Lesbian Culture As with gay men, lesbian culture includes elements both from the
larger LGBT culture and elements
that are more closely specific to the
lesbian
community.
Often thought of in this regard are elements of counterculture
that have been primarily associated with lesbians in Europe and North
America. The history of lesbian culture over the last half-century has
also been tightly entwined with the evolution of feminism.
Older
stereotypes of lesbian women stressed a dichotomy between women who adhered to stereotypical male gender stereotypes ("butch") and stereotypical female gender stereotypes ("femme"),
and that typical lesbian couples consisted of a butch/femme pairing.
Today, some lesbian women adhere to being either "butch" or "femme,"
but these categories are much less rigid and there is no express
expectation that a lesbian couple be butch/femme. There is a
sub-culture within the lesbian community called Aristasia,
where lesbians in the community adhere to exaggerated levels of
femininity. In this culture, there are two genders, blonde and
brunette, although they are unrelated to actual hair color. Brunettes
are femme, yet blondes are even more so. Also notable are diesel dykes, extremely butch women who use male forms of dress and behavior. Lipstick lesbian refers to feminine women who are attracted only to other feminine women. Lesbian culture also has its own icons such as Melissa Etheridge. Others include k.d. lang (butch), Ellen DeGeneres (androgynous), and Portia de Rossi (femme).