Otokonoko


Otokonoko is a Japanese term for men who adopt a culturally feminine gender expression, usually through cross-dressing or crossplay. Otokonoko is a play on the word 男の子, also pronounced otokonoko and meaning "boy", where the kanji for child is substituted with daughter/girl.
The term otokonoko is used interchangibly with the terms / for a man who dresses as a woman / girl, respectively. Characters are also referred to as traps.
The term originated in Japanese manga and Internet culture in the 2000s, but the concept reflects a broad range of earlier traditions and examples of male drag-wearing in Japan, such as onnagata in kabuki theater, and in the career of cross-dressing entertainer Akihiro Miwa. Its popularity increased around 2009, with the rise of dedicated maid cafés, fashion stores, cosmetic products, and a range of popular media in the otaku culture. It is often combined with the cosplay of female fictional characters by men.
By extension, otokonoko is also a genre of media and fiction about cross-dressing men, aimed at a male audience. It is part of the spectrum of shōnen entertainment and seinen entertainment, and often contains erotic or romantic elements. Otokonoko characters have also begun to appear in mainstream Japanese popular entertainment such as manga, anime and video games.

Dansou

The female equivalent, girls wearing male clothes, is called