actually say that, it says to use meta to discuss site policy or community behaviour. I'm not doing that; I VTC'd as story-based and explained why.
@rek Actually, this question does not ask 'what can this character do?'. The question explicitly asks 'what else could signify her gender presentation if clothing is mostly unisex in this society?'. Please read carefully and do not confuse your interpretation of questions with actual questions.
 
11 hours later…
rek
rek
14:26
@Otkin The question specifies an individual character no less than five times. Did you read the question? See also Why is my question “Too Story Based” and how do I get it opened? and When should I close a question as “Too Story Based”?.
TL;DR – A question is too story-based when asking about the actions of characters, specifically what a given character would or could do in a given plot/scenario.
 
4 hours later…
18:56
@rek I think you should carefully read the meta-discussions that you've linked. This question does not satisfy the criteria of 'Too Story Based'. It does not ask about specific actions of an individual character. It focuses on what is possible and the reactions of a group of people. It is a theoretical question answers to which are applicable to many other settings, characters, and plots.
Please take a look at gender theory and gender non-conformity. It should help to understand why this question and similar questions are questions about social systems rather than individuals.

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