Houseboy

A Houseboy is typically a male servant or assistant who performs domestic or personal chores. Examples of its usage include:

• An American slang term that originated in World War II for a native boy who helped a soldier perform basic responsibilities like cleaning, laundry, ironing, shoe-shining, running errands, and the like. However, unlike the American "bootleboy" or British "batman", a houseboy was not employed by an officer or noncommissioned officer but by the entry-level soldier or private as a means to reduce a very heavy workload or to cut corners on a large amount of work. The employment was at first condoned but later, and especially during the Korean War, soldiers who were caught employing a houseboy faced stiff penalties because a lot of them became expert thieves and could be either bribed for information or have their relatives kidnapped or killed for helping Americans. By 1982, Korean houseboys were again permitted (as at Camp Casey), and were generally middle-aged men conspicuously older than the young troops they served.

• A Commonwealth term for a male housecleaner. He was usually a man of colour who worked for an English family living in a Commonwealth country. A female housecleaner is called a housegirl. Houseboys and housegirls often have to wear a uniform.

Cultural references

• The houseboy became a plot device or stock character in literature and film. The cartoon character Mr. Magoo had a houseboy.

• The Houseboy, a 1973 stage play by Irving Wardle, filmed for ITV in 1982.

• The Houseboy, a 2007 LGBT film starring Nick May.

• Houseboy is the name of a diary-form novel written by Ferdinand Oyono that criticizes the morality of colonialism.

Other usages

• In the gay community, a "houseboy" is typically a younger gay male, while his host is an older, usually wealthy, gay man. While there may or may not be a romantic/physical relationship, an atmosphere of personal intimacy and mutual support is at the basis of the arrangement. Both houseboys and their single hosts often date and form romantic/physical relationships outside of the home. However, few houseboys have a significant other when assuming their position.

• In the BDSM subculture, a houseboy performs domestic chores as part of a D/s relationship, for whom he handles all of the domestic chores. The top is usually, though not always, older than the houseboy and they may or may not have a sexual relationship.