diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py b/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py
index 9989fe3b9e78..5033fe550592 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/font_manager.py
@@ -657,9 +657,6 @@ def __init__(self,
         self.set_file(fname)
         self.set_size(size)
 
-    def _parse_fontconfig_pattern(self, pattern):
-        return parse_fontconfig_pattern(pattern)
-
     def __hash__(self):
         l = (tuple(self.get_family()),
              self.get_slant(),
@@ -850,7 +847,7 @@ def set_fontconfig_pattern(self, pattern):
         This support does not depend on fontconfig; we are merely borrowing its
         pattern syntax for use here.
         """
-        for key, val in self._parse_fontconfig_pattern(pattern).items():
+        for key, val in parse_fontconfig_pattern(pattern).items():
             if type(val) == list:
                 getattr(self, "set_" + key)(val[0])
             else:
diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/text.py b/lib/matplotlib/text.py
index 7170b5a9e171..a66911bd39d9 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/text.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/text.py
@@ -153,19 +153,17 @@ def __init__(self,
             color = rcParams['text.color']
         if fontproperties is None:
             fontproperties = FontProperties()
-        elif isinstance(fontproperties, str):
-            fontproperties = FontProperties(fontproperties)
 
         self._text = ''
         self.set_text(text)
         self.set_color(color)
+        self.set_fontproperties(fontproperties)
         self.set_usetex(usetex)
         self.set_wrap(wrap)
         self.set_verticalalignment(verticalalignment)
         self.set_horizontalalignment(horizontalalignment)
         self._multialignment = multialignment
         self._rotation = rotation
-        self._fontproperties = fontproperties
         self._bbox_patch = None  # a FancyBboxPatch instance
         self._renderer = None
         if linespacing is None: