Today, many gay men use the term to celebrate their authentic selves and challenge "masculinity" as the only acceptable way to be a man.

For much of the 20th century, "sissy" was a pejorative label for boys seen as weak or overly effeminate.

In the 1960s and 70s, psychological studies like the "Sissy Boy Experiment" attempted to "cure" gender nonconformity through behavioral therapy, often with tragic long-term results .