Femminiello

Il femminiello, painted by Giuseppe Bonito (17071789) sometime between 1740 and 1760. The femminiello's missing teeth and goitre are signs of poverty and malnutrition, but the red coral necklace represents good fortune.[1][2][3]

Femminielli or femmenielli (singular femminiello, also spelled as femmeniello) are a population of people who embody a third gender role in traditional Neapolitan culture.[4][5] It may be hard to define this term within modern Western notions of "gay men" versus "trans women" since both these categories overlap to a degree in the case of femminielli.[5] This term is not derogatory and does not carry a stigma; instead femminielli are traditionally believed to bring good luck.[4][5]

  1. ^ "The Femminiello." Portland Art Museum. http://portlandartmuseum.us/mwebcgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=68749;type=101
  2. ^ "The Femminiello in Neapolitan Culture." Naples: Life, Death, & Miracles. November 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2020. http://www.naplesldm.com/femm.php
  3. ^ Lang, Nico (11 Jul 2016). "This 18th-Century Italian Painting Proves Gender Nonconformity Is Far From a Modern Invention". Slate. The Slate Group LLC.
  4. ^ a b Fulvio, Bufi (2009). "Presa Ketty, boss "femminiello" Comandava i pusher di Gomorra". Corriere della Sera (February 13, 2009): 19. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Femminiello è una figura omosessuale (..) è una persona dall' aspetto effeminato o spesso un travestito. È rispettato e generalmente il femminiello viene considerato una persona che porta fortuna.
  5. ^ a b c Jeff Matthews. "The Femminiello in Neapolitan Culture". Archived from the original on 2011-05-15.

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