In a new installment of the unique festivities in Japan, November 25 commemorates the Office Workers Day (OL no Hi). On this occasion, various illustrators and the online community come together to share creative illustrations and cosplay photos in honor of this peculiar day.
The term “OL – Office Lady” has its roots in Japan, used to describe women with office jobs, emerging more than half a century ago in a weekly magazine aimed at women. The clothing of these female office workers is often portrayed suggestively by Japanese illustrators, with tight-fitting outfits that highlight certain features, accompanied by glasses and opaque thigh-high stockings. All these artistic expressions find their common platform under the hashtag #OLの日.
“Office Workers Day (OL no Hi)” was established in 1994 by the “OL Network System”, an interprofessional exchange group for working women. In times past, female office workers were called “BG (Business Girls)”, but the term was banned on September 12, 1963 by NHK, considering it reminiscent of the English word “prostitute”. In search of a replacement, the weekly magazine “Josei Jishin” proposed the term “Office Lady” (OL), which was widely accepted according to a Japanese media report.
Fountain: Twitter
