Ecchi
Encyclopedia
is an often used slang
term in the Japanese language for erotic fantasy and sexual innuendoes. As an adjective
it is used with the meaning of "dirty", "naughty", "frivolous"; as a verb
(ecchi suru), with the meaning to do something dirty, naughty, frivolous or to sleep together; or as a noun
, to describe someone that is seen as ecchi. It's a synonym for ero (from Eros
) and does not have such a harsh meaning as hentai
.
The word is not only common in Japan. It is also used worldwide inside the fandom of Japanese media to describe sexual themes or undertones. While the word ecchi could mean anything from mild to insulting in Japanese language, it is used in western culture to divide between pornography (hentai) and playful usage of sexualized imagery (ecchi). Works considered as ecchi don't show any sexual intercourse
or primary sexual characteristics. Instead it's up to the imagination of the viewer. Inside such media it often goes along with fan service
in a humorous way. This kind of sexual themes or undertones can usually be found in comedic Shōnen
/Seinen manga
and harem anime
.
is ‘etchi’, denoting its usage in Japan. Its current meaning is still closely related to the word ‘hentai
’ .
‘Hentai’ itself was introduced in the Meiji period
as a term for change of form or transformation in science
and psychology
. In context it was used to refer to disorders such as hysteria
or to describe paranormal phenomena like hypnosis
and telepathy
. Further spreading the word led to the connotation of non standard. In the 1910s it was used in sexology
as the compound expression ‘seiyoku hentai’ and became popular within the theory of sexual deviance (Hentai seiyoku ron), published by Eiji Habuto and Jun′ichirō Sawada in 1915. In the 1920s many publications target a broad audience, dealing with deviant sexual appearances, including works related to the Ero Guro Nansensu movement. Matsuzawa calls it a period characterized by a “hetai boom”. In the 1930s began a new western influenced period of censorship which resulted in progressive stop of publication.
After the war, in the 1950s, new journals showed an interest in hentai. With this renewed interest, the word hentai is sometimes written in romaji and it was then that H began to be used as an alternative to ‘hentai’. In 1952, the magazine Shukan Asahi reported that a woman who was groped by a stranger in a movie theater reacted with "ara etchi yo" ("hey, it's a pervert"). In this context, ‘etchi’ must be understood as sexually inappropriate and is synonymous to iyarashii or sukebe . From that moment, the meaning of ‘hentai’ and ‘etchi’ evolved independently. In the 1960s, etchi started to be used by the youth to refer to sex
in general. In 1965, a newspaper reported that primary school children using etchi kotoba (the word sexy). In the 1980s it was used to mean sex as in the phrase etchi suru (to [make] love). The most common theory states that it derives from the first character of the word ,
The word sekkusu is also used in Japan for sex, and Japanese native words for sex (such as 性交 seikō) are often replaced by words of foreign origin such as sekkusu or neologisms such as ecchi. Therefor ecchi is used as a qualifier for anything that is related to erotic or pornographic content. The nuance of ecchi varies with context, but in general the word itself is comparable to the English words "naughty" or "dirty" (when used as an adjective). In pornographic context the word ero and other wordings are preferred over etchi by the media. For example ero-manga , adult anime , or anime / manga for persons over 18 years and so on. The prefix "H-" is also sometimes used to refer to pornographic genres: H-anime, H-manga, etc.
The term ecchi is used to describe a category of manga and anime with sexually oriented content, that is common in works aimed at a predominantly male audience (shōnen
or seinen
). But also works aimed at a female audience can contain scenes which are seen as ecchi. Examples are R-18 Love Report! from Emiko Sugi and Oruchuban Ebichu
from Risa Itō
, which are aimed at the shōjo
and josei
audience, but contain rather explicit content.
This can be conversations with sexual references or misunderstandings about sexuality in dialogs (double meaning, words taken out of context), misunderstandings in visual depictions (the position or pose of a character is suggestive), clothing (underwear, cosplay
, fetish clothing, etc.), nudity (ripped apart clothing, wet clothing, clothing malfuncations, etc.) and the portrayal of certain actions (touch or look at parts of the body). This kind of sexuality is commonly used for comical effect. A typical example scene would contain a male protagonist that accidentally enters a women-only bath or trips over a female character, leaving the impression of sexual harassment.
The concept of ecchi is very close related to fan service
. While fan service describes every aspect to please the fans, ecchi relates to sexual themes. A special kind of fan service, that is usually bound or justified by the narrative.
[], including the harem no jutsu, or the sexual obsession of Jiraiya
) the series itself is not classified as ecchi.
Graphically speaking, different techniques are used to show sexy pictures, usually by revealing parts of the female body. Some of these patterns are recurrent, such as scenes in a shower, onsen
, or fighting scenes in which clothes are torn apart by weapons or magic. This involves the back, buttocks or even breasts and panchira
. The imagination of characters is also a common excuse to show its sexual fantasies, as well as transformation scenes of magical girl
s. In the end, any excuse is valid to show a character partially or completely nude.
, Blair in Soul Eater
or even Asuka Langley Soryu
from Neon Genesis Evangelion
. In Ladies versus Butlers!
and other anime the nipples are clearly visible through clothing, no matter how thick it is.
A typical reaction to nudity is nosebleeding, which represents sexual arousal. Rather extreme examples are Baka to Test to Shōkanjū
and Maria†Holic
. In both cases the characters “nearly die” because of constant blood loss. In Baka to Test to Shōkanjū the male characters are confronted with nice girls (including the trap
Hideyoshi Kinoshita). In Maria†Holic the main protagonist is the lesbian Kanako Miyamae. Despite her forbidden love she joins an all girls school, which leads often to excessive nosebleed, unable to stand up to her adversary, Maria. Despite the fact she knows that Maria is a man (also a trap), she still falls for his feminine appearance.
) is one of the common motives. It often leads to a strange reactions between a girl and the male protagonist, which accidentally (or not) took a glimpse on the underwear. The reaction can be quite different, depending on the color and style of pantsu, but usually the male is punished for looking, regardless of the reason. The color and style isn't chosen at random. Both are seen as an indication for the girls character. Innocent girls wearing simply white or kawaii themed underwear (with hearts or similar motifs), shy girls preferring the shimapan (striped panties), etc.
The pantsu theme itself is such popular, that is an important object in anime like Chobits
or Sora no Otoshimono
. Coincidently both anime's fourth episode is based on the pantsu as a narrative element alone. Even further goes the anime Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
, in which it is used as a weapon. But even if the pantsu isn't the main topic itself, it is often shown due to a "careful choice" of camera angles. In this case it can be rightfully called fan service
, since it isn't needed for the story itself.
in manga or anime which are considered ecchi. Such works would be called hentai instead. But it is still possible to make a pun on sexual intercourse through misunderstandings. One simple example would be two characters searching for some kind of item, which appears from the outside, only showing the silhouette
, as if both would have an actual intercourse.
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
term in the Japanese language for erotic fantasy and sexual innuendoes. As an adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
it is used with the meaning of "dirty", "naughty", "frivolous"; as a verb
Verb
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...
(ecchi suru), with the meaning to do something dirty, naughty, frivolous or to sleep together; or as a noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
, to describe someone that is seen as ecchi. It's a synonym for ero (from Eros
Eros
Eros , in Greek mythology, was the Greek god of love. His Roman counterpart was Cupid . Some myths make him a primordial god, while in other myths, he is the son of Aphrodite....
) and does not have such a harsh meaning as hentai
Hentai
is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga, and computer games. The word hentai is a kanji compound of 変 and 態...
.
The word is not only common in Japan. It is also used worldwide inside the fandom of Japanese media to describe sexual themes or undertones. While the word ecchi could mean anything from mild to insulting in Japanese language, it is used in western culture to divide between pornography (hentai) and playful usage of sexualized imagery (ecchi). Works considered as ecchi don't show any sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
or primary sexual characteristics. Instead it's up to the imagination of the viewer. Inside such media it often goes along with fan service
Fan service
, fanservice, or , is a term originating from anime and manga fandom for material in a series which is intentionally added to please the audience. It is about "servicing" the fan - giving the fans "exactly what they want"...
in a humorous way. This kind of sexual themes or undertones can usually be found in comedic Shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
/Seinen manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and harem anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
.
Etymology and use in Japan
The correct transcription of the word after HepburnHepburn romanization
The is named after James Curtis Hepburn, who used it to transcribe the sounds of the Japanese language into the Latin alphabet in the third edition of his Japanese–English dictionary, published in 1887. The system was originally proposed by the in 1885...
is ‘etchi’, denoting its usage in Japan. Its current meaning is still closely related to the word ‘hentai
Hentai
is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga, and computer games. The word hentai is a kanji compound of 変 and 態...
’ .
‘Hentai’ itself was introduced in the Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
as a term for change of form or transformation in science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. In context it was used to refer to disorders such as hysteria
Hysteria
Hysteria, in its colloquial use, describes unmanageable emotional excesses. People who are "hysterical" often lose self-control due to an overwhelming fear that may be caused by multiple events in one's past that involved some sort of severe conflict; the fear can be centered on a body part, or,...
or to describe paranormal phenomena like hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
and telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
. Further spreading the word led to the connotation of non standard. In the 1910s it was used in sexology
Sexology
Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behavior, and function. The term does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sex, such as political analysis or social criticism....
as the compound expression ‘seiyoku hentai’ and became popular within the theory of sexual deviance (Hentai seiyoku ron), published by Eiji Habuto and Jun′ichirō Sawada in 1915. In the 1920s many publications target a broad audience, dealing with deviant sexual appearances, including works related to the Ero Guro Nansensu movement. Matsuzawa calls it a period characterized by a “hetai boom”. In the 1930s began a new western influenced period of censorship which resulted in progressive stop of publication.
After the war, in the 1950s, new journals showed an interest in hentai. With this renewed interest, the word hentai is sometimes written in romaji and it was then that H began to be used as an alternative to ‘hentai’. In 1952, the magazine Shukan Asahi reported that a woman who was groped by a stranger in a movie theater reacted with "ara etchi yo" ("hey, it's a pervert"). In this context, ‘etchi’ must be understood as sexually inappropriate and is synonymous to iyarashii or sukebe . From that moment, the meaning of ‘hentai’ and ‘etchi’ evolved independently. In the 1960s, etchi started to be used by the youth to refer to sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
in general. In 1965, a newspaper reported that primary school children using etchi kotoba (the word sexy). In the 1980s it was used to mean sex as in the phrase etchi suru (to [make] love). The most common theory states that it derives from the first character of the word ,
The word sekkusu is also used in Japan for sex, and Japanese native words for sex (such as 性交 seikō) are often replaced by words of foreign origin such as sekkusu or neologisms such as ecchi. Therefor ecchi is used as a qualifier for anything that is related to erotic or pornographic content. The nuance of ecchi varies with context, but in general the word itself is comparable to the English words "naughty" or "dirty" (when used as an adjective). In pornographic context the word ero and other wordings are preferred over etchi by the media. For example ero-manga , adult anime , or anime / manga for persons over 18 years and so on. The prefix "H-" is also sometimes used to refer to pornographic genres: H-anime, H-manga, etc.
Western usage
In western nations the spelling as ecchi is preferred, although it does not follow the Hepburn method. This has its origin in the foreign fandom of manga and anime, which used a different method (or no method at all) to transcribe the word. In comparison to hentai, which "is anime erotica", it was adapted "among coy fans and distributors who preferred to use a foreign term for their pornography" in the west, the abbreviation ecchi is seen as softer in meaning than the full term. Calling a Japanese boy e(t/c)chi might be flirtatious, as opposed to the more insulting hentai.The term ecchi is used to describe a category of manga and anime with sexually oriented content, that is common in works aimed at a predominantly male audience (shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
or seinen
Seinen
is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at a 20–30 year old male audience, but the audience can be older with some manga aimed at businessmen well into their 40s. In Japanese, the word Seinen means "young man" or "young men" and is not suggestive of sexual matters...
). But also works aimed at a female audience can contain scenes which are seen as ecchi. Examples are R-18 Love Report! from Emiko Sugi and Oruchuban Ebichu
Oruchuban Ebichu
is a manga series by Risa Itō that was published by Futabasha Publishers. It later became an anime produced by Gainax, but animated by Group TAC. It first aired as six eight-minute episodes in 1999 as one third of the show Modern Love's Silliness. Ebichu is very adult in nature, and its explicit...
from Risa Itō
Risa Ito
, also romanized as Risa Itou, is a Japanese manga artist. She won the 2005 Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo for Oi Pītan!! and the 2006 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Short Story Award for One Woman, Two Cats, Oi Piitan!!, and Onna no Mado. Her manga Oruchuban Ebichu was adapted by Gainax as an anime...
, which are aimed at the shōjo
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
and josei
Josei
also known as or , is a term that refers to the target demographic of manga created mostly by women for late teenage and adult female audiences. Readers range from 15-44. In Japanese, the word josei means simply "woman", "female", "feminine", "womanhood" and has no manga-related connotations at...
audience, but contain rather explicit content.
This can be conversations with sexual references or misunderstandings about sexuality in dialogs (double meaning, words taken out of context), misunderstandings in visual depictions (the position or pose of a character is suggestive), clothing (underwear, cosplay
Cosplay
, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
, fetish clothing, etc.), nudity (ripped apart clothing, wet clothing, clothing malfuncations, etc.) and the portrayal of certain actions (touch or look at parts of the body). This kind of sexuality is commonly used for comical effect. A typical example scene would contain a male protagonist that accidentally enters a women-only bath or trips over a female character, leaving the impression of sexual harassment.
The concept of ecchi is very close related to fan service
Fan service
, fanservice, or , is a term originating from anime and manga fandom for material in a series which is intentionally added to please the audience. It is about "servicing" the fan - giving the fans "exactly what they want"...
. While fan service describes every aspect to please the fans, ecchi relates to sexual themes. A special kind of fan service, that is usually bound or justified by the narrative.
Typical examples
There are many possibilities to classify a work itself as ecchi, but this elements have to occur quite often (for example in all episodes of an anime). Thus, despite some observable elements in Naruto (Oiroke no JutsuNaruto Uzumaki
is a fictional character in the anime and manga franchise Naruto created by Masashi Kishimoto. The main protagonist and titular character of the series, he is a ninja affiliated with the fictional village of Konohagakure. The villagers ostracize Naruto because the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, a...
[], including the harem no jutsu, or the sexual obsession of Jiraiya
Jiraiya (Naruto)
is a fictional character in the Naruto universe created by Masashi Kishimoto. Introduced in the first half of the manga, Jiraiya appears as a perverted old man who the lead character, Naruto Uzumaki, refers to as "Ero-Sennin"...
) the series itself is not classified as ecchi.
Graphically speaking, different techniques are used to show sexy pictures, usually by revealing parts of the female body. Some of these patterns are recurrent, such as scenes in a shower, onsen
Onsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
, or fighting scenes in which clothes are torn apart by weapons or magic. This involves the back, buttocks or even breasts and panchira
Panchira
is an expression used by Japanese women to warn each other that their underwear is visible; the term carries risqué connotations similar to the phrase "your slip is showing" in English usage. The word is a portmanteau of and chira, the Japanese sound symbolism representing a glance or glimpse...
. The imagination of characters is also a common excuse to show its sexual fantasies, as well as transformation scenes of magical girl
Magical girl
belong to a sub-genre of Japanese fantasy anime and manga. Magical girl stories feature young girls with superhuman abilities, forced to fight evil and to protect the Earth. They often possess a secret identity, although the name can just refer to young girls who follow a plotline involving magic...
s. In the end, any excuse is valid to show a character partially or completely nude.
Nudity
The level of nudity varies strongly between works, because of the intended audience and the preferences of the authors. In some cases, though the breasts are shown on the screen, nipples and genitals are obscured by smoke, moss, hair, clothing, a decorative element, a light effect, etc. This kind of censorship was typical for Lala in To Love-RuTo Love-Ru
is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hasemi, and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki, creator of Black Cat. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump between April 24, 2006 and August 31, 2009; 18 tankōbon volumes have been published in Japan...
, Blair in Soul Eater
Soul Eater
Soul Eater may refer to:* Soul Eater , a Japanese manga series by Atsushi Okubo and adapted into an anime television series** Soul Eater Evans, one of the main protagonists of the Soul Eater manga and anime....
or even Asuka Langley Soryu
Asuka Langley Soryu
is a 14-year old fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. Within the series, she is designated as the Second Child and the pilot of the Evangelion Unit 02...
from Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion
, commonly referred to as Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful Japanese anime series that began airing in October 1995. The series was highly influential, and launched the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. It garnered several major animation awards...
. In Ladies versus Butlers!
Ladies versus Butlers!
is a Japanese light novel series written by Tsukasa Kōzuki, with accompanying illustrations by Munyū. The first novel was released in September 2006, and as of September 2009, nine volumes have been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint...
and other anime the nipples are clearly visible through clothing, no matter how thick it is.
A typical reaction to nudity is nosebleeding, which represents sexual arousal. Rather extreme examples are Baka to Test to Shōkanjū
Baka to Test to Shōkanjū
also known as Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts is a Japanese light novel series created by Kenji Inoue and illustrations by Yui Haga...
and Maria†Holic
Maria Holic
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Minari Endō, the author of Dazzle. The manga was first serialized in the Japanese seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive on June 27, 2006, and is published by Media Factory. The manga was licensed by Tokyopop with the first volume in English...
. In both cases the characters “nearly die” because of constant blood loss. In Baka to Test to Shōkanjū the male characters are confronted with nice girls (including the trap
Transvestism
Transvestism is the practice of cross-dressing, which is wearing clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Transvestite refers to a person who cross-dresses; however, the word often has additional connotations. -History:Although the word transvestism was coined as late as the 1910s,...
Hideyoshi Kinoshita). In Maria†Holic the main protagonist is the lesbian Kanako Miyamae. Despite her forbidden love she joins an all girls school, which leads often to excessive nosebleed, unable to stand up to her adversary, Maria. Despite the fact she knows that Maria is a man (also a trap), she still falls for his feminine appearance.
Pantsu
The visibility of the underwear (pantiesPanties
Panties are a form of underwear, usually light and snug-fitting, designed to be worn by women or girls in the area directly below the waist. Typical components include an elastic waistband, a crotch panel to cover the genital area , and a pair of leg openings which, like the waistband, are often...
) is one of the common motives. It often leads to a strange reactions between a girl and the male protagonist, which accidentally (or not) took a glimpse on the underwear. The reaction can be quite different, depending on the color and style of pantsu, but usually the male is punished for looking, regardless of the reason. The color and style isn't chosen at random. Both are seen as an indication for the girls character. Innocent girls wearing simply white or kawaii themed underwear (with hearts or similar motifs), shy girls preferring the shimapan (striped panties), etc.
The pantsu theme itself is such popular, that is an important object in anime like Chobits
Chobits
is a Japanese manga created by the Japanese manga collective Clamp. It was published by Kodansha in Young Magazine from February 2001 to November 2002 and collected in eight bound volumes....
or Sora no Otoshimono
Sora no Otoshimono
, also known as Heaven's Lost Property, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Suu Minazuki. The plot revolves around Tomoki Sakurai, a highly perverted young man struggling to live a peaceful life...
. Coincidently both anime's fourth episode is based on the pantsu as a narrative element alone. Even further goes the anime Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
is a Japanese anime television series produced by Gainax. It aired nationwide between October 1, 2010 and December 24, 2010 on BS NTV and was also simulcast on Nico Nico Douga and Crunchyroll...
, in which it is used as a weapon. But even if the pantsu isn't the main topic itself, it is often shown due to a "careful choice" of camera angles. In this case it can be rightfully called fan service
Fan service
, fanservice, or , is a term originating from anime and manga fandom for material in a series which is intentionally added to please the audience. It is about "servicing" the fan - giving the fans "exactly what they want"...
, since it isn't needed for the story itself.
Sexual intercourse
Normally there is no sexSex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
in manga or anime which are considered ecchi. Such works would be called hentai instead. But it is still possible to make a pun on sexual intercourse through misunderstandings. One simple example would be two characters searching for some kind of item, which appears from the outside, only showing the silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
, as if both would have an actual intercourse.