“If you put a femboy in it–the masses will come.”
Hello and welcome back to day 7 of Niji Nights! The above words were such true words. In fact, no truer words have ever been spoken to me nor Star ever before. Femboys have been on the rise in anime as a whole. And people absolutely love them. One of our favorite shows of the season, Shikimori’s not just a Cutie, is about not one but two femboys in a relationship. So what exactly classifies a femboy and how do you spot them? Well, it’s actually simpler than thought (though yes, I did refer to Star for this).
So first off, I would like to clarify that yes. Femboys is the politically correct term for all that I’m about to divulge. I asked Star. And second–and this is the meat of the post and why femboys are on the rise, and that is that femboys does not just equate to a boy who is feminine, aka what a lot of people would typically call a trap (think Venti from Genshin Impact, Titus from Magi Labyrinth of Magic, or Astolfo from the Fate series). However, the word trap doesn’t sit right with me–nor has it ever, and that’s because what a trap truly is, is just a femboy. But even though all traps are femboys, not all femboys are traps. Because as we’ve recently found out, femboys can also be girls who are masculine or princely. For example, think of Utena from Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sailor Jupiter from Sailor Moon, or even Ashuna from The Executioner and Her Way of Life. This revelation came about by Star as we were watching Shikimori is not just a Cutie. Because the boy in it is definitely a femboy, but then seeing Shikimori herself was also like–wow. She too is a femboy! Just flipped than how you would normally imagine it.
Because when a female-presenting character is a femboy, they lean into their feminine sides but also manage to be extremely princely in behavior. They are essentially what Shikimori is guilty of–being cool but cute at the same time. Which really can be said for the males who are feminine. They are really cute, but also pretty cool. Essentially, a femboy can do both. Which is probably why they are so popular now–because in an ever-progressive world that is becoming more inclusive of all gender expressions and sexualities, femboys can be a hot commodity. Not just for representing those who identify as such, but also just for people who realize that someone who can be both cute and cool isn’t weird or strange but actually pretty great. Bring on the boys who love baking and being saved but can turn around and kabedon you, and bring on the girls who catch you when you fall but then shyly hand you the chocolate they handmade. I love the fact that femboys are breaking down the normal gender boundaries and behaviors. It’s really encouraging.
I feel like the fact that femboys are in a ton of anime and people literally love them…they are certainly on the rise. They are taking over the anime scene, and just like the quote at the beginning: throw a femboy in it and the people will come. I’m telling you–they’re taking over the world. And thank goodness for it. So with the Rise of the Femboys, so ends our 2022 Niji Nights! We’ve talked about same-sex unions in Japan, about BL and GL, about a more inclusive world–and of course, the rise of the femboys. I hope you all have enjoyed the last week of inclusive posts and I hope you all have a happy Pride!
Stay weebtastic,
xoxo
Luna
Nerdy Bloggers | Y0uC4n7kn0w | Star & Luna 
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