In reality, the true toxic trait is the policing of femininity and gossip is one way that people attempt to do this. Gossiping is not an action done by women alone, and implying so may be considered anti-feminist. For example, calling gossip a product of toxic femininity alone is reductive. Perhaps the situation requires you to reflect on what may be toxic about some approaches to femininity instead. Remember, some uses of the phrase have been used to promote anti-feminist ideology to deter conversations around toxic masculinity. Be careful with how you use the term 'toxic femininity': Deploy the phrase ‘toxic femininity’ with careful consideration of the context.Have curious and courageous conversations with others and explore whether what is being said or done is in the best interest of all, or if it is contributing to the upholding of patriarchal power dynamics. Speak up: Notice and call out toxic femininity within yourself and the circles in which you exist.Are you doing things for yourself or for the male gaze? Are you making decisions based on what you really want or are you seeking male approval? Be gentle and honest with yourself and consider what other ways of thinking, being, and interacting may be possible and more true to who you actually are and want to be. Take time to reflect on what you've learned and begin to unlearn: Check in with yourself and consider what misogynistic ideology you’ve been taught or internalized.Behaviors utilized can consist of: gossip, spreading rumors to discredit someone, and the threat of social exclusion. This could be done to receive the attention of a man-perhaps a romantic interest, teacher, boss, client or male peer. In this instance, an individual may resent or act harmfully to other women as a means to prove themselves. Sabotaging others by abusing traditionally feminine qualities: This refers to the idea that all other women compete for male attention and recognition.Policing of femininity in others: This involves pressuring others to emulate behaviors that are seen as feminine - for example, commenting negatively over someone’s choice to remain child-free.This behavior is reinforced through punishment, such as being at fault for experiencing gender-based violence, being called a 'slut,' or being seen as “compromised”-for instance, confident women are often told that their attitude is unattractive or an unwomanly trait. Hyper-femininity: This involves the strict adherence to stereotypical feminine behavior.They should be “flexible” in their thinking and only live to be of service. Docile: This is the notion that women must be ready to accept control or instruction.Finally, it will explore the difficulty a gendered society has in seeing gendered behaviour, even when looking at it. This chapter will examine this recent research on Hyperfemininity, its relationship to adversarial relational styles, rape myth acceptance and sexual compulsivity. Hyperfeminine women were more likely to use coercive sexual tactics with their adult male partners than women who did not subscribe to exaggerated gender roles. While Hyperfemininity is not generally considered problematic, recent research has found a striking association between Hyperfemininity and sexually coercive behaviour. Research on this population of women, defined as Hyperfeminine, indicates that they base their concept of personal success on their ability to obtain and maintain a heterosexual relationship, utilizing their sexuality and manipulation as the key tools to achieve this goal. A subset of women assimilates gender roles as primary to their identities. While psychological research has investigated the extreme end of masculinity (Hypermasculinity) for many years, research into women on the extreme end of femininity is relatively new. This is not a universal decision, however and both sexes may adhere to gender roles to varying degrees. Many people choose to be defined by their humanity, rather than their masculinity or femininity. Western culture has seen a growth in post-genderism since the 1960’s, with both sexes refusing to be reduced to socially constructed gender roles.

Hyper feminine