Japanese pop star shaves her head and apologizes for dating.

[busydude]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21299324

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlzrIgacADU

A Japanese pop star has shaved her head and offered a filmed apology after breaking her management firm's rules by spending a night with her boyfriend.

A sobbing Minami Minegishi apologised to her fans and said she did not want to leave the band AKB48, in the video seen by millions on YouTube.
The production company behind AKB48 said Minegishi, 20, had failed to abide by its cardinal rule - no dating.

But fans have defended her, saying she is entitled to a normal life.

Head shaving is a traditional form of showing contrition in Japan.

'Disgusting' Minegishi's apology came hours after a tabloid newspaper published photographs of her leaving the apartment of her boyfriend, Alan Shirahama, a dancer in a boy band.

In the video posted on AKB48's official website, she said she had made the decision to shave off her long hair to show contrition for her "thoughtless and immature" actions.

"I don't believe just doing this means I can be forgiven for what I did, but the first thing I thought was that I don't want to quit AKB48," she said.

At times sobbing and bowing her head during the nearly four-minute-long video, she also said: "If it is possible, I wish from the bottom of my heart to stay in the band. Everything I did is entirely my fault. I am so sorry."

Minegishi was one of the original members of AKB48 when it was launched by producer Yasushi Akimoto in 2005. The band is made up of some 90 girls - whose ages range from mid teens to early 20s - who, in teams, appear daily in their own theatre and regularly on television, in adverts, and in magazines.

They portray an image of cuteness known as "kawai", and have become a huge phenomenon both in Japan and increasingly in other Asian countries, correspondents say.

The condition for being part of such a successful act is that the girls must not date boys, so as not to shatter their fans' illusions.

AKB48's management office said Minegishi had been demoted to a trainee team as punishment "for causing a nuisance to the fans".

But author and critic Hiroki Azuma said it was "disgusting" that the star felt she should resort to a traditional act of contrition when the only rules she had broken were those of her band's.

Some fans and commentators say Minegishi went too far with her public apology, and that it was unnecessary.

"What's the point of this public execution show? It's like something from the war or a totalitarian state," one fan said on Twitter.

 

[waggy]

wtf...

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Sometimes it's interesting to be reminded how different cultures are - this strikes me as completely bizarre. Also I find it interesting that she is a fairly plain-looking girl, which would never fly in a girl group in the US:

 

[Jaskalas]

So... to be part of this band, they must be publicly seen as virgins?

 

[BladeVenom]

If she wouldn't have shaved her head, she could have done porn videos. I don't think the porn companies mind if she has a boyfriend.

 

[Papagayo]

she looks cute with short hair..

I'd do her..

 

[uhohs]

lol, can't believe this made news in other countries.

But fans have defended her, saying she is entitled to a normal life.

not all fans defend her, and from what i'm seeing most netizens are laughing at her and the group. The japanese know what is expected from idols and the consequences for breaking the more serious rules. It's always foreign fans or those with a foreign mindset that disagree with and make a ruckus about their Idol culture. She's fortunate she's a popular enough of a member to be given another chance and only punished with getting "demoted". She'll probably be promoted back in a year or so.

They portray an image of cuteness known as "kawai", and have become a huge phenomenon both in Japan and increasingly in other Asian countries, correspondents say.

they did the cute image when they first started, but that image is for the most part long gone. They do sexy, risque, controversial more than cute these days. I dropped them back in 2008 :`

 

[NikolaeVarius]

So... to be part of this band, they must be publicly seen as virgins?

You have to appeal to the unwashed virgin masses who view these idols as pure who don't poop and only fart rainbows.

The unwashed virgin masses are their primary customers.

 

[eits]

jesus, non-american cultures are so different.

 

[surfsatwerk]

That is some creepy shit.

 

[uhohs]

Sometimes it's interesting to be reminded how different cultures are - this strikes me as completely bizarre. Also I find it interesting that she is a fairly plain-looking girl, which would never fly in a girl group in the US:

minegishi is an interesting one that is a deviation from the typical idol builds.
some of the other members use to describe her as "ugly cute".

 

[busydude]

Uhohs, are kpop idols treated the same too?

 

[Jodell88]

Minegishi was one of the original members of AKB48 when it was launched by producer Yasushi Akimoto in 2005. The band is made up of some 90 girls - whose ages range from mid teens to early 20s - who, in teams, appear daily in their own theatre and regularly on television, in adverts, and in magazines.

Dafuq?

Uhohs, are you an American that is immersed in Japanese culture, or are you actually Japanese?

 

[Dumac]

To all the people getting upset over this (not really here, but all over the net. I mean, think how far this has to permeate to come here on ATOT), sit the fuck down. She chose to shave her head on her own, as an attempt to atone for breaking a contract she swore to keep.

Leave your nearly xenophobic outrage out of this. You don't like or even know AKB. You don't know anything about Japan. You probably don't even know how to pronounce the girl's name. So get off your high horse and stop judging.

Uhohs, are kpop idols treated the same too?

Kpop girls aren't allowed to date either, but to a lesser extent. If they get caught, it still becomes a scandal that has some large business ramifications.

However, it isn't as surprising as when jpop girls get caught because kpop girls are usually more sexual and less open with their personal lives.

 

[SandEagle]

i ♡ the japanese culture.

 

[SheHateMe]

After listening to her apologize..I can't stop laughing at how absurd some of these record companies in Japan are.


I mean seriously....she apologized to her parents too...


That is so terrible and de-humanizing.

 

[darkxshade]

It's Britney bitch!

Also, can we put Taylor Swift in this band?

 

[SheHateMe]

I just shared this with my Japanese Professor. She said it literally made her sick.

 

[Aikouka]

I find their misspelling of kawaii (cute) rather kowai (scary).

 

[SheHateMe]

I find their misspelling of kawaii (cute) rather kowai (scary).

No, they got it right. Japans image of "cuteness" is downright scary and troubling at times.

 

[busydude]

Leave your nearly xenophobic outrage out of this. You don't like or even know AKB. You don't know anything about Japan. You probably don't even know how to pronounce the girl's name. So get off your high horse and stop judging.

Then please educate us. Majority of these band member are very young when they join these bands.

She did these on her own because she feared being ostracized by her band and their fans. It seems you are being apologetic to this.

 

[SheHateMe]

Then please educate us. Majority of these band member are very young when they join these bands.

She did these on her own because she feared being ostracized by her band and their fans. It seems you are being apologetic to this.

And when she kills herself.....what typically seems to happen in Japan when people are shamed and embarrassed on such a massive scale as this...he will come back here and probably whine about how she did it to herself.


It always amazes me when some J-Pop or Anime nerd comes out of the woodwork with the white knighting for various Japanese idols and cartoons.


She is pretty much being bullied and a guarantee you that her management and fans are probably making her feel like even less of a person right now. That's how things work. You fuck up in Japan, you get teased and bullied. If you can't get over it, you kill yourself or you go crazy.

It's a huge issue for the entire country...bullying and suicide especially. Japanese culture prides itself on a long tradition of following society, individuality is not embraced as much as it is here in the US. That is a fairly new concept in Japan. As much as our Culture leaks into theirs, parts of their Culture will remain unaffected. Which is probably a good thing...but it depends.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

I dont see the big deal. These people make big money by being pretty and pumping out the illusion of being "just out of reach". That cute girl next door look that shows a facade of innocence. They are paid for this and sign the rules on the dotted line. When you sell your body and image for cash, you kinda have to keep your end of the bargain.

This is as silly as all the internet outrage (admittedly, mostly from women), when Weight Watchers said that Jessica Simpson had to give back the money they paid her after she wound up pregnant.

Think people.

 

[uhohs]

Dafuq?

90 members, they're probably counting all the research students and stuff.
3 groups, A, K, B. 16 members each. then they had a team 4 for a while.

And this isn't even counting all their sister/clone groups for different cities/prefectures/countries.

Sister Groups
SKE48
NMB48
HKT48
JKT48 (jakarta)
TPE48 (taipei)
SNH48 (shanghai)
Nogizaka46

masses and masses of girls, the large majority of which will remain faceless and unknown with no future in the industry. A giant machine just using them up and kicking them out while raking in billions.

the akb system/setup is dumb and japan is dumb for supporting it and making it prosper :|

http://www.kawaiikakkoiisugoi.com/2012/05/25/akb48-fan-buys-1000-copies-of-new-single-pt-2/

 

[SheHateMe]

I dont see the big deal. These people make big money by being pretty and pumping out the illusion of being "just out of reach". That cute girl next door look that shows a facade of innocence. They are paid for this and sign the rules on the dotted line. When you sell your body and image for cash, you kinda have to keep your end of the bargain.

This is as silly as all the internet outrage (admittedly, mostly from women), when Weight Watchers said that Jessica Simpson had to give back the money they paid her after she wound up pregnant.

Think people.

So Weight Watchers asking for their endorsement money back because Jessica Simpson became pregnant and wouldn't be able to be a Spokesperson for them is the SAME as a young girl being shamed and humiliated by her management company and her rabid fans here on AT and in Japan because she spent the night with a boy?

The fact that the video is even on youtube (on their official page!) and has nearly 5 million views should be enough to show you that she is basically being bullied and dehumanized in PUBLIC for being human.

So what, she signed a contract saying she wouldn't date boys? Handle it privately..like Weight Watchers did and don't make her feel like a piece of trash in public because she is NOT.


But nevermind.. its "faux outrage" as you say.