Futch

Futch is an adjective used to describe a woman – usually lesbian or queer – that at times shows “femme” attributes, and at other times “butch” attributes.

Femme lesbians show typical feminine traits; they wear heels, dresses, makeup, long hair etc.

Butch lesbians, on the other hand, dress and behave more masculine. They wear clothes more often worn by men, hairstyles associated with men, less makeup and often look traditionally tough.

“Futch” is a combination of the two. It is a woman who at times may wear summer dresses and braids, drinking fancy cocktails, and at other times they wear army boots, drink their whisky straight and people may have trouble knowing if its a man or a woman.

The world has seen moderate usage in the lesbian community since the 1990’s, but gained international popularity when Dani Campbell, TV personality Tila Tequila’s girlfriend, claimed that she invented it.

It was created because many lesbians couldn’t conform to neither pure butch, nore pure femme.

The term is used by the lesbian community, but also others to describe a specific style of a woman.

In 2011, the “Futch Scale” started circulating the internet. It is a scale going from Femme to Butch, with “Futch” in the middle, and multiple other options.

Some started using the scale as meme material.

• Urban Dictionary – Futch