Sôshokukei kara asuparabêkon made! ‘From herbivores to bacon-wrapped asparagus!’

Japanese essayist Maki Fukasawa coined the term sôshoku danshi ‘herbivore men’ to refer to men who are not assertive or proactive in engaging with romantic or sexual relationships with women. Since her 2006 article, dozens of related kei ‘types’ have proliferated across the digital landscape, creating a taxonomy of binary-based gender classifications. This article describes the kei system through an analysis of digital texts, first providing the historical context of this discourse, then overviewing its grammar and taxonomic structure. An analysis of heuristic types then reveals how heteronormativity and gender hegemony emerge and limit the subversive potential of this system. Finally, the article discusses how neoliberalism creates the niche occupied by kei and enables its sustained appeal. The article contributes to research on both kei and identity by analysing kei as a system, attending to the ways in which broad social forces shape self-identification.