Do you think tomboys are born like that or raised into one?

Question

For the most part, I find them interesting. They rarely engage in worthless drama and gossip.

Do you think those girls are born like that or raised into a tomboy? My 18 year-old cousin is one. At a very early age, she had preference (I can't think of anyone teaching her that) towards trucks, huge lego constructions, airplane toys, firefighter action figure and used to play rough with the boys. If someone bought her a doll, she wouldn't play with it. She always had more guy friends too. This is her last year of HS and she wants to major in engineering.

DancingInMoonlight · Accepted Answer

Some are born to it, some raised to it. I was more born into it. My parents, even though mum's quite into the feminine aspect, did nothing to encourage and all they did to hamper was remind me to be safe.

But I *hated* dolls and thought toy soldiers fantastic, played with mecho sets, wore boys clothes, played boy sports, and did more 'boy' things like catching snakes, frogs/toads, etc. I still remember parents looking at a house with some acreage & me taking off to chase down a garden snake. I never wore makeup, dresses or skirts, had no interest in fads, fashion or celebrities, and all around did little that could be called 'girlie'.
As a teen/early 20s this extended into car mechanics, dirt bikes, hunting, ATV & snowmobiles, home renovations, and such things like hockey (sure it was a mixed league but you could count girls among all the teams on half of one hand - 3). The vast (as in 85%) majority of my friends were boys. Fact if I was gonna talk about a boy it was about the next adventurous or stupid thing we'd all be doing like rock climbing, cliff diving, spelunking/caving, whitewater rafting, kayaking, surfboarding, weighing the pros & cons of rowing a rubber dingy across the bay, etc.

As an adult not much as changed. Oh I'm no lesbian or bi. Only had interest in guys.
Sure nowadays I'll wear a dress or skirt or more feminine clothing. Still no to makeup. But I'm a dang good cook, everyone at works says whatever I bring in smells delicious. I'm confident but not masculine, something that catches a lot of interest from guys. Yet I'll still go off roading either by dirt bike, atv or snowmobile with friends, much rather jump from a plane sky diving or go shark diving, talk mechanics, politics or science with relatives or friends or even strangers, and replace kitchen cabinets myself before I bother even wasting a minute with fads, fashion, celebrities or other more 'traditionally' feminine things.

victoriaxoxo · Accepted Answer

Probably both. I used to be a tomboy (although now I’m quite unisex). I found myself preferring ‘boyish’ toys even when I was 5. I remember once throwing a fit because all boys in my class were given remote controlled toy cars and girls were given Barbies. I wanted the toy car (partly because I could tell it was more expensive and partly because I felt like there were more things that I could do with it). Then I must have been 5/6 also. Obviously as I aged by preferences only solidified. I also do things like game and assemble model planes and cars.

In all honesty, I don’t think I ever thought of these things as ‘boyish’. I always just thought that they were my things. And plenty of other people (in fact most) are like me and so they probably enjoy these things too.

It was only when I got older that I realised many girls don’t and will never like certain things I enjoy doing. I personally think something is a bit off with them. How are you gonna go an act like a 60’s commercial? Make up, clothes, gossip and more make up? Surely, there are more fun hobbies than just that?

NEEDLESS TO SAY, I have a hard time fitting in with girl groups. I only have one female friend. Most of my friends seem to be guys. That sorta sucks but I don't know if I can be bothered to fake it just so some girls might sorta like me.

Ayer93 · Accepted Answer

As most things in life, I believe that there are many factors involved. Some people are more aggressive or timid by nature. People perceive scenarios differently as well. Where one girl may think barbies are cute, another girl may think they're lame and boring. Then there's the aspect of who they want to associate with... the guys that do a lot of adventurous stupid stuff or the girls that talk about the guy they like and makeup tutorials. So it matters what kind of people are around you. If most of the guys around you are gym junkies and dumb and the girls around you are intellectual and talk about conspiracy theories and psychology then things may be different. It all depends on what you resonate with, with your own personality. In psychology right now, the theory is that nature is dominant over nurture when it comes to personality, and I agree with that. Your brain is already hardwired to perceive and handle scenarios a certain way.

So my answer is that although there are many factors involved, I believe it's the way you're born mostly.

Jjpayne · Accepted Answer

I personally think born like that but it's possible that the biological makeup for thought poured a little bit extra of testosterone in there but that could be a far stretch. But it's a girl having a unqine desire, with the ability to choose in fact I know girls that are equal parts femine and tomboy there is something fun about them. But it's having only brothers or maybe only having guy friends at times that give you the desire to want to have fun too. But every girl is different and so is every guy. In fact I bet there are guys that could not dream of dirt and get manicures and pedicures. But the one thing I like about tomboys is the idea where you can be yourself and just have pure fun without putting up a front.

Skyrim5346 · Answer

no they absolutely are I think being a tomboy and people don't realize it but guys can be Tom girls but I think it's just an aspect of human nature some people are born male but k n o w there female some are born female but no there male some guys like to wear more feminine type clothes and some girls like to wear guy clothes and I think that is ingrained in their nature because the girlfriend that I had when I was 13 was like a total tomboy and I knew her from daycare she was the opposite of my sister she got hand me downs from her brother who is older but she like the clothes and they grew on her we don't date anymore but I still talk to her and she still dresses the same and we're the same age I think her style is like Avril Lavigne but my sister was the opposite she got hand me downs for me she hates me to this day for that she doesn't hate my mom she doesn't hate my dad she hates me cuz they were my clothes so absolutely being a tomboy or tomgirl isn't rain in your nature but you can also change your nature I've had girlfriends it went from being girly girly being a tomboy I tried girls it went from being a tomboy the being girly girly so I think that explains it for me that's my opinion hope you like it it actually took me long tile to think of it

elisa_0 · Answer

A mix of both. Tomboys usually grow into that even if their families value gender roles. But sometimes what makes a tomboy is a gender-neutral family. I was a tomboy (still kinda am), and a lot of people think I'm a guy online if I don't tell them directly that I'm a girl.

I've always loved video games over socializing with people, I've liked to dress casually, I've always hated high heels (they're uncomfortable), and I have a very high sex drive. A lot of tomboys are called sluts because of this.

But I also love makeup, purses, romance etc. So... I guess I'm a bit of both tomboyish and girlyish

Anonymous · Answer

This child is it's own person. She will develop her own preferences. You can't change that. Sure, you can get her a dream barbie set and she'll play with it but deep down it can't compare to hobbies that aren't seen as "fit for ladies". I discovered 2 years ago in 8th grade Ag that I loved Welding. Took the course and now I talk to my guy friends about TIG Welding, what shop project were gonna work on next- I was raised to embrace the outdoors and shop so that what I did. And I couldn't live without it.

Nxtawm · Answer

Hard to answer, brings in gender identity sooo
for what I think, she's born like that. Biological she may have more of certain hormones like uh testosterone that makes her more aggressive or like aggressive things (like soldier toys, etc.) of course there are external factors but in this case, I think it's just her being born that way

Kaneki05 · Answer

Lol no one is born as anything but a baby with normally the same fuctioning brain until devlops later and through life.
you can be born with a defect but not anything else and last i checked choosing more tomboy things isn't a defect.

everything we are is due to are memories and learning unless if we have an actaul defect.

R_Cakes91 · Answer

Can I say both? My dad raised me around fishing and backpacking. My mom tried to get me interested in beauty pageants and that was last thing I wanted to do.

Being a tomboy is awesome. I had mostly guy friends growing up, no drama, and loved playing in the mud.

Cynicaldreamer · Answer

I'm one, and I'd say it's how we're raised and our environment.

As a kid, my parents got me girl and boy toys! From dolls and an easy bake oven, to dinosaurs and trucks, lol. It did not help I had older brothers, so of course I wrestled and played catch with them!

In school, I mostly hung out with guys. So of course I picked up some of their behaviors.

I'm still feminine, but you'll rarely see me in a dress, wearing makeup, or out with a group of girls, lol

TheLawAroundHere · Answer

Being a tomboy is behavior. Its not hard wired into someones brain. Im gonna bet that a lot of people will mistake this for gay. That, friends and neighbors, is hard wired. A girl liking male geared things is like a guy being effeminate. Being swishy has shit to do with being gay. Same as being butch, or a tomboy, doesn't mean she's a lesbian.

Ninjazzed · Answer

I was definitely born a tomboy, my parents were confused.. never developed an interest in playing with dolls, makeup, or even dressing up. Of course I wear makeup now, but I didn’t care much about feminine fashion because I didn’t want to be viewed as a “girly-girl” or a “prep” so to speak.

But, of course over time—my parents sort of accepted it and never questioned it again.

miley19 · Answer

I was raised as a tomboy and now im the most feminine girl you may ever see, my mom would often tell me to wear jeans but i always chose dresses and skirts, i hated sports which involves balls, i used to have a crush on a diffrent boy every month and list goes on haha. It’s really about how you feel in my opinion

SpacedCharr · Answer

I'm a born tomboy.

Been tearing heads off Barbie dolls and playing with the boys since elementary school.

Now that I'm older, I'm embracing certain feminine wiles in order to accent or downplay other masculine vibes.

It's fun. :)

Plus, women in suits and a bit of a butch countenance at my office go real far.

Duckysback · Answer

I think it’s typically a number of different factors for most people. I used to be all about makeup and dresses and shit like that. Only dress I have worn in the last five years was because I was a bridesmaid in a wedding a few months ago. I work out regularly, prefer pants and boots to most other options, and im a huge proponent of personal independence.

different83 · Answer

The answer is both. Genetics is a real thing, but we also adapt and change based on our environment. Both of these things are what mold us into the people we become. Love is understood at birth but hate is taught. It's the same in all things. We are who we are but we develop based on environment.

Jessi_Clem · Answer

Raised!

I act just like my dad because he was so much more fun than my mom, so I may come off as kinda tomboyish sometimes. And my cousin is the exact opposite. She was raised solely by her mom and is the biggest girly girl ever! She never wears an outfit twice.

KungfuCyborg · Answer

Probably a bit of both. Im pretty sure id still be a tomboy even if i had been raised by different parents, but hanging out with my dad in the shop, going hunting with him and stuff like that definitely had a reinforcing effect.

Sensmind · Answer

I would say born like that though her environment could be conductive ( say supportive parents rather than "OMG she is going to become a lesbian and give us no grandchildren")

Anonymous · Answer

Both, i have 3 fucking brothers and my parents, no sister;-; and i bet i would be more into girly things if i had more girls in my family, they also lose respect for me cause im a girl and i dont have anyone other than my mom who will understand me sometimes, they’re the reason i curse often and isn't as girly or whatever as the girls my brothers date lol

mx_mia · Answer

Honestly I think it's just personality, there are aspects you are born with and some that are caused by environment. But the way you act is changed or re-enforced by the response you get from your environment, so I'd say both factors are equal

crmoore · Answer

Born like that. My sister was raised the be feminine but she would push back on it constantly, after a few years we just let her do what she wanted and now she's completely tomboy.

Larrypoot · Answer

I was always super tomboy from as far back as I can remember. Played with tonka trucks in the dirt and was “one of the guys” with the neighborhood kids.

Do you think tomboys are born like that or raised into one?

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