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Sapphism
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Sapphic
Pronunciation/ˈsæfɪk/ ⓘ
EtymologySappho + -ism or -ic
Abbreviations
Subcategories
Other terms
DerivativesSapphist[2]
Flag
Sapphic Flag made of three equal-sized vertical stripes of pink, white, pink, with a small five petalled flower in the centre of the white stripe
Sapphic pride flag[3][4]
Flag nameSapphic pride flag[3][4]
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientations
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Sapphism is an umbrella term for women loving women (WLW); any woman attracted to women or in a relationship with another woman, regardless of their sexual orientations, and encompassing the romantic love between women. It is the female equivalent of Uranian and Achillean.

Etymology

[edit]
Sappho, by Enrique Simonet.

The term sapphism has been used since the 1890s,[5] and derives from Sappho, a Greek poet whose verses included her accounts of sexual and romantic love between women.[6] She was born on the Greek island Lesbos, which also inspired the term lesbianism.[7][8]

Sappho's work is one of the few ancient references to sapphic love. Her poetry, significant in quality, is a rare example of a woman speaking of her love for other women in ancient history.[9][10]

Use

[edit]

The term sapphic encompasses the experiences of lesbian, bisexual, gynephilic, plurisexual, and multiromantic women, and also women who are attracted to women but decline a label, experience a fluid sexuality, or are questioning their sexuality.[11][12] Asexual and aromantic women who are attracted to a woman can also be sapphic.[13][14]

Using the term more broadly, some sapphic individuals may be non-binary.[15][16] There are also equivalent terms for relationships between men (Uranian, Achillean),[17] between a man and a woman (duaric)[18] and involving at least one non-binary person (diamoric or enbian).[19]

Sapphic is also used in Lesbian literature for works involving at least one relationship between women, regardless of whether they are lesbian or not.[20][21][22]

See also

[edit]
Look up sapphic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Sapphism

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Sapphism is a term denoting romantic and sexual attraction between women, serving as an umbrella for women loving women (WLW) that includes lesbians, bisexual women, pansexual women, and others attracted to women regardless of stricter labels. The term derives from Sappho, the ancient Greek poet from Lesbos whose verses described love between women, and emerged in the late nineteenth century to describe such relations. Broader than lesbianism alone, sapphism encompasses diverse identities like those with or non-binary individuals aligned with womanhood who experience attraction to women. It parallels historical terms for male-male attraction, such as Uranian, while appearing in contexts like literature, symbolism, and queer pride.

Etymology and Origins

Derivation from Sappho

Sappho (c. 630–570 BCE) was an ancient Greek lyric poet born on the island of Lesbos, renowned for her innovative use of personal voice in poetry that explored themes of desire, often directed toward women. Her surviving fragments, preserved through quotations by later authors, vividly depict erotic and emotional attachments between women, as in her addresses to young females in contexts of beauty, longing, and ritual, establishing her as a key literary figure in expressions of female same-sex affection. The term "sapphic," derived from Sappho's name, initially described the metrical form of her verses around 1500 CE but later extended in the late 19th century to pertain to female same-sex attraction, reflecting interpretations of her work's intimate female-centric themes. This linguistic evolution culminated in "Sapphism" as a designation for female same-sex love, drawing directly from Sappho's legacy as the archetypal poet of such sentiments.

Historical Coinage

The term "Sapphism" emerged in 1890 to describe sexual relations between women, initially referenced in the context of French novels. This coinage aligned with late 19th-century efforts in sexology and literature to categorize female same-sex attraction, distinguishing it from more specific or pathologized terms by emphasizing relational dynamics over rigid identities. Early adoption reflected broader European intellectual shifts toward naming non-normative desires, with "Sapphism" serving as an umbrella for attractions akin to those depicted in Sappho's poetry. By the decade's end, it appeared in discussions of "Sapphists" as women engaging in same-sex love, often contrasted with male homosexuality terminology.

Definition and Scope

Core Meaning

Sapphism functions as an umbrella term encompassing any woman who experiences attraction to other women or engages in relationships with them, irrespective of specific sexual orientation labels. This broad scope accommodates diverse forms of female same-sex attraction, including romantic, sexual, or emotional bonds, without requiring adherence to rigid categories. The term inclusively covers women who decline orientation labels, those with fluid sexuality, and individuals who are questioning their attractions. Such inclusivity emphasizes Sapphism's role in recognizing varied expressions of women-loving-women (WLW) dynamics beyond traditional binaries. Sapphism also extends to some non-binary individuals who align with womanhood or experience attraction in ways akin to WLW frameworks, broadening its applicability in contemporary queer contexts. Derived briefly from the ancient poet Sappho's depictions of female love, the term prioritizes relational and identificatory breadth over exclusivity.

Included Identities

Sapphism encompasses lesbians, who are women exclusively or primarily attracted to other women in romantic and/or sexual ways. Bisexual women, experiencing attraction to more than one gender including women, are also included under this umbrella. The term extends to gynephilic women, characterized by attraction to women irrespective of broader orientation labels, and women, whose attractions involve multiple genders with women as a key focus. women, who form romantic connections with multiple genders including women, similarly fit within Sapphism's scope. Beyond fixed categories, Sapphism embraces women with , where attractions may shift over time, and those who decline labels altogether, highlighting its role in capturing the full spectrum of women loving women without rigid boundaries.

Distinctions and Equivalents

Comparison to Lesbianism

Sapphism serves as a broader umbrella term for women-loving-women attractions and relationships, encompassing experiences beyond exclusive same-sex orientation. In contrast, lesbianism typically denotes women who are exclusively or primarily attracted to other women, emphasizing a specific identity rooted in monosexual desire. This distinction allows Sapphism to include bisexual women, those with , or individuals who reject rigid labels while still engaging in WLW dynamics. While all lesbians fall under the Sapphic spectrum due to their alignment with female same-sex love, Sapphism extends to non-exclusive forms of attraction, fostering inclusivity for diverse expressions of women's relational and erotic interests with other women. This broader scope reflects evolving understandings of sexuality, where Sapphism prioritizes the relational aspect over strict exclusivity.

Parallels with Male Terms

Sapphism functions as the female equivalent to terms describing male-male attraction, notably Uranian and Achillean, creating gendered parallels in terminology for same-sex orientations.) Uranian emerged in the 19th century as a designation for homosexual men, coined by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs to describe innate same-sex desire often theorized as gender inversion, drawing from classical mythology. Achillean, developed in the mid-2010s, serves as a contemporary umbrella for men or man-aligned individuals attracted to men, explicitly modeled as the masculine parallel to sapphic to encompass diverse experiences beyond narrow labels like gay. These terms collectively establish a triad—Sapphism for women-loving-women, alongside Uranian and Achillean for men-loving-men—employed in contemporary discussions of attraction to denote broad, gender-specific same-sex umbrellas that prioritize relational dynamics over rigid identities.

Cultural Representations

In Literature

Sappho's ancient Greek poetry, which vividly portrayed erotic and emotional bonds between women, established a foundational legacy for sapphic themes in literature, influencing subsequent depictions of female same-sex desire. Her fragmented verses, focusing on longing and intimacy among women on Lesbos, inspired later writers to explore similar dynamics without rigid labels, framing sapphism as a broad expression of women loving women. In historical literature, sapphic narratives often appeared in nuanced forms beyond explicit lesbianism, such as laced with erotic undertones in 18th-century British novels like Emma by and Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland, where ambiguous attractions highlighted fluid female bonds. The early 20th century marked a surge in overt sapphic works, with 1928 recognized as a pivotal year featuring novels like 's The Well of Loneliness, which portrayed among women, alongside other texts emphasizing emotional and physical connections irrespective of strict orientation. These genres extended sapphism to include and unlabeled attractions, as seen in Renaissance love poems and later anthologies compiling female same-sex affiliations across eras. Modern sapphic literature continues this tradition, encompassing diverse WLW experiences in contemporary novels that feature bi+ women, queer fluidity, and non-binary elements alongside lesbian stories, such as explorations of multifaceted attractions in works by authors like those compiled in recent reading lists. This broader application allows narratives to capture sapphism's umbrella nature, prioritizing relational depth over categorical constraints, as evidenced in poetic and fictional renderings of desire and partnership among women.

Symbolism and Pride

In LGBTQ+ pride contexts, Sapphism is symbolized through the Sapphic pride flag, which typically features two pink stripes representing love and attraction between women, with a central violet flower evoking historical associations of sapphic desire from ancient Greek traditions. This flag serves as an inclusive emblem for women-loving-women (WLW) communities, encompassing lesbians, bisexual women, and non-binary individuals attracted to women, distinguishing it from narrower lesbian flags that may emphasize specific subsets like cisgender lesbians or incorporate symbols such as the labrys for feminist empowerment. The violet motif draws from cultural history where the flower was exchanged among women as a token of affection, reinforcing Sapphism's role in broader WLW representation during pride events, media, and activism for visibility and resilience. These symbols highlight Sapphism's umbrella nature, promoting unity across fluid and unlabeled attractions in contrast to more rigidly defined lesbian iconography.

References

  1. https://www.them.us/story/what-does-sapphic-mean
  2. https://queersapphic.com/identity/what-sapphic-means-vs-lesbian-difference/
  3. https://www.etymonline.com/word/Sapphism
  4. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781118896877.wbiehs421
  5. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/Sapphism
  6. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/sappho
  7. https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Greek/Sappho.php
  8. https://www.etymonline.com/word/Sapphic
  9. https://diva-magazine.com/2024/02/15/the-origin-of-sappho-and-her-seductive-poetry/
  10. https://rictornorton.co.uk/though23.htm
  11. https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/11/20/sapphic-what-is-the-history-of-the-word-and-how-is-it-linked-to-ancient-greece/
  12. https://rainbowandco.uk/blogs/what-were-saying/what-does-sapphic-mean-the-beginners-guide-to-wlw
  13. https://www.autostraddle.com/why-sapphic-is-back-in-style-definition-meaning-trend/
  14. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/love-sex/lgbtq/a46075592/sapphic-meaning/
  15. https://lexicon.library.lgbt/portal/achillean/
  16. https://rlesser.sites.gettysburg.edu/FYS161-3/2018/week-10-gender-or-sexuality/uranian-and-uraniad-in-modern-world/
  17. https://www.penguin.co.uk/discover/articles/fiction-lgbtq-history-novels
  18. https://www.dukeupress.edu/Dangerous-Intimacies
  19. https://modernismmodernity.org/forums/posts/1928-sapphic-modernity-and-sexuality-history
  20. https://english.stanford.edu/publications/literature-lesbianism-historical-anthology-ariosto-stonewall
  21. https://bookriot.com/sapphic-novels/
  22. https://lithub.com/literary-lovers-a-sapphic-reading-list-for-every-mood/
  23. https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/06/sapphic-pride-flag/
  24. https://www.them.us/story/history-of-the-lesbian-pride-flag
  25. https://nerdykeppie.com/blogs/news/the-inclusive-lesbian-sapphic-flag-what-is-it-why-do-we-use-it
  26. https://www.pride.com/history/guide-to-queer-symbols-in-history
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