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Content Warning! Content Warnings: This article depicts an archetype that is controversial and sometimes seen as offensive. |
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One may stray from the path of a man, one may stray from the path of a woman, but there is no straying from the path of a human!
"Okama", also known as "Onee", is a term for a highly effeminate and flamboyantly feminine male character who talks and behaves like a woman. They will often wear extravagant make-up to make themselves look more feminine.
It's female counterpart is Onabe.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Okama (オカマ) is a Japanese word for "a person who was born male but has since adopted many feminine traits and mannerisms". The term initially included only gay men and transgender women, but since the 1970s has also been used to refer to highly effeminate men in general.[3][4]
Alternate Name
Okama are also known as "onee" (オネエ), a word that describes "a biological male who uses feminine language and behaves in a feminine way".[4][5] This term is derived from the word "onee-san" (お姉さん), meaning "big sister", which is also used to address older women in general.[6]
To differentiate from the word meaning "older sister" it is written exclusively in katakana. It also sometimes extended to "onee danshi" (オネエ男子), meaning "onee boy", or even "onee-kei" (オネエ系), meaning "onee-type". The word meaning "older sister" is also never used without an honorific (-san, -chan, etc) so the meaning is easy to figure out from context.[2][7]
At some point gay men in Japan adopted the term and started referring to themselves as onee.[8] This is also paired with what is known as the "onee language" (オネエ言葉), an exaggerated feminine language spoken by some gay men in Japan as a type of gender expression to emphasize the femininity of the speaker. This way of speaking involves using exaggerated intonation and vocabulary typically associated with women, such as addressing themselves with "atashi" (a traditionally feminine-sounding pronoun meaning "me" primarily used by women).[9]
Usage
It is worth noting that these terms should not be used to refer to real-life people unless they willingly choose to self-identify with them (which many do), since it can reinforce steretypes that all gay men act like flamboyant caricatures. In recent years, the term "okama" has sometimes been seen as offensive due to some series creating highly exaggerated or outlandish okama characters. It's for this reason that the term "onee" has been starting to become more used in media since the 2010s, though the term okama is still used as well.[10]
History
Official Media
Okama characters have been included or referenced in Japanese video games and manga series dating back to the 1980s.[1][11]
The most notable instance of okama characters in media are the residents from the okama island of the Kamabakka Kingdom in the manga series ONE PIECE, with characters such as "Okama King" Emporio Ivankov and Bon Clay being well-loved by fans and among the most popular characters in the series. Though, the other residents of the island have been widely criticized for being harmful stereotypes.
The alternate name onee is not as common, but has been used in several manga and light novels as well since at least 2017 and seems to be replacing okama as the preferred term to use.[12] One of the more notable examples is the 2017 boy's love manga series Onē danshi, hajimemasu. (JP), which follows the character of Takahashi who fell in love with his male classmate Otokane. After discovering that Otokane doesn't like guys, Takahashi decides to train under an older gay man named Sagara Toranosuke to become an onee and make himself more feminine.[2]
Characteristics
Appearance
Okama will often wear extravagant colorful clothing and flamboyant make-up to make themselves look more feminine, though many also do not.[13]
Okama Bar
A common job for okama characters is to work at what is known as an "okama bar", a gay bar where the entire staff are dressed as okama. They may also dress up in drag while working there.[14][15]
Personality
General Behavior
Okama are highly effeminate and flamboyantly feminine male characters who talk and behave like a woman. They are often stated to "have the heart of a maiden". They have a feminine atmosphere or characteristics that can be perceived as feminine. They are able to see things from both male and female perspectives, and are popular for reasons such as their entertaining and skillful conversation, their expertise in make-up and beauty, and their unique way of thinking.[4]
Onee Language
They speak in the "onee language", an exaggerated feminine language spoken as a type of gender expression to emphasize their femininity. This involves using exaggerated intonation and vocabulary typically associated with women, such as addressing themselves with traditionally feminine-sounding pronouns. They use a lot of soft and neutral expressions and tend to avoid strong masculine expressions as much as possible. In addition, there are characteristics of female stereotypes such as a high voice, rising hips, and elongating the ending of words.[4]
Sexuality
Onee have been described as "flamboyantly gay". They are people who express their homosexuality clearly and glamorously. They are particularly bold in their self-expression, highlighting their gay identity through colorful clothing, exaggerated gestures, and a dramatic feminine manner of speaking.[7]
However, this is not necessarily always the case as a straight character may also choose to act effeminate like an onee as well or work at an okama bar where they put on a performance, though this is not very common. Additionally, not all men who are gay act flamboyantly or speak in an exaggerated "onee language", so these types of gay characters would not fall under this archetypes.
Derivatives
Onabe
- Main article: Onabe
The term "Onabe" (JP) was created to be a counterpart to okama for a person who was born female but has since adopted many masculine traits. It refers to a female character who looks and acts like a highly masculine man.
Net Okama
- Main article: Nekama
"Nekama" (JP) is a term for a male character who pretends to be a woman on the Internet. Although their real gender is male, they behave as if they are a woman on social media, online bulletin boards, and online games. They will make their username feminine, use female avatars, speak in a feminine tone, use girly vocabulary, pretend to like girlish hobbies, and make up fictitious stories of past experiences of being a woman. Compared to other okama, net okama do not generally also act this way offline and will only act feminine while on the Internet, hence the name.
Differences From Other Archetypes
When compared to josou danshi characters, the difference is that josou danshi 'look' like women while okama 'act' like women. Okama also generally do not cross-dress and simply look like highly feminine men. Josou danshi characters also don't necessarily 'act' like women despite their appearance, while okama do, though some characters may fall under both if they cross-dress as a women and also act flamboyant and girly.
Similar Japanese Archetypes
- Bokukko: A term for a female character who refers to herself as "boku". Similarly to the inverse of onee, they are female characters who use boyish languange and refer to themselves with the traditionally boyish-sounding pronoun "boku".
- Orekko: A term for a female character who refers to herself as "ore". Likewise, they are female characters who prefer using masculine-sounding language and refer to themselves with the traditionally manly-sounding pronoun "ore".
- Josou Danshi: A term for a male character who cross-dresses in women's clothing.
List of Characters
Gallery
 Otohiko from Kamisama Hajimemashita  Bon Clay from ONE PIECE  Emporio Ivankov from ONE PIECE  Leeron Littner from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann  Takahashi (right) and Sagara Toranosuke (left) from Onē danshi, hajimemasu.  Shinya Okama from Okama Report |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Okama Report (Volume 1). Shogakukan (1989).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Onē danshi, hajimemasu. Hakusensha (2017/09/05).
- ↑ What is Okama. Pixiv Encyclopedia (2010/09/11). “A homosexual man who uses female (onee) language. In contrast, the term "onabe", meaning a masculine woman, was born. In the past, the word "okama" was commonly used on TV, in magazines, and even in children's cartoons and animations, but it gradually disappeared from the media after the birth of "onee". Since they basically do not wear women's clothing, they are distinct from cross-dressers and otokonoko. Those who engage in online okama are called "nekama".”
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 How to Represent Okama Characters in Fiction. Osaka University Knowledge Archive (2019).
- ↑ What is Onee. Pixiv Encyclopedia (2012/09/29). “A man who uses feminine language to accentuate his personality or his artistic talents, or such characters. It refers to those who use exaggerated feminine language (onee-words) to characterize themselves, even though they are male, as a kind of spectacle. The use of feminine language as a parody of "femininity", as typified by drag queens, is a well-known case.”
- ↑ Meaning and Usage of "Onee". Weblio Dictionary (2022/06/10). “A man who uses language and behaves in a manner peculiar to women. A gay man whose behavior is feminine or a gay man who uses onee language. Not all gay men are onee, but onee is a part of gay men.”
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 How to Say Onee-kei in English!. NativeCamp (2023/05/12). “Flamboyantly gay, effeminate”
- ↑ The Reason For Using The Word Onee. ViVi (2022/10/21).
- ↑ Onee Language. Wikipedia JP.
- ↑ Okama (オカマ) & Onee (オネー). All About Japan (2017/11/28). “Literally, okama means "kettle" and onee means "sister." They both refer to men who have become female after surgeries or used for effeminate guys. At first, okama was solely used, as these traditional Japanese pots look like they have curvy hips. However, okama was generally considered both offensive and too sexualized as it also referred to male prostitutes. Popular media, including anime and manga, used the term for outlandish and effete characters. Recently onee is being used more frequently in the media instead of okama.”
- ↑ The Japanese Word "Okama" in Video Game Translations. Legends of Localization (2020/02/14).
- ↑ Akuyaku Reijou ni Onee ga Tensei Shitakedo Nani mo Mondai ga Nai Kudan. Alphapolis (2022/02/22).
- ↑ Okama. Japanese with Anime (2018/02/17).
- ↑ Okama Bars. GayKama.
- ↑ Buski in Okama Bar. Manga Zenkan (2019/02/22).
| v • eAndrogynous Archetypes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Female |
Bokukko ♡ Dansou no Reijin ♡ Ikemen Joshi ♡ Orekko ♡ Otenba Musume ♡ Otoko Masari | |
| Male |
Bishounen ♡ Josou Danshi ♡ Okama ♡ Otokonoko ♡ Nekama | |
| Both | ||