Okay. So I decided to wait until the shit storm died down a bit before I posted my opinion.
I've thought about it a lot, and honestly, I'm really tired of the way these idol agencies treat the girls like objects instead of human beings. I know that Japan is still a very patriarchal society, and there is nary a crack in the glass ceiling over there, but for some reason I thought that the issue would somehow go away after a certain amount of "scandals."
A woman staying at her boyfriend's house shouldn't be a scandal. It's a very normal thing. But then again, idols are not seen as normal women. They're put on a pedestal. They're supposed to be fantasy objects for their fans, specifically men. They're not supposed to know anything about love or sex, but they're expected to sing about romantic relationships and pose scantily clad for magazines and photobooks.
There's just something not right about it. I mean, no business is perfect, but as I'm growing up, seeing other women's rights taken away is infuriating. We're treated as second class citizens everywhere, no matter what country we live in, no matter how "developed" that country is.
I think Mii-chan's situation has given me (and many, many others) a wake up call about the industry. And I think that's precisely why she shaved her head. No other AKB scandal has been this big because the idol in question didn't make such a big deal out of it. My mother has this phrase: "People pay attention to those who make the most noise."
Minami made some noise. And that noise was heard around the world. New sites that never gave a crap about idols before wrote up about Minami's story. It's getting the whole world thinking, and it's putting the spotlight on the idol industry.
Well played Minami, well played.
I don't know how this will change the idol industry, or if it will at all, but it definitely struck a chord with me. I love the girls so much, and I want to make them happy by supporting them (aka buying their merch), but I can't lie to myself anymore and think that the girls are being treated well, because they're not. If they're not allowed to make their own decisions regarding their own personal lives, even after they've reached the age of adulthood, they aren't being treated like people.
I think I'm going to take a little break from idols for a while. I'll probably still keep up with the news and support my fellow bloggers, but I think it's time for me to find out more about the different genres of Jpop, not just idols, so I can support some artists who aren't puppets of their management.
It's probably best for my growth as an artist as well, so for the next few months, I will not be posting about idols at all.
I've been a fan of idols for a good 4 or 5 years now, but the impact of the corruption of this industry is just hitting me now. I guess taking more business classes and getting more involved with feminist causes back home has helped me see that.
In a way, it's heartbreaking, because idols have been such a huge part of my life ever since I started to get to know them, but it was a realization that I needed to have.
Thank you Mii-chan, and I hope that you one day find the courage to leave AKB48 and become a strong woman who can forge her own path.
Fans, y'all have the power to help out your idols. You can do something by choosing what to do with your money. Japan has seen an idol boom in the past few years, and while it's good business, I'm hoping y'all will think about how it affects the people. If you're like me and don't know much about Jpop besides idols and Hikki, I challenge you to find some new artists and support them. See how that impacts your life as well.
I look forward to hearing about your discoveries, and sharing some of mine with you as well.
Kaya <3
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