#I'm sure fellow aruanis have some thoughts too

[clfixationstation]

this week's aotwt discourse: is it okay to say that Armin is androgynous

but hey at least we got a fun new nickname out of it:

Anyways, yes, Armin plainly has androgynous features. It's something that actually gets him hate from the more homophobic corners of the fandom (which is likely why this homophobic Armin fan is so adamant that he is masculine).

Now, whether Armin the character likes being seen as more "feminine" is not explored in the text of AoT. So, putting down other fans based on what you think that Armin (a fictional character) would be uncomfortable with is ridiculous.

But I do have thoughts! I personally go back and forth on it a lot. I feel like Armin would feel insecure about being perceived as feminine because it has the connotation of weakness (because misogyny) and Armin is insecure about his physical strength. But I don't think it would bother him if there was not so much emphasis on physical strength in the world of AoT. So, in a modern au where there aren't titans threatening humanity, maybe Armin would embrace his more feminine features.

The other complication towards how Armin may view himself is what happened to him when he was dressed as Historia. It's possible Armin would be left feeling unsafe wearing decidedly feminine clothing :/

There's also a difference between Armin's features and how he chooses to express himself. While his physical features may be considered more "feminine" (soft features, round face, big eyes, short and slim), do the clothes Armin chooses to wear reflect a more feminine, masculine, or androgynous presentation?

Side note: I do not believe that femininity should be restricted to the features I listed. People with all sorts of different features should be able to consider themselves feminine and be viewed as such by others. I'm simply identifying some features that my surrounding society associates with femininity.

Outside of his work uniform, Armin is primarily shown wearing a pale blue or green sweater over a white button up shirt, sometimes with a light jacket over top. Armin dresses very cozy, yet coordinated:

like bro is always in that light blue cardigan

Another consideration is that what is perceived as "masculine" or "feminine" depends a lot on cultural context. Like, if I wore most of these fits where I live in the US as a girl, they'd be seen as pretty neutral; the sweaters leaning more feminine, the plain button-ups leaning more masculine (the suspenders would be seen as simply out of style lol).

Anyways, while I would say Armin's personal style is definitely more masculine than feminine, it comes across as less masculine than the personal style of other men in AoT, due to his soft color and fabric choices.

Honestly the style really suits him and it's super cute :) (Armin light academia king)

And I'm not really making an argument here, I'm just expressing my thoughts on the matter. People are free to depict and imagine Armin in whatever styling they please - so long as they're not being a homophobic asshat