PSU Center for Japanese Studies Presents a Free Lecture by
Professor Marianne Tarcov, McGill University
The dissolution of the Japanese male idol pop group SMAP, a long, agonizing breakup that began with a public apology by the group in January 2016 catalyzed the breaking of public silence surrounding a set of taboos related to idol culture, celebrity, and masculinity. In the band members’ later variety show appearances, they frankly discussed the toll taken by the idol system, including the Johnny’s Entertainment musical studio’s control of their personal and romantic lives.
In the band members’ post-breakup social media output, there is a shift in the role the body plays in idol culture. From an object of desire, particularly sexual desire, the body changes to an entity associated with vulnerability. This paper explores different kinds of vulnerability in SMAP’s post-breakup output: vulnerability to loneliness, vulnerability to social and economic precarity, and vulnerability to violence. This shift with regards to the body in idol culture reflects trends on increased social and economic precarity in neoliberal Japan. The idols' employment status as independent contractors reflects the contemporary ideal of entrepreneurial masculinity.
Marianne Tarcov is assistant professor in East Asian Studies at McGill University. Her research focuses on modern poetry, cinema, and popular culture in Japan. She is at work on a book project titled Open Secrets of Twentieth-Century Japanese Poetry. She was a member of the official SMAP fan club in 2015-2016.