Idol

My students, who are teenagers, obese with Korean idols. I have never understood how having a crush on a celebrity feels like because I have never had any celebrity crush. When I was their age, my classmates also did 'star chasing'. At that time, I didn't hesitate to tell them that I didn't appreciate their 'star-chasing' behaviors. I think you can imagine how many friends I had at school at that time. Ha ha. 

I have no clue why people like worshipping celebrities; yet, throughout my life, I have admired a few celebrities. When I was 11 years old, I developed my first admiration for a celebrity. My first favorite TV show is a Japanese series - Hana Kimi. The story is about a girl studying in a boys' school, aiming to encourage an athlete who got injured while saving her not to give up on sport. I loved that show a lot, and I read several articles about the lead actress. After reading those articles, I began to believe that the actress put a tremendous amount of effort into her acting, truly bringing her character to life. I admire her serious work attitude. Looking back as an adult now, I realize that I may not have possessed the ability to discern what is right or wrong easily, and I was susceptible to easily believing what others said; maybe that actress wasn't as good as I thought. 

What is an idol? Many people sexualize celebrities, and Japanese female idols serve as a prime example. They are expected to remain single throughout their idol careers, while agencies promote them as attainable dream girls to fulfill fans' fantasies. Although fans often claim to "love" their idols, I believe their love falls short. True love for an idol would involve wanting them to find love and happiness. The fact that an announcement about starting a relationship with someone from a female weather reporter caused a 10% drop in the weather reporting tv sessions in Japan is unreasonable. It is disconcerting when we will put an end to this toxic behavior remains uncertain.

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