Conclusion

For all their superficiality and perverse internal contradictions, there are still some things to be admired about the Japanese fangirl. In keeping with the norms of Japanese culture, excepting the cases of violence and rivalry we discussed above, Japanese fangirls are generally well-behaved and superficially polite. Unlike Western rock fans, they are extremely unlikely to be rowdy for the sake of rowdiness, get drunk and make asses of themselves, or indulge in PDA at concerts. Though their fanatical loyalty may be off-putting to those who don't share their unique sensibilities, nonetheless, it's a lifeline for bands. A core of fangirls who attend all the shows and buy all the goods helps ensure that the band can keep playing.

On the other hand, in a lot of ways, fangirl culture keeps Japanese bands from achieving wider recognition. Surely it's partly because fangirls are such reliable money-makers that Japanese management companies don't think it's worth it to try and attract international popularity. English is scary, and foreigners are scary – why bother with scary stuff like that when you can sell band-member-endorsed cat t-shirts to a bunch of comfortably familiar Japanese ladies instead? Also, beyond economic concerns, fangirl culture tends to alienate the types of chill, casual fans who may very likely appreciate the band on a musical level more deeply than the fangirls ever will.

In addition, the highly skewed gender imbalance does no one any favors. Not only can fangirl culture make it hard for men to enjoy shows without fear of social stigma, but it causes all female fans to be branded fangirls until proven otherwise, and if you're a female musician and/or music fan, this can be devastating. If you're a woman who attends shows on a regular basis, like it or not, you're bound to be caught up in the fangirl phenomenon sooner or later – that is to say, other people (mainly other women) will assume your motivations must be sexual, even if in reality, they aren't. To make things worse, even music industry insiders engage in fangirl-type behavior surprisingly often, which only reinforces the notion that female artists, journalists, etc. aren't as “serious” as their male counterparts. And that's about as anti-feminist as it gets: reducing a woman to her sexuality and nothing more.

If you read the whole article but you're not convinced, all I can say is, the speculations I have made here are just my opinions – based on a decade of careful observation, experience, and conversation with relevant parties – but opinions nonetheless. I wish I had hard evidence to cite, but good data on anthropological trends is notoriously difficult to provide, and I doubt much useful data exists on this topic...but if you find some relevant data, please send it my way, as I'd be happy to include it.

Perhaps you also think I'm being judgmental, and imbuing small behaviors with a greater meaning than they actually possess. But I believe everything is connected, and that even small human behaviors are reflections of much larger societal values. As for judgment… sure, there's plenty of fangirl behavior that I think is a stupid waste of time, but that's kind of beside the point. Mostly, I'm not attempting to judge – I'm simply attempting to understand.

Solutions to the problems posed by fangirl hegemony? (Oh, shit... and that after I promised I wouldn't use the word “hegemony”!) Who knows. Wishing things were different won't change anything. Cheaper live tickets would make live music easier to enjoy casually, but that's not how the Tokyo rock scene is currently set up, and things seem unlikely to change any time soon. A feminist revolution would help Japan in a lot of ways – it's been statistically proven that the higher the level of sexual equality in a country, the higher its GDP, and the higher the reported happiness and life satisfaction of its citizens. But if feminism in Japan is going to come from anyone, it's going to come from the younger generation, the ones currently being brainwashed by everything moe, so we'll have to wait and see what happens.

In the meantime, if you're a foreign fan baffled by Japanese fan behavior, please don't let the fangirls get you down. They're like a force of nature – they do what they do when they do it. But that doesn't mean you have to.

.END.

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