{"id":12520,"date":"2014-07-16T11:25:34","date_gmt":"2014-07-16T21:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12520"},"modified":"2014-07-16T11:42:13","modified_gmt":"2014-07-16T21:42:13","slug":"afp-tarento-rola-changing-dna-of-japanese-pop-culture-i-wish-her-well-but-the-hyperbolic-hype-is-not-warranted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12520","title":{"rendered":"AFP: “Tarento Rola changing DNA of Japanese pop culture”. I wish her well, but the hyperbolic hype is not warranted"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi Blog. I’m coming to this issue a few days late, but this article has made an enormous splash in media worldwide<\/a>. It’s about the latest “haafu” celebrity phenom, Rola, or Satou Eri. Read on, then I’ll comment:<\/p>\n

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
\nRola changing DNA of Japanese pop culture<\/strong>
\n By Alastair Himmer<\/strong>
\n AFP\/Japan Today<\/a>\/Japan Times<\/a>\/et al. ARTS & CULTURE JUL. 15, 2014, courtesy of TJL<\/strong>
\n Rola changing DNA of Japanese pop culture<\/strong>
\n Japanese fashion model and TV personality Rola poses for photographs during an interview with AFP in Tokyo on May 20, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

In celebrity-obsessed Japan with its conveyor belt of 15-minute stars, fashion model and \u201ctalent\u201d Rola is blazing a meteoric trail at the forefront of a galaxy of mixed-race stars changing the DNA of Japanese pop culture.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Turn on the TV and there\u2019s no escaping the bubbly 24-year-old of Bengali, Japanese and Russian descent\u2014she even dominates the commercial breaks.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A marketing gold mine, Rola smiles down celestially from giant billboards, her wide eyes and girlie pout grace magazine covers and she even greets you at vending machines.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But Rola, who settled in Japan when she was nine, has done it by turning the entertainment industry on its head, her child-like bluntness slicing through the strict convention that governs Japanese society.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever people told me to speak politely, I never worried about it,\u201d she told AFP in an interview. \u201cI\u2019m not talking down to anyone. I\u2019m not a comedian, it\u2019s just how I am. It\u2019s just being open-hearted and trying to make people open theirs.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But it is not just her quirky charm that is breaking down barriers. Japan\u2019s largely mono-ethnic society\u2014a culture where skin whitening creams are still huge business\u2014has long been mirrored by its entertainment industry.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rola and host of others are beginning to change that.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Half-British singer and actress Becky is another superstar with model looks and a huge fan base in Japan, while half-French newscaster Christel Takigawa helped Tokyo win the 2020 Olympic vote as the city\u2019s ambassador for \u201ccool\u201d.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Their rise to fame mirrors a shift in attitudes in Japan, which only opened its doors to the outside world in the middle of the 19th century and where foreigners\u2014those without Japanese nationality, even if they were born here\u2014make up less than two percent of a population of 127 million.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing of mixed race was once looked down upon,\u201d said sociologist Takashi Miyajima. \u201cNow foreign entertainers are admired in Japan as something untouchable. You could even say they benefit from positive discrimination.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rarely now do you see TV shows without at least one \u201chaafu\u201d (the Japanese pronunciation of \u201chalf\u201d, meaning \u201cmixed race\u201d), such has been the shift.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYoung Japanese women want to be like Rola,\u201d said psychologist Yoko Haruka, a regular on Japanese TV. \u201cThey buy the same clothes, bag. It\u2019s like a cartoon world, the baby-face effect.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cShe has the foreign look: long legs, small face, but because she is \u2018half\u2019, she\u2019s not an object of envy at all. She\u2019s an idol like Madonna was, but closer and easier to relate to.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rola\u2019s trademark puffing of the cheeks, ditzy catchphrases, infectious giggle and carefree charm have helped make Japan\u2019s most famous \u2018It Girl\u2019 a smash hit with legions of adoring fans.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She believes the shifting landscape has had a positive effect on Japan.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNationality isn\u2019t important,\u201d she said, dressed in tight blue jeans under a floral one-piece. \u201cI used to think Japanese people weren\u2019t open and should lighten up. But Japan has become brighter.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople copying me is cool,\u201d she added in her helium voice. \u201cIf I can do one thing to help bring a tiny improvement to Japan, that\u2019s great.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Born of a Bangladeshi father and a half-Japanese, half-Russian mother, Rola\u2019s eccentricities helped overcome the language barrier when young, once turning up at elementary school in pajamas she mistook for her new uniform.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNormally if you can\u2019t communicate it\u2019s frustrating but I only have fun memories of childhood,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I was small I\u2019d play with Barbie dolls and the next day I\u2019d jump in the river with boys catching crayfish or playing with turtles. Maybe that\u2019s why I use a lot of hand gestures. I naturally just made friends.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In a culture that once might have passed over her darker tone, Rola\u2019s exotic looks have clearly helped\u2014she was scouted by a modelling agency on the streets of Tokyo when she was in high school.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Following in the footsteps of mixed-race glamor girls such as Jun Hasegawa and racing driver Jenson Button\u2019s fiancee Jessica Michibata, Rola has also taken peak-time television by storm.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Japan can take its celebrity worship to extremes, David Beckham once having a giant chocolate statue dedicated to him in Tokyo while his mohican hairstyle triggered a personal grooming craze among local women during the 2002 World Cup.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t get stressed (by fame),\u201d said Rola. \u201cPeople come up to me on the street and go \u2018Hi, Rola!\u2019 as if I\u2019m their friend.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When not shooting commercials for everything from cosmetics or beer to headache pills or battered octopus balls, Rola is at the gym\u2014or fishing.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the next trends hit, the \u2018half\u2019 (mixed race) boom will calm down a bit,\u201d said Haruka. \u201cBut that might take a while.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For now, Rola\u2019s girl-next-door innocence continues to bewitch.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Asked to sum herself up in one word, she closes her eyes and offers: \u201cA salmon, maybe. They\u2019re not just tasty, they swim hard up rivers, so they\u2019re tough little critters.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

COMMENT<\/strong>: \u00a0First off, I wish Rola\u00a0well. \u00a0I hope she continues to make the media splash she’s making. \u00a0I of course prefer that people think that “Haafu” (or rather, “Doubles”) are desirable rather than derisible. \u00a0On this note, a commenter on Japan Today offered a\u00a0very erudite comment, so let me quote it:<\/p>\n

=============================================
\njpn_guy JUL. 14, 2014 – 09:46AM JST<\/a><\/strong>
\nThe positive reaction to mixed-race models is certainly better than not wanting them on screen. It’s “anti-racist” and to be welcomed. To a certain extent, I guess it does show Japan is becoming more open and tolerant.<\/em><\/p>\n

But like most things, it’s not that simple. For one thing, all these women are stunning beautiful. Everyone loves a good-looking girl. We knew that already! But not all mixed race people in Japan could, or even want to be, celebrities. Kids like mine just want normal lives. They might want to be a lawyer, a pilot, a shipbuilding engineer or a dental technician.<\/em><\/p>\n

As I said, the high visibility of mixed-race people in better than being vilified and ignored, for sure. But it’s also a sign of fetishism, and a refusal to see mixed race people as just “one of us”. Celebrities are “special” by definition. Ironically, that’s why visible minorities have less difficulty breaking into this field.<\/em><\/p>\n

The complex impact of mixed-race celebrity is well illustrated by the fact that “half-French newscaster Christel Takigawa” is actually a fully Japanese citizen by the name of Takigawa Masami – the name she used when she began her career. Apparently, so many people rang in to ask why someone with a Japanese name did not “look Japanese”, the producers forced her to use her “foreign-sounding” middle name, so that it better matched her face.<\/em><\/p>\n

In other words, Takigawa’s success is dependent on people setting her apart as foreign even though she is Japanese. A few years ago, another TV presenter (Yutaka Hasegawa) referred to her disparagingly as “that foreigner” (ano gaijin), although to be fair he was heavily criticized by her fans (though not reprimanded by his employer).<\/em><\/p>\n

Another example is the comedian and fully Japanese citizen Horita Seiki Antony who markets himself as “Antony”.<\/em><\/p>\n

I remember reading about cases of mixed-race people with traditional Japanese sounding names being asked “where do you get off having that name with a face like that?”<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s great to see all sorts of people on TV. When you get to know people, Japan is generally a warm and friendly society. But we should be very careful in making the broad claim that that Rola and her colleagues are “breaking down barriers in Japan’s largely mono-ethnic society”.<\/em><\/p>\n

Through no fault of their own, they are sometimes perpetuating the stereotype of the exotic other.<\/em><\/p>\n

When local people treat mixed race people and foreign people in non-celebrity fields just like anyone else, then we will have true progress.<\/em>
\n=============================================<\/p>\n

Complete agreement, especially with the sociology. As for the media angle,\u00a0I think the longer people like us have been here, we become skeptical of the “latest thing” after seeing so many “tarento” fizzle out\u00a0without\u00a0much impact. As another Japan Today commenter put it: “Back in the ’60s it was Karmen Maki and Ann Lewis. In the 70s there were Linda Yamamoto, Kathy Nakajima, Saori Minami and a cutsie singing trio with the stage name Golden Half. In the 80s, Rie Miyazawa, Anna Umemiya, etc. Nothing new under the sun.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, most\u00a0“tarento” blaze and then fizzle\u00a0without making any real impact, least of all “changing the DNA Japanese pop culture” as this article and its pundits claim. Rola in particular does not seem to be consciously promoting\u00a0any increase in social tolerance of “haafu” — she’s just doing her thing, entertaining with a new (or actually, not all that new, but for now fresh-sounding) schtick as\u00a0an ingenue. Of course. \u00a0That’s her role as an entertainer. \u00a0This has been the role of so many other entertainers, including the Kents (Kent Derricott made his pile <\/a>and returned to the US to buy his mansion on the hill in Utah for his family; Kent Gilbert did much the same and lives in Tokyo with a residence in Utah as well<\/a>), Leah Dizon (remember her?, already divorced from the Japanese guy who made the baby bump the speed bump in her career; she’s trying to make a comeback in Japan while based in Las Vegas<\/a>), Bob Sapp, Chuck Wilson, and many, many more that I’m sure Debito.org readers will recount in comments below.<\/p>\n

Sadly, none of these people have really made or will make a long-term impact on Japan’s mediascape. The best long-seller remains Dave Spector, who is a very, very exceptional person in terms of persistence and media processing (not to mention stellar language ability), but even he makes little pretense about being anything more than an “American entertainer” for hire. \u00a0Other impactful persons I can think of are Peter Barakan<\/a> and perhaps these people here<\/a>. \u00a0So it’s not non-existent. \u00a0But it’s not powerful enough to permit “Doubles” to control their self-image in Japan, either.<\/p>\n

Again, I wish Rola well, like I wish any broad-minded entertainer well, but I believe she\u00a0is just riding a trendy wave at the moment. \u00a0Her schtick is\u00a0as filling and substantial to consume as cotton candy — take one bite and you get nothing left in your mouth. Especially since any\u00a0little-girl act has a very short shelf life. That’s why\u00a0the headline of “Changing the DNA of Japanese pop culture” is\u00a0simply\u00a0too high an expectation. Celebrating Rola as if\u00a0she’s the next Beatles is a bit hollow and ahistorical, when Japan has never had a Beatles in terms of gaijin tarento.<\/p>\n

This overhype (even the academics cited are going along for the ride, one of whom carelessly errs by calling her “foreign”) can be fatal for many an entertainer when people eventually tire of her current incarnation. Even if Rola\u00a0becomes “successful” by revamping her act to become more substantial, she’ll just be as subsumed and co-oped as Miyazawa Rie or Becky is. Or as forgotten as Leah Dizon within a few\u00a0years. Let’s hope not, and let’s hope that she becomes a long seller. But I doubt it. \u00a0Because the ingenue trail she is blazing (or rather, is being blazed for her by her agents) of the “sexy-baby-voice tarento” genre has never really allowed for that.<\/p>\n

Bonne chance. \u00a0Dr. ARUDOU, Debito<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AFP: In celebrity-obsessed Japan with its conveyor belt of 15-minute stars, fashion model and \u201ctalent\u201d Rola is blazing a meteoric trail at the forefront of a galaxy of mixed-race stars changing the DNA of Japanese pop culture. Turn on the TV and there\u2019s no escaping the bubbly 24-year-old of Bengali, Japanese and Russian descent\u2014she even dominates the commercial breaks. A marketing gold mine, Rola smiles down celestially from giant billboards, her wide eyes and girlie pout grace magazine covers and she even greets you at vending machines. But Rola, who settled in Japan when she was nine, has done it by turning the entertainment industry on its head, her child-like bluntness slicing through the strict convention that governs Japanese society.<\/p>\n

JPN_GUY: The positive reaction to mixed-race models is certainly better than not wanting them on screen. It’s “anti-racist” and to be welcomed. To a certain extent, I guess it does show Japan is becoming more open and tolerant. But like most things, it’s not that simple. For one thing, all these women are stunning beautiful. Everyone loves a good-looking girl. We knew that already! But not all mixed race people in Japan could, or even want to be, celebrities. Kids like mine just want normal lives. They might want to be a lawyer, a pilot, a shipbuilding engineer or a dental technician. As I said, the high visibility of mixed-race people in better than being vilified and ignored, for sure. But it’s also a sign of fetishism, and a refusal to see mixed race people as just “one of us”. Celebrities are “special” by definition. Ironically, that’s why visible minorities have less difficulty breaking into this field.<\/p>\n

DEBITO: Of course, most “tarento” blaze and then fizzle without making any real impact, least of all “changing the DNA Japanese pop culture” as this article and its pundits claim. Rola in particular does not seem to be consciously promoting any increase in social tolerance of “haafu” — she’s just doing her thing, entertaining with a new (or actually, not all that new, but for now fresh-sounding) schtick as an ingenue. Of course. That’s her role as an entertainer. This has been the role of so many other entertainers, including the Kents (Kent Derricott made his pile and returned to the US to buy his mansion on the hill in Utah for his family; Kent Gilbert did much the same and lives in Tokyo with a residence in Utah as well), Leah Dizon (remember her?, already divorced from the Japanese guy who made the baby bump the speed bump in her career; she’s trying to make a comeback in Japan while based in Las Vegas), Bob Sapp, Chuck Wilson, and many, many more that I’m sure Debito.org readers will recount in comments below.<\/p>\n

Sadly, none of these people have really made or will make a long-term impact on Japan’s mediascape. The best long-seller remains Dave Spector, who is a very, very exceptional person in terms of persistence and media processing (not to mention stellar language ability), but even he makes little pretense about being anything more than an “American entertainer” for hire. Other impactful persons I can think of are Peter Barakan and perhaps these people here. So it’s not non-existent. But it’s not powerful enough to permit “Doubles” to control their self-image in Japan, either. <\/p>\n

I wish Rola well. I hope she continues to make the media splash she’s making. But the overhype can be fatal for many an entertainer when people eventually tire of her current incarnation. Even if Rola becomes “successful” by revamping her act to become more substantial, she’ll just be as subsumed and co-oped as Miyazawa Rie or Becky is. Or as forgotten as Leah Dizon within a few years. Let’s hope not, and let’s hope that she becomes a long seller. But I doubt it. Because the ingenue trail she is blazing (or rather, is being blazed for her by her agents) of the “sexy-baby-voice tarento” genre has never really allowed for that. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,22,12,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bad-social-science","category-cultural-issue","category-immigration-assimilation","category-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12520\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}