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Gender bender

Gender bender

Meaning

A person who adopts a deliberately androgynous appearance, by use of uni-sex make-up, hair-style and clothing. Probably influenced by ‘bender’ being an earlier slang term for homosexual.

Examples

With his eye-liner and lurex catsuits, David Bowie was the archetype gender bender.

Where did it originate?

USA, 1970s.

Where is it used?

Worldwide.

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About the Author

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
Gender bender

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