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| '''Bishounen''' (美少年. literally, "beautiful boy") is |
'''Bishounen''' (美少年. literally, "beautiful boy") is a specific ] aesthetic concept of the ideally beautiful young man. The prefix bi- (美) specifically refers to feminine beauty (''bijin'', lit. "beautiful person", refers to a beautiful woman.) | ||
| The bishounen is typically quite slender and not very muscular, with a tapered chin and effeminate or ] appearance. | The bishounen is typically quite slender and not very muscular, with a tapered chin and effeminate or ] appearance. | ||
Revision as of 19:32, 1 June 2004
Bishounen (美少年. literally, "beautiful boy") is a specific Japanese aesthetic concept of the ideally beautiful young man. The prefix bi- (美) specifically refers to feminine beauty (bijin, lit. "beautiful person", refers to a beautiful woman.)
The bishounen is typically quite slender and not very muscular, with a tapered chin and effeminate or androgynous appearance.
The aesthetic of the bishounen began as an ideal of a young homosexual lover. It is perpetuated today in anime and manga, especially shoujo (girl) anime, shounen-ai, and yaoi.
Some western anime and manga fans use the term bishounen (or more playfully 'bishy') to refer to any handsome male character, although this is technically incorrect. Bishounen who are old enough to be considered men are properly 'biseinen.'
Bish' has even been used by Americans fandom to describe some androgynous women, espeically okama (crossdressers) in anime and manga. This is mainly due to lack of common positive slang in America for an attractive woman who seems more handsome than beautiful. Lady Oscar from Oniisama E (Brother Dear Brother) would be considered the Bish Girl archetype. Another term is bifauxnen, suggesting a woman who is androgynously handsome enough to be a faux bishounen.
See also the film Bishonen.