An office lady, often abbreviated as OL, is a female office worker in Japan who performs usually pink-collar tasks such as serving tea and serving as a secretary or clerical work. Office ladies are usually full-time employees, although there are usually few opportunities for advancement in the work they do, and they usually have a tacit expectation that they will leave their job after marriage.

The growth in the number of OLs began after World War II, as offices expanded. At first they were known as "BGs" (for "Business Girls"), but later it turned out that English speakers used a similar acronym to refer to "bargirls". Josei Jishin, a women's magazine, held a contest to find the best business girl name. OL was selected in 1963 from submissions. In the 1980s, OL work was the most common job for Japanese women, and accounted for roughly one-third of the female workforce.

OL stock characters are often seen in josei manga and anime, often portrayed as attractive, intelligent, and brooding people who are bored at their jobs, are overly pressured by their families, and face psychological problems. For example, in my favorite series “Aggretsuko” the main character named Retsuko is an OL, who likes to relax in karaoke after a hard day's work, where she sings death metal.

Do you have an example of OL in pop culture? Share in the comments!