If you have ever walked into a gallery during a queer exhibition and thought “Why are there seven identical women here all wearing cuffed jeans and holding tote bags?”, congratulations. You have unlocked the ancient sapphic mystery known as the ‘types of lesbian’. I have viewed many of these subspecies in the wild, as they graze on houmus pots and travel in pairs.
Welcome to a long, mildly sarcastic guide to lesbian taxonomy for the internet age. This is not a scientific study, this is anthropology via vibes
To keep this even more convincing, I’ve included references you can read afterward so you too can become an expert in lesbian spotting.
Why are there "types" of lesbians?
Sapphics have always used subcategory labels. It’s bonding, it’s identity and it’s also a way to avoid explaining for the fifteenth time at a party why one of you wears the trousers.
Labels help us signal taste, culture, community and what we will absolutely not be doing on a Sunday morning (crossfit).
This guide explores the familiar categories, the art-world variants, and the weird niche micro-species that emerge whenever three lesbians and a pot of acrylic paint are in the same room.
For anyone who'd like to know I'm a mix of 1, 7 and 11. I have cried when a cat looked at me weirdly, I draw bright digital illustrations and I own a corner sofa which I bought from a sofa store
1. The soft masc
Soft mascs are masc, but only if you squint. Think tattoos softened by a tote bag that says “Support your local lesbian artist”. They own two shirts, both flannel and they exude “I will fix your shelf, but I will also cry if your cat looks at me too intensely.”
Art tendencies
Soft mascs adore sapphic art where women stare lovingly at each other under moonlight. They buy prints for their flat that already looks like a Pinterest board for emotional intimacy.
2. The cottagecore lesbian
She can identify fifty herbs but cannot identify a red flag. She dreams of moving to the countryside to milk goats and make pottery bowls that are always slightly wonky but “full of soul”.
Art tendencies
Cottagecore lesbians worship queer art depicting nature, flowers and women in oversized linen. Bonus points if the artwork features peaches. They adore peaches.
Real-world behaviour
At every pride event she says “I’m not really into crowds” moments before attending 19 hours of gay clubbing.
3. The academic dyke
This lesbian writes 43,000 word essays in a single sitting. She casually references Judith Butler during brunch. She has at least one degree in something deeply impractical like “Queer renaissance body aesthetics”.
Art tendencies
She supports LGBTQ artists passionately. She will also lecture strangers in galleries if they interpret a painting incorrectly. She is the backbone of queer theory and also the reason half the community has impostor syndrome.
Internal link moment
She would absolutely analyse this artwork for symbolism:
• Browse my sapphic illustration prints
4. The sports lesbian
You will hear her before you see her. She owns twelve pairs of trainers, all white, and drinks protein shakes that smell faintly of moral superiority. She talks about her “team” a lot and you pretend to understand.
Art tendencies
Sports lesbians like bold graphic prints. Anything dynamic, bright or reminiscent of a well aimed football.
Relationship pattern
You date her for three months and suddenly know everything about the Women’s Super League. You don’t remember signing up for this.
5. The tattoo lesbian
She has full sleeves, neck tattoos, or a tiny meaningful line drawing she got during a break-up. She reads tarot, she owns crystals and you are simultaneously intimidated and aroused.
Art tendencies
Tattoo lesbians adore queer artist renderings with bold outlines, graphic shapes, sensual shoulder blades and women who look like they can bench press your emotional baggage.
6. The tech lesbian
Her haircut is modern and her glasses are geometric. She owns three monitors and an ergonomic chair that costs more than your rent. She explains coding to you like you are a Victorian child.
Art tendencies
Tech lesbians enjoy minimalist digital illustrations. Clean lines. Bright palettes. Anything that looks like it could be projected in a conference room.
Relationship pattern
She ghosts you for two weeks because she was “rebuilding a server”. You forgive her.
7. The indie art girl
She hosts exhibitions in warehouses that definitely fail health inspections. She is the reason lesbian art flourishes. She paints until 4am and lives on existential dread.
Subspecies
• “I only draw women with knives” lesbian
• “My medium is moss” lesbian
• “I make sculptures from found objects like abandoned Crocs” lesbian
8. The bookshop lesbian
She always smells faintly of paper and bergamot. She owns tote bags with quotes. She has cried over at least two novels this month and her flat is a shrine to sapphic literature.
Art tendencies
Bookshop lesbians love illustrated portraits of women reading, soft colours, dreamy expressions and intense eye contact. They are here for sapphic artist depictions that look like yearning incarnate.
Favourite phrase
“I think you’d really like this book” which is lesbian for “I am low key in love with you”.
9. The DIY home renovator lesbian
She owns a drill, talks about grout and she is in constant battle with some kind of plasterboard. She is the lesbian your mother thinks you should date.
Art tendencies
She loves architectural line drawings and clean graphic posters. She buys your art because “it ties the room together”.
10. The TikTok micro label lesbian
Every month she announces a new hyper-specific lesbian identity. “I am a sleepy cottage dyke with indie-punk masc energy and occasional goblin femme tendencies.” She says it like it makes perfect sense.
Art tendencies
She loves bold, bright queer aesthetics and trendy digital illustrations. Bonus if an anime girl is involved.
11. The mature lesbian who has seen some things
She drinks proper wine that she sips on a grown up sofa. She knows which builders are reliable and where to get good olives. She is unshakeable.
Art tendencies
She purchases classy, well-framed LGBTQ art. She likes pieces that whisper “I am cultured now”.
12. The token straight girl who isn’t straight
There is always one, she says “I’m not gay” while wearing Doc Martens and staring at women in museums. She will identify somewhere along the queer spectrum within a year.
Art tendencies
She buys queer art to “support her friends” and then starts asking questions like “How do you know if you’re bisexual?”
Where do all these types meet?
Everywhere there is art.
Lesbians and art go together the way cottagecore lesbians and pressed wildflowers go together. There have always been queer artists, painters, illustrators, sculptors and sapphic artists who explore love, identity and terrible exes through visuals.
Lesbians gravitate to art because it is storytelling, connection and a great excuse to stare at beautiful women for extended periods.
Final thoughts: Lesbian taxonomy is fluid (like us)
The truth is most lesbians are a mix of many categories. You might be a sports lesbian with academic tendencies, a tattoo lesbian with a secret cottagecore fantasy or a DIY lesbian who loves bookshops. You contain multitudes and therefore conflicted feelings.
Art and lesbians are eternal soulmates. Go forth and categorise responsibly.
Caffers Art: Lesbian Art and Queer Prints