Japanese pop star shaves her head and apologizes for dating.

[Theb]

That's bizarre. Women like the D, get over it.

Is she going to attack people with an umbrella now, because that's how we roll over here.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

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.

It might be bad if it was anything like you said. But of course you're embellishing. The group has rules. She agreed to those rules. She proceeded to break that rule. Then, she decided to take a very traditional Japanese method of showing remorse.

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.

She could also just get fired. She instead decided to do the above in hopes of saving her job.

Why are you purposefully misrepresenting whats going on? I assume you're reading the provided article? Maybe even watched the video?

 

[techs]

There's as used panties joke in here somewhere.

 

[uhohs]

She could also just get fired. She instead decided to do the above in hopes of saving her job.

^this

no one forced her to make a video and apologize like that. no one forced her to shave her head. She's doing it in hopes of getting some sympathy/forgiveness from fans and being able to stay in the group.

 

[SP33Demon]

Women say, da dick, it keeps callin' meeeee /davechappelle

 

[SheHateMe]

Why are you purposefully misrepresenting whats going on? I assume you're reading the provided article? Maybe even watched the video?

I watched the video multiple times. Hell I even emailed this to my Japanese Professors to make sure I understood what she was saying correctly. She is very torn up over this and she feels like she let everyone down. Not just her friends, but she apologized to her family too. My point is, her management company has a duty to not be assholes and allow this video to be posted on the group's page. What she did is not that serious. The fact that they let this video go up on youtube simply proves that they are allowing this poor girl to be humiliated and bullied in public.


She shaved her damn head because she was so shamed and all they could think about was getting this apology video out to the public?

No, how about you have to her talk to someone before she kills or hurts herself.

I think Dumac pretty much personifies the whole issue here, we need to mind our own business because we don't know shit about this pop group. That kind of sounds like something either a bully or a bully supporter would say.

I don't care what her contract stated. She broke the rules, fine...reprimand her in a way that isn't going to make her feel like she disappointed the whole world. Her management could have put a stop to these shenanigans at any time.

 

[halik]

What is going on with her teeth...

 

[uhohs]

No, how about you have to her talk to someone before she kills or hurts herself.

don't think that's gonna happen man

 

[uhohs]

What is going on with her teeth...

japan is going on with her teeth

and her's aren't that bad, there's plenty idols with worse teefs. ^_^

 

[halik]

Dafuq?

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

$20 bucks says suburban white kid in middle america

 

[SheHateMe]

$20 bucks says white kid in middle america

That's mostly the case when people white knight for Japan like that.


*scratch that*
Better yet, I bet he can't ask to buy one of AKB48's shitty singles in Japanese either.

 

[halik]

japan is going on with her teeth

and her's aren't that bad, there's plenty idols with worse teefs. ^_^

They have dentists, don't they?

 

[Lonyo]

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.



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.

You're allowed to do whatever your agency lets you.
Some agencies don't even let their group members have phones, while others let them date/etc.
Often though when you get married (as happened recently) that's kind of it, but that's also partly probably because if you want to get married and have a life, you can't also be a kpop idol, because it just wouldn't ever work due to the ridiculous demands/etc.

Recently one of the Wonder Girls got married, and that was fine.
It's only if you're dishonest/conceal it, or if you have nutjobs fans that it's an issue. Nutjob fans being a serious problem.

Break the rules of your contract, and you have to make amends, same with pretty much any contract, it's just that the terms for kpop/jpop people are harsher than you'd see in the west.

 

[SheHateMe]

japan is going on with her teeth

and her's aren't that bad, there's plenty idols with worse teefs. ^_^

It could be worse...they could have a yellow tint :<

 

[uhohs]

That's mostly the case when people white knight for Japan like that.

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 :|

ok 🙄

 

[thecoolnessrune]

I watched the video multiple times. Hell I even emailed this to my Japanese Professors to make sure I understood what she was saying correctly. She is very torn up over this and she feels like she let everyone down. Not just her friends, but she apologized to her family too. My point is, her management company has a duty to not be assholes and allow this video to be posted on the group's page. What she did is not that serious. The fact that they let this video go up on youtube simply proves that they are allowing this poor girl to be humiliated and bullied in public.


She shaved her damn head because she was so shamed and all they could think about was getting this apology video out to the public?

No, how about you have to her talk to someone before she kills or hurts herself.

I think Dumac pretty much personifies the whole issue here, we need to mind our own business because we don't know shit about this pop group. That kind of sounds like something either a bully or a bully supporter would say.

I don't care what her contract stated. She broke the rules, fine...reprimand her in a way that isn't going to make her feel like she disappointed the whole world. Her management could have put a stop to these shenanigans at any time.

You're absolutely ridiculous. Uhohs already said the proper response:

no one forced her to make a video and apologize like that. no one forced her to shave her head. She's doing it in hopes of getting some sympathy/forgiveness from fans and being able to stay in the group.

This is *her* decision. Her management company does not owe her anything. She could have put a stop to the shenanigans by not having a boyfriend.

Its the *rules*. If she wanted a boyfriend, she could have nullified her contractual obligations, pay what she owes, and go about her life. She instead tried to have her cake and eat it too. She got caught, and *she* decided to do this publicity stunt to show sincerity in her apology and hopefully not get fired.

But hey, what are multi-million dollar contracts anyways? People shouldn't have to actually abide by what they sign as long as the other person signing is one of those evil big companies! 🙄

 

[surfsatwerk]

It's still creepy as hell.

 

[SheHateMe]

ok 🙄

I was talking about Dumac, but I guess you have a guilty conscience. 🙄

 

[SheHateMe]

You're absolutely ridiculous. Uhohs already said the proper response:



This is *her* decision. Her management company does not owe her anything. She could have put a stop to the shenanigans by not having a boyfriend.

Right because the Management company has no authority to tell her that an apology video on their Official English page on youtube is not necessary.

Instead, the video is posted with the tagline "AKB48 &#23791;&#23736;&#12415;&#12394;&#12415;&#12363;&#12425;&#12398;&#12513;&#12483;&#12475;&#12540;&#12472;&#12434;&#12362;&#23626;&#12369;&#12375;&#12414;&#12377;&#12290;".

As if somehow that statement is going to add something positive to what happened.

I guess she controls all of their social media accounts. Management totally knew nothing about an emotionally distressed girl who just shaved her head in apology was also uploading an extremely disturbing apology video to their youtube channel...


🙄

 

[Dumac]

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.

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.

I watched the video multiple times. Hell I even emailed this to my Japanese Professors to make sure I understood what she was saying correctly. She is very torn up over this and she feels like she let everyone down. Not just her friends, but she apologized to her family too. My point is, her management company has a duty to not be assholes and allow this video to be posted on the group's page. What she did is not that serious. The fact that they let this video go up on youtube simply proves that they are allowing this poor girl to be humiliated and bullied in public.


She shaved her damn head because she was so shamed and all they could think about was getting this apology video out to the public?

No, how about you have to her talk to someone before she kills or hurts herself.

I think Dumac pretty much personifies the whole issue here, we need to mind our own business because we don't know shit about this pop group. That kind of sounds like something either a bully or a bully supporter would say.

I don't care what her contract stated. She broke the rules, fine...reprimand her in a way that isn't going to make her feel like she disappointed the whole world. Her management could have put a stop to these shenanigans at any time.

What the hell are you rambling about? This is exactly what I was talking about. You have no idea what's going on, yet you take an incredibly hostile position without even knowing the situation.

Management didn't force her to cut her hair. Other girls have been in bigger/more incriminating scandals in AKB and merely gotten slaps on the wrists. She CHOSE to shave her head, which ironically is making the issue bigger than it was, while also bringing a lot of hate to AKB.

You say she is being bullied but you have no clue of whats going on. AKB fans are nothing but supportive to the girls, even during scandals. Thousands of fans are showing their support, just like they have in the past. No one is bullying her. At most, fans were scared when the scandal leaked that she was going to be fired and pulled out of future shows, meaning that they get to see less of the celebrity they are a fan of.

These girls give so much to AKB, and most of them take pride in what they accomplish while in AKB. It is obvious that she honestly feels bad about what she did, because it trivializes all shes done for AKB in the past.

The only bullies here are people like you, who come into the scene knowing nothing at all while carrying an extremely judgmental stance. "This girl is obviously forced into this, just like shes forced into this group and held hostage (ignoring the fact that girls can graduate at any time and have numerous times in the past)." "This girl is obviously bullied (despite the fact that the AKB fanbase in incredibly supportive of these girls, to a fault, accepted nearly all faults of the girls, but physical or personality)." You speak like a person who takes an Into into Japanese class and then thinks they understand the culture, despite only barely grasping a shallow, fictional view of it.

Sure, call me a white knight or anime nerd, despite the fact that I'm not really an AKB fan (just knowledgeable of the group) and I watch maybe 1 anime series every few years.

Just because in America a celebrity is to egotistical and selfish to ever own up to any mistake they made, and the crowd rewards them for it, doesn't mean its the same in other countries. Just because a self-prescribed act of atonement doesn't fit into your book of actions, doesn't mean its the same of other people. Stop shoving your view of things onto the rest of the world.

Do I think she needed to shave her hair? No, and neither do most fans. Fans were completely surprised and upset about it. I know some fans that found it incredibly sad and a couple that cried empathetically (these are girls by the way. Oh wait, I thought all AKB fans were white knight men who wanted to bang the girls?). We all miss her hair, it was quite nice. I don't think anybody wished this on her.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

lol

 

[zinfamous]

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

cardinal rule of the various azn-pop: k-pop, j-pop girl bands out there.

partly demanded by culture...but mostly demanded by the "creepy" fan base that follows these groups around.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/10/08/121008fa_fact_seabrook

 

[uhohs]

I was talking about Dumac, but I guess you have a guilty conscience. 🙄

You replied to a comment directed towards me, but I guess you have difficulty reading. 🙄

 

[Dumac]

Right because the Management company has no authority to tell her that an apology video on their Official English page on youtube is not necessary.

Instead, the video is posted with the tagline "AKB48 &#23791;&#23736;&#12415;&#12394;&#12415;&#12363;&#12425;&#12398;&#12513;&#12483;&#12475;&#12540;&#12472;&#12434;&#12362;&#23626;&#12369;&#12375;&#12414;&#12377;&#12290;".

As if somehow that statement is going to add something positive to what happened.

I guess she controls all of their social media accounts. Management totally knew nothing about an emotionally distressed girl who just shaved her head in apology was also uploading an extremely disturbing apology video to their youtube channel...


🙄

She wanted to apologize, in an attempt to not cheapen the AKB name. Management agreed, yes for their benefit but also doing what she said she wanted. Ironically, this whole thing is bringing a lot of international hate on AKB's head, which is probably the last thing she would want.

These girls are proud of what they do. They work way too hard to not be. For the most part, these girls have a great work ethic, a good heart, and are somebody to look up to. If you knew anything about AKB you would know this already.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Right because the Management company has no authority to tell her that an apology video on their Official English page on youtube is not necessary.

Instead, the video is posted with the tagline "AKB48 &#23791;&#23736;&#12415;&#12394;&#12415;&#12363;&#12425;&#12398;&#12513;&#12483;&#12475;&#12540;&#12472;&#12434;&#12362;&#23626;&#12369;&#12375;&#12414;&#12377;&#12290;".

As if somehow that statement is going to add something positive to what happened.

I guess she controls all of their social media accounts. Management totally knew nothing about an emotionally distressed girl who just shaved her head in apology was also uploading an extremely disturbing apology video to their youtube channel...


🙄

Lol, you just keep on going. Your point means nothing, absolutely nothing. Their authority means nothing there. Her company owes her NOTHING. You're talking all this emotional crap over a girl who purposefully broke the rules of her contract to her company and saying that the company should go out of its way to help her out in her time of sorrow.

Instead, the company could have outright fired her, but instead they allowed her to apologize in this fashion which she chose.

Please try to comprehend. She chose to break the rules, and she chose to apologize in this fashion to save her job.

If I broke my employers rules (lets say I used my work phone to send porn, because hey, I dont want to buy my own plan!), then I would consider myself extremely fortunate to be able to keep my job by shaving my head and crying on a video, as opposed to losing the millions of dollars said imaginary job gives me.

But I guess the proper response would be for my employer to be like "well, you broke one of our primary rules, and put us at risk of litigation from sending random people porn, but you know what? It's ok, let's just be friends!"