I personally think that it was originally said as an insult, as a way of judging a woman's value over how traditionally femenine she was. I, a trans man, have been called a tomboy all my life by my family and i didn't know exactly how to feel about it, as i always felt they said it in a rough and condescending way as if it was an insult, as if i was less likable for not being traditionally femenine. This is an issue that persists in today's society, people judge a women worth by how "pretty" and "elegant" they are, and if they don't meet those expectations, they get punished by society, who will do all they can to bring them down and "humble" them. This always happens with obese women, disabled women, or even women from other cultures who's bodies don't project the "perfect female body" that the media presents. And i GENUINELY don't see the problem, some women are taller, bigger, thiner, have less delicate facial factions, have differents skin tones, some don't have a curvy figure, some need devices to help them hear, walk, see, etc. Every woman is beautiful in her own way and worthy of respect, not because they're traditionally pretty, but because they're HUMANS, and their worth goes way beyond their body.

I say it as an "ex girl" who grew up tired of hearing "your hair is so pretty", "your eyes are beautiful", "you're so pretty", someone who grew up thinking "Is that everything people see in me?". It doesn't matter what others think of you, only you know how much you're worth, and people can't change that.

Did i got carried away from the main theme? Idk