Reimagining Gender and Sex: The Construction and Consumption of the Omegaverse

What is the relationship between gender and sex? What does a male body mean in the gender system? This thesis examines the popularity of the Omegaverse, an alternative gender system, and tries to explain why the Omegaverse has become a popular sub-genre in BL(Boy Love) stories, which involves the idealized romantic relationships between two cis male characters. The Omegaverse has provided an alternative universe in which biological sex markers, male and female genitals, are no longer the determining factor for sex. In other words, female and male identities no longer determine individuals' social status yet popular stories involving the Omegaverse often incorporate two male characters. This thesis adopts content analysis on four of the most popular works on the Omegaverse and conversations happening on social media platforms surrounding the concept of the Omegaverse as well as interviews with the readers of these works. Through investigating the role male bodies play in the Omegaverse fictions, this thesis argues that male bodies serve as a symbol for success even when they are not functioning as a biological determining marker.