Whit was his face as payndemayn,
His lippes rede as rose;
His rode is lyk scarlet in grayn,
And I yow telle in good certayn
He hadde a semely nose.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Tale of Sir Thopas. Sir Thopas has many qualities attributed to a noble knight. But the way Chaucer describes his appearance it is very similar to the physical qualities attributed to women of that time. He has a white face, rose red lips, deep scarlet cheeks and a seemly nose – feminine attributes.