10 Signs to Tell If a Girl Is Gay

Important Note: There is no definitive way to discern someone's sexual orientation from the way they look. If you want to be sure who they're into, ask them!

Important Second Note: Read this article light-heartedly and take it with a huge grain of salt.

Now that we've gotten those two points out of the way, I can say that there are some well-known trends that are fun to make lists about, so here goes!

Just to update you, here are some gay-girl stereotypes that sadly are no longer reliable:

• Plaid: Everybody and their mother wears plaid these days. Yes, even the oversized, baggy plaids. There is nothing gay about this pattern anymore.
• Beanies: Again, lots and lots of girls wear beanies now—gay, straight, whatever. I know I've been confused by girls wearing beanies who looked queer but turned out to be straight. Whoops.
• Septum piercings: This used to be a queer thing, but lately tonnes of people have their septums pierced (queer or hipster? who knows anymore?!).

Now that you're up to speed, let's go on to the signs that are still relevant.

1. Short nails
2. Undercuts
3. The quiff hairstyle
4. Pride paraphernalia
5. Menswear
6. Bow ties
7. Stereotypically gay interests
8. Body modifications
9. Deeper / more sultry speaking voice
10. Prolonged eye contact

We all know why this would be an indicator.

Moving on...

Now, short hair in itself is not an indicator of queerness (this is actually a really annoying stereotype), but undercuts or shaved parts of the head tend to be pretty popular (for guys and girls, actually) within the queer community.

Then again, she might just be a punk straight girl!

This is pretty. Freaking. Gay.

This hairstyle tends to be worn by butchier/more androgynous girls, and if I had a dollar for every time I've seen a butch or assigned female at birth (afab) genderqueer person with this hairstyle, I could buy myself a few pairs of nice shoes.

This goes without saying, and generally if somebody's wearing a rainbow/lesbian/bi/pan bracelet or pin, they're queer.

This is a pretty sure bet that she's gay, unless she's one of those obnoxious straight allies who think it's cool to smother themselves in pride paraphernalia in a misguided attempt to show their support for the LGBTQIA+ community (they mean well, god love 'em, but no. Do not do that).

Classic dapper butch fashion often includes: vests, cardigans, bow ties or ties, button-downs, slacks, suit jackets, blazers, and dressy leather shoes or boots.

So handsome. So gay.

This is such an iconic queer girl accessory that it needed its own category. Bask in all its dapper glory!

(Note: Femmes wear them, too! Bowties look adorable on all girls, basically.)

This is really more of a joke addition than anything else. Liking these things doesn't automatically mean you're queer, of course, but a lot of gay women do like these things. This is more of a "oh she's gay AND likes these things, what a queer coincidence!" (pun intended).

Likes any of the following:

Artists

• Tegan and Sara (classic)
• K.D. Lang
• One Direction
• Justin Beiber
• Beth Ditto
• Lady Gaga
• Angel Haze
• Mary Lambert

TV Shows

• The L-Word (obviously)
• Ru Paul's Drag Race
• Orange is the New Black (lots of inmate lesbian sex!)

Gay Icons

• Kristen Stewart (yes, I know she's not out. Yet.)
• Ellen Page (is out!)
• Laverne Cox (queen!)
• Cara Delevingne, plus her array of gorgeous girlfriends
• Anna Kendrick
• Samira Wiley
• Ellen Degeneres

Queer people (especially younger ones) tend to be more modified than the average straight person.

So girls with multiple facial piercings, stretched ears, and/or several tattoos is generally a good sign (again, not always, though!).

Some queer girls have this way of talking in which they take their voice down a register, at times sounding monotone or dry.

You either know exactly what I'm talking about, or not at all.

Watch this Rachel Maddow interview with Ellen if you're confused.

This is one of the most reliable ways to tell if someone is interested in you, regardless of age, gender, sexual or romantic orientation, etc.

If you think a girl is giving you the once-over, she probably is. Even if she's not, a lot of women aren't as wildly homophobic as men are, so if you take a chance and hit on her and she turns out to be straight, she'll likely take it as a compliment (this depends on where you live! Stay safe, please, even if it means staying closeted.).