What does the word “Feminine” mean? If I can divorce it from “womanly”, has it any other meaning? Have any women an opinion on this?
Kat Powell writes on the Romantic concept of Sensibility, where virtue and emotion together produced the appropriate response. Appropriate feminine sensibility resulted in good behaviour: there are controlling aspects to this, which can be rendered powerless if we divorce the concept from “pertaining to women”. Or go with Mary Wollstonecraft, who proposed one standard of virtue and equal education.
Claire Zammit and Katherine Woodward Thomas say that to fit in a man’s world, women have followed masculine power. This is the power to create things that can be controlled, [while] feminine power is the power to manifest that which is beyond our control, including those things that our heart most yearns for–intimacy, relatedness, creative expression, authentic community and meaningful contribution. Women care about love, intimacy, connection, belonging, creativity, self-expression, aliveness, meaning, purpose, contribution and a brighter future for generations to come.
Vanessa Halloum writes of “five feminine power virtues”- Presence, Authenticity, Sensuality, Spirituality and Gratitude.
Confucius said that a woman should obey her father, then her husband, and when a widow she should obey her sons. Her virtues were morality, proper speech, modest appearance and diligent work. Modest appearance: it is her job to avoid men being turned on, and she must not use 
sexuality for power. That is why I am reading women. Myisha Cherry says the concept of feminine virtue is a tool of patriarchy- so we need to do better than her dismissive list, “chastity, modesty and obedience” as opposed to masculine “toughness, strength and ambition”.
John Gerzema asked people whether they thought certain attributes were masculine or feminine, and found eight feminine ones were in the top ten required for leaders: Expressive, plans for future, reasonable, loyal, flexible, patient, intuitive and collaborative. For my own personal femininity I choose to include resilient as well: others call it masculine, and well OK. Inc magazine says leaders need feminine traits: empathy, vulnerability, inclusiveness, humility, generosity, balance and patience.
Krystal Baugher celebrates feminine traits: thoughtfulness/nurturing; delicate beauty; empathy, emotional vulnerability, intuition, patience, sensuality and radiance.
The Buddhist Library says Having masculine traits primarily means that a person is independent and assertive. This related to high self-esteem and to success in many situations.
Having feminine traits primarily means that a person is nurturant and interpersonally oriented. Such people therefore, tend to experience greater social closeness with others.
Here is James Park’s Gender-pattern chart. He argues that all femininity or masculinity is cultural, and that both sexes may show traits from both patterns. Creative, expressive, tolerant, nurturing, gentle, spiritual, compassionate, warm- here I have a cultural concept of femininity which I love, and which fits me. More on this tomorrow. I am pleased with my dialogue yesterday, which has an original Churchill anecdote.
Clare Flourish 
Yes I have a view, but I doubt you’d agree or like it, so I won’t add it. You can probably guess it anyway.
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Views from Gibraltar are likely to be you- views from Spain most likely Pink- so I noticed your restraint. Tomorrow I relate “feminine” qualities to me, as a whole character rather than discrete qualities, as a Good; but I still have to divorce “feminine” from “male”.
I distinguish between views I disagree with, and views I find revolting or halfwitted, and views where I might not persuade. I argue when I think arguing might do some good, or when I am wound up.
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I rarely check views. I’m not obsessed with the stats. They may be of interest but looking at them is really an unproductive waste of time. Unless one wishes to find a lurker.
I comment occasionally on views I disagree with to point out that there is a different perspective. I rarely comment on religion because it isn’t part of my life. I don’t have the knowledge to argue, and why would I argue with something I don’t believe exists? If everyone had the same tolerance as you, religion would be acceptable, still whacky, but at least not intrusive.
As for feminity, the obvious answer is that it is a patriarchal construct and damaging.
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Feminine is female-like. Technically speaking sex and gender are codependently intelligible, as “female” is intelligible in the context of female-like association, in the same way that male & female are codependently intelligible.
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Wux, babes, I wish you would not use words you do not understand. Merriam Webster: Codependency: a psychological condition or a relationship in which a person is controlled or manipulated by another who is affected with a pathological condition (as an addiction to alcohol or heroin); broadly : dependence on the needs of or control by another.
If you are saying you can only understand the word “female” in context of the term “feminine”, you are talking gibberish, as well as implying that transgender experience is impossible.
As usual I deleted your links, not wanting to use my site to publicise your rubbish.
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Clare, darling! The meaning of a term is dependant on it’s it’s usage, where the meaning of the terms in question are dependant on eachother. They are co-dependant.
“If you are saying you can only understand the word “female” in context of the term “feminine”, you are talking gibberish”
Are you proposing that the notion “female” has intelligibility apart from female-like (feminine) association?
nope
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Female is physical, “feminine” is cultural. It’s quite simple, Wux.
Do keep up.
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Do you really think that “female” has intelligibility apart from culture?
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“Female” has been objective reality for 1.2 billion years, from the first sexually reproducing eukaryote, the ancestor of all the rest of us.
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You fail to understand the difference between an object in itself and the dynamics for which an object may be contracted as an intelligible property within experience.
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Ooh, wux getting snappy. You fail to understand that the distinction is irrelevant in this context- or perhaps you are trying to change the subject, as usual when you are losing arguments. Anyway, the subject here is what is “feminine”, not what is “female”.
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i agree with james park. every woman and man have “feminine” and “masculine” traits, and to where the balance pends doesn’t mean that makes them less than a woman or man. i look forward to read more on this topic!
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