Islands of Eight Million Smiles: Idol Performance and Symbolic Production in Contemporary Japan (Harvard East Asian Monographs)

Since the late 1960s a ubiquitous feature of popular culture in Japan has been the "idol," an attractive young actor, male or female, packaged and promoted as an adolescent role model and exploited by the entertainment, fashion, cosmetic, and publishing industries to market trendy products. This book offers ethnographic case studies regarding the symbolic qualities of idols and how these qualities relate to the conceptualization of selfhood among adolescents in Japan and elsewhere in East Asia. The author explores how the idol-manufacturing industry absorbs young people into its system of production, molds them into marketable personalities, commercializes their images, and contributes to the construction of ideal images of the adolescent self. Since the relationship between the idols and their consumers is dynamic, the study focuses on the fans of idols as well. Ultimately, Aoyagi argues, idol performances substantiate capitalist values in the urban consumer society of contemporary Japan and East Asia. Regardless of how crude their performances may appear in the eyes of critics, the idols have helped establish the entertainment industry as an agent of public socialization by driving public desires toward the consumption of commoditized fantasies. Since the late 1960s a ubiquitous feature of popular culture in Japan has been the "idol," an attractive young actor, male or female, packaged and promoted as an adolescent role model and exploited by the entertainment, fashion, cosmetic, and publishing industries to market trendy products. This book offers a set of ethnographic case studies regarding the symbolic qualities of idols and how these qualities relate to the conceptualization of selfhood among adolescents in Japan and elsewhere in East Asia where the phenomenon has spread. The author explores how the idol-manufacturing industry absorbs young people into its system of production, molds them into marketable personalities, commercializes their images, and contributes to the construction of ideal images of the adolescent self. Since the relationship between the idols and their consumers is dynamic, the study focuses on the fans of idols as well. The author contends that the idol industry has developed rituals that organize the lifeworld of Japanese adolescents and provide them with what are perceived to be desirable role models. Ultimately, he argues, idol performances substantiate capitalist values in the urban consumer society of contemporary Japan and East Asia. Regardless of how crude their performances may appear in the eyes of critics, the idols have helped establish the entertainment industry as an agent of public socialization by driving public desires toward the consumption of commoditized fantasies. Since The Late 1960s A Ubiquitous Feature Of Popular Culture In Japan Has Been The Idol, An Attractive Young Actor, Male Or Female, Packaged And Promoted As An Adolescent Role Model And Exploited By The Entertainment, Fashion, Cosmetic, And Publishing Industries To Market Trendy Products. This Book Offers A Set Of Ethnographic Case Studies Regarding The Symbolic Qualities Of Idols And How These Qualities Relate To The Conceptualization Of Selfhood Among Adolescents In Japan And Elsewhere In East Asia Where The Phenomenon Has Spread. The Author Explores How The Idol-manufacturing Industry Absorbs Young People Into Its System Of Production, Molds Them Into Marketable Personalities, Commercializes Their Images, And Contributes To The Construction Of Ideal Images Of The Adolescent Self.--jacket. The Ethnography Of Idol Production : An Overview -- The Making Of Japanese Adolescent Role Models -- Idol Performances And Gender Identities -- Explorations In The Field Of Competing Styles -- Following The Trajectory Of An Idol Superstar -- Idol Fans And The Adoration Cult -- The Spread Of Idol Performances In New Industrial Economies. Hiroshi Aoyagi. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [269]-283) And Index. Acknowledgments Contents Figures Introduction 1 The Ethnography of Idol Production: An Overview 2 The Making of Japanese Adolescent Role Models 3 Idol Performances and Gender Identities 4 Explorations in the Field of Competing Styles 5 Following the Trajectory of an Idol Superstar 6 Idol Fans and the Adoration Cult 7 The Spread of Idol Performances in New Industrial Economies Conclusion Reference Matter Works Cited Index