Johnny’s Idols as Icons: Female Desires to Fantasize and Consume Male Idol Images

Abstract

Every year, on 31 December, many Japanese enthusiastically watch a nationally broadcast music program called K{\={o}}haku Uta Gassen (The Red and White Song Battle). On this program, singers are divided into two teams (red for women and white for men), which compete against each other. The program is extremely popular, drawing 40.8 percent of the national viewing audience in 2009. Each year, who will be offered the honor of hosting the program is a matter of great public concern, covered extensively in tabloid newspapers and other popular media. In 2010, this honor was conferred on Arashi, a male idol group with five members. Since debuting in 1999, Arashi has become the most popular male idol group in Japan today, generating {\textyen}14.4 billion ($180 million) in CD and DVD sales in 2009. The management company or ``agency'' (jimusho) behind Arashi is Johnny & Associates (hereafter Johnny's), a dominant force in the Japanese entertainment industry.