Momoka Tojo (20), who joined idol group “KATACOTO * BANK” last month, accidentally posted a photo with her boyfriend on her birthday. As a result, management has issued these disciplinary measures: 1 - She will keep a certain distance from her boyfriend. 2 - As “punishment”, she will have to post a solo “good night” photo every night for a year, with management adding, “The most important thing for an idol is to ‘sleep close to every fan’.” Fans expressed a variety of amused and concerned comments after the publication
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Japanese idol culture is the toxic inverse of the West's slut culture, where even having a committed relationship is seen as negative.
Part of the reason is obviously marketing teams wanting to sell these idols as available and that 'maybe' they'll choose a fan one day (they never will, or at least highly unlikely). Other side is also easier to control when they can't rely on someone else as then you can have them constantly performing in places with few brakes.
This and black companies (sometimes one and the same) really need to go. Because both are toxic and detrimental to men developing relationships.
The West's slut culture is an every day reality of people's regular lives. Idol culture is a job that you for the most part choose to participate in.
These situations aren't secret, its pretty well known in fact that idols cannot even be seen standing too close to a man lest they get punished. Yet they still choose to sign up because they love the attention, fame, and affection it brings them just for "existing while cute."
But if I were a Japanese man, I'd not have to involve myself in that nonsense and its extreme purity ideals wouldn't effect me in the slightest. But I cannot escape the consequences of the West's slut culture no matter what I do.
Japanese fans were worried and concerned when Gwar Gura, an English vTuber idol, had male backup vocals when she sang "Big Iron", because it implied someone male was within a hundred yards of her that wasn't her producer. They had to be placated by English fans explaining that she literally used the backing vocals from the original song, no scary men near her recording booth.
The idol culture is bizarre.
It is, but its designed from the top down to be that way. The guys behind every Idol are specifically manipulating and preying on every parasocial and abusive tactic to get fans deeply hooked and insane. They have it down to a science on how to turn Japanese men specifically into simps who will spend 10000$ a year on a girl they see only from a distance with no sexuality openly at play.
Its the same way they turned gacha, gambling and the Skinner box into the monster it is in the gaming industry.
Purity is a positive, yes. If she has a man then she should retire and be a good housewife, unless she has real talents like singing or acting, at which point she is allowed to stay in the entertainment business, but not as an "idol".
Western culture still has the same thing. There's a reason why amarounth? Hid her bf or husband for so long while slutting it up
The concept of being perceived to be single to be profitable is not exclusive to Japan or these idols. Streamers and OnlyFans thots do it too. The second it's revealed they have a boyfriend or husband (spoiler - they all do), the revenue plummets.
The difference comes from (the perception of) purity and morality.
JapanToday is a lefty blog catering to male feminist weebs and subversives who want to change Japan's culture. Here is the original story they linked to if you don't want to give JT clicks: https://soranews24.com/2024/08/07/as-punishment-for-boyfriend-pics-idol-singer-to-post-good-night-photos-of-herself-alone-for-one-year/
As for the story, I'm not gonna defend idol culture, but many people complaining about girls being treated as disposable objects of sexual affection seem perfectly fine with ethots exploiting men in online parasocial relationships.
Parasocial relationships are bad, but bet this faggot won't expose how female stans are as crazy or even more crazy than their male counterparts. Male idols also get shit if they interact with women, or act remotely straight.
Idol culture has been around for decades and has made it very clear how you must act at all times and the horrific consequences therein. At this point, a girl who signs up for it is either retardedly naive or so in love with the attention that she thinks it'll be worth it, so she cannot truly be sympathized with.
Genuinely shocked they simply punished her instead of just dropping her ass, maybe the humiliation ritual is enough for the fans to get off on that they won't physically assault her for being a "slut."
Either way, that's the life you are signing up for to be an idol, or any derivative of it.
Makes sense. Their user base is full of cucks, relevance is secured only when the idols pass on the mirage that they are single, otherwise their revenue dries up
It's eerie how similar idol culture is to onlyfans.
You have these loser males in these parasocial relationships with attention whores who charge obscene prices for honestly mediocre content, thus fleecing the losers while selling out the dignity of both parties.
The only meaningful difference is that the idols are kept on a tight leash by handlers, while the onlyfans thots answer to no one.
If you're over 18, unless your job is in social marketing, you shouldn't be posting ANYTHING on social media. And if you're under 18, you shouldn't be ON social media at all.
She signed up for a very difficult but high-paying job for the education requirement, that basically is army-level overtaking and controlling your life for 6-7 years. Then once you hit Christmas Cake staleness, you're thrown out... unless you make it as a vTuber, I suppose.
Even in Western idol culture, you see this kind of pressure. Vedal is one of the few "successful" male vTubers, mostly because of Neuro being female, and in all of his collabs and all of his interactions, he acts like the coldest, most aloof character possible, no matter how flirty the female vTubers are ("I love you!" -> "...And what would you like me to do with this information?" being a real interaction), because he KNOWS their popularity will take a hit if they actually seem to be on good terms. He's shifted himself into a pseudo-"Producer" role in vTuber culture, but even then, needs to be careful, because even western Idol culture demands all women be 1) Available, 2) Sexually pure, and 3) Sexually promiscuous, as self-contradicting as that is. Melody does frickin' hardcore porn and shares stories of being in the industry, and still pretends like she's never conceptualized the idea of a naked man, because that "purity" is expected, even if it's completely unrealistic to have it happen.
This is nothing new--even for male idols.
In the 1990s, there was a boy band called Take That, whose managers enforced very strict rules of conduct, including no drinking and no smoking--and no girlfriends; they wanted to keep the group's fanbase "hopeful."
The group only had one hit in the US, "Back For Good," but they had much more success elsewhere in the world.
Based
Social media discipline is something that even the average person has to contend with.
I just assume all hot women regardless of race have a body count of 1000 and are currently balancing 10 different boyfriends with 100 fuck toys at any one time. This way I'm not shocked when they're actually somewhat close to this.