What It Means To Be An Omega

Omegas make up roughly 10% of the world’s population, a number that has grown from 8% just over twenty years ago and continues to rise. Alongside this shift, we have also seen meaningful improvements in how Omegas are treated and represented within society. Many of these advancements were not freely given, but hard-fought, earned through protests led by Omegas and Betas, with the occasional Alpha standing beside them in the streets.

Because of these efforts, society dismantled the archaic OmegaBride law, more formally known as the Binding Act, which required Omegas to be wed by the age of twenty. Segregation of Omega children in schools was abolished. More Omegas are pursuing higher education, and more businesses are actively hiring Omegas across industries.

Progress has been made. But that still leaves an unresolved question: what does it actually mean to be an Omega?

Everyone seems eager to define it, most often people who are not Omegas themselves. What is an Omega supposed to look like? How are they supposed to act, smell, speak, or move through the world?

The truth is there is no global standard. No two Omegas are exactly alike. Just like Betas and Alphas, Omegas exist across a wide spectrum of personalities, preferences, and lived experiences. Not all Omegas like soft stuffed animals. Not all build large, elaborate nests, and some do not nest at all. Not all have sweet scents, and not all are submissive.

From a biological standpoint, the definition of an Omega is surprisingly narrow: an individual with a uterus, scent glands, and the ability to go into heat. That is the extent of it.

Physically, Omegas tend to fall on the short to slightly above average side in height, roughly 4’11” to 5’8” for females and 5’0” to 6’0” for males. Their scents are not universally sweet, but are typically described as pleasant or unobtrusive. Some Omegas are professional athletes, including MMA fighter Caleb Sodee, whose career alone challenges many of the assumptions people hold about Omega bodies.

Being an Omega does not mean being small, cute, soft, or sweet-smelling. These ideas are misconceptions, often held by people who have likely never meaningfully interacted with an Omega at all. Identity is not something an Omega owes the world. Omegas do not exist for others. Identity is internal, not decorative. It is something that lives within one’s own body.

When softness does appear, it is frequently misunderstood. It is treated as default, inevitable, or worse, exploitable. But softness is not biology. It is a choice, just as it is for any other secondary. This misunderstanding followed Caleb Sodee early in his MMA career, when opponents underestimated him because he is an Omega. They paid for that mistake.

Part of this confusion stems from history. For years, Omegas were trained to behave a certain way in preparation for betrothal and marriage to Alphas or wealthy Betas. Now, Omegas are choosing how they move through the world without those constraints, and some people are struggling to reconcile that autonomy with outdated expectations.

An Omega is not defined by who claims them, but by who they claim themselves to be.