From ‘Girl Next Door’ to ‘Prophet’ of the Fans
“Let’s go out and search for our dreams, so that the burning passion in our hearts can shine when the new season arrives. We will release it together” — Tsugi No Season, BNK48
‘Tsugi No Season’ marked the official debut single of BNK48’s second generation. Many people are likely familiar with BNK48, and some may follow them closely enough to be considered ‘otaku’ (devoted fans).
The rise of BNK48 brought an interesting phenomenon to Thailand — the introduction of ‘idol culture.’
Before discussing idol culture, it’s important to mention the 48 Group, which BNK48 is a part of. This group of bands is modeled after AKB48, whose concept revolves around ‘idols you can meet.’ This unique approach often leads to them being compared to the ‘girl next door.’ This positioning gives the group an identity that goes beyond just being singers and dancers.
Following this concept, auditions for the 48 Group are open to teenage girls and young women in their early 20s. Additionally, the 48 Group established their own theaters for weekly performances, making it easier for fans to meet the artists. The ‘girl next door’ image has also inspired the creation of ‘sister groups,’ expanding branches to different regions, eventually reaching Thailand.
When ‘girl-next-door’ idols enter the Thai social context, it’s natural that we become curious about this type of idol group, particularly from a societal and cultural perspective. The accessible idol image, paired with the ‘girl next door’ concept, makes it easy for fans to feel like they’re watching a familiar face — a girl they’ve known since childhood — growing up into a beautiful young woman.
The ‘girl next door’ archetype, as defined on urbandictionary.com, refers to a girl you’re interested in but hesitant to approach. Despite her proximity, you’re reluctant to express any romantic or sexual interest, fearing it might tarnish her wholesome, innocent image.
When people talk about the ‘girl next door,’ they often picture a cute, approachable girl — perhaps not stunningly beautiful, but very friendly and easy to relate to. Fans of these idols can follow their journey from the audition stage, watching as they enter the group as ‘kenkyuusei’ or trainees, not yet assigned to any specific team. This allows fans to witness the members’ growth over time. The group’s system, where certain members are selected as ‘senbatsu’ to perform in singles, further strengthens the bond, as fans cheer on their favorite members to achieve their highest dreams.
On the other hand, the members’ struggle to become senbatsu may not be so different from the competition in a classroom, full of students who want to be number one to succeed and receive praise. In many ways, being in the 48 Group is like attending a school that trains idols until their ‘graduation,’ with serious training, moments of disappointment, students who achieve first place, and others who repeatedly fail to become senbatsu. Yet, they remain friends, sharing both joys and sorrows. When looking at the lyrics of the group’s songs, which often focus on striving for dreams and success, the fierce competition is further reflected
From ‘Girl Next Door’ to Sexual Fantasy?
It’s inevitable that the creation of BNK48, following its original template rooted in Japanese idol culture, would spark debate among Thai people who may not be familiar with this culture, particularly on issues such as turning idols into ‘sexual objects’ and promoting male-dominant values deeply ingrained in Thai society.
In a post by ‘Feministnhoi’ [1], it was suggested that Thai society continues to uphold the image of a ‘good woman’ as someone who is cheerful, supportive of those around her, and embodies the purity of youth. In this sense, the arrival of BNK48 reinforces traditional values of the ‘good woman,’ contributing to the group’s popularity and success.
On the other hand, it’s undeniable that this idol group format has elements that objectify young girls, such as placing them in a ‘fish tank’ for people to gaze at, organizing handshake events, or stripping away their individuality to create an image of the ideal young girl — ultimately catering to the fantasies of various ‘otaku’.
In Greater East Asian societies, including Thailand, discussing sex is not typically considered acceptable or appropriate. Referring to idols as sexual fantasies is therefore problematic and often meets with opposition, especially when outsiders who don’t understand ‘otaku’ culture generalize them as simply interested in pure young girls. Clearly, having sexual interests in underage girls is seen as abnormal and disturbing. However, BNK48 has a diverse range of followers, a fact that is rarely depicted by the media. News about ‘otaku’ culture in Japan might lead some people to believe that all 48 Group followers are problematic or disgusting.
“I once watched Tokyo Idol, where a university student mentioned that if he were older, he might not follow idols anymore. Among the fans, there are indeed those with inappropriate interests, but some follow out of genuine enthusiasm. While it may attract those with certain tastes, it also sells. The young members themselves are eager to enter the industry; they’ve chosen to pursue this path.”
‘PB’ (pseudonym), a university student with a long-standing interest in Japanese idol culture, shared his perspective as someone who has followed idol groups for over ten years, including not only the 48 Group but also the 46 Group and the Japanese indie music scene.
Another closely watched issue is the ‘handshake events,’ which not only reinforce the girl-next-door image but also lead some outsiders to view them as akin to selling sexual services, presenting an image of ‘purity’ rather than sexual intercourse.
Although these handshake events originated as a solution by the 48 Group management to address issues with theater performances, they are also a common practice among both male and female idol groups in Japan. Korean idol groups, during fan meetings or concerts in Japan, often have their Japanese branches organize handshake events to please fans as well. Thus, ‘handshake events’ are a broader aspect of Japanese idol culture, not exclusive to the 48 Group.
“AKB48’s handshake events are mild compared to underground idol (chika idol) groups in Japan, because some groups have hugging events, events where you can kiss through clear plastic, or if you buy a lot of albums, you can even go eat with them.”
From PB’s perspective, handshake events help him manage his discomfort with physical contact, offering a way to express thoughts and feelings to admired strangers while receiving encouragement in return. However, due to the value placed on ‘purity,’ idols are often pressured by fans with rules that resemble a ‘heart contract,’ which demands that idols must not have boyfriends or girlfriends. This can lead to significant drama when idols do have partners, as some fans feel betrayed.
Another reason some fans give is that if they have to shake hands with an idol who has a partner, it’s no different from shaking hands with someone else’s lover.
“The no-dating rule isn’t exactly a rule, but an idol having a partner will decrease their value. It depends on how they carry themselves and manage it. Because there was an idol who got senbatsu 3 years in a row, then had news with a guy, so she was sent to a sister group in the countryside. But when rankings came out again, she still came back as number one.”
“But there were the case that an idol announced her marriage during the election (senbatsu election where otaku vote), this is like betraying the fans. In the election, people spend millions of yen voting for that idol. Those who paid money for the idol to achieve her dream would feel betrayed. And if they paid for other reasons, they’d feel even more betrayed.”
Having followed this industry for a long time, he believes that idols having partners is not wrong, as idols are also human beings who should have the same rights as anyone else. Among BNK48 otaku, there are diverse opinions on idols having partners, and many disagree with those who react negatively or throw tantrums when idols are in relationships
For example, Pikawui — one of the admins of the “Addicted to Otaku Life” page who closely follows BNK48 — believes that those who have issues with shaking hands with someone else’s partner are often individuals who struggle with their own sense of identity and self-worth. These fans may never have experienced real-life interactions that the idols provide.
The encouragement and cheerful image of idols, especially those like BNK48 who maintain a special closeness with their fans, make these followers feel that the idols are a part of their real lives. When idols have partners, it can lead to feelings of disappointment and anger, as if they have been abandoned and are no longer part of the idol’s personal life
Although the image of idols is often shaped by fans’ fantasies, these fantasies are ultimately influenced by societal ideals. For example, in the case of Khai (Kaimook BNK48), we see the embodiment of ‘femininity’ according to Japanese societal ideals — being a housewife, able to cook, cute, and an older sister figure. This suggests that idols are, in many ways, reflections of the ‘good femininity’ idealized by society, aligning with broader sexual fantasies of what is considered desirable in that context.
Anna — one of the admins of the ‘Feministnhoi’ page who has long followed Korean idols, including being a fan of BTS, the famous Korean idol group — believes that not only female idols are subject to idealized images, but male idols are also influenced by similar societal expectations.
Male idols are expected to embody ‘masculinity’ according to societal ideals as viewed through the female gaze. This perspective differentiates the fan service provided by male idol groups from that of female idols like those in the 48 Group, who present a cute and innocent ‘girl next door’ image.
“For example, in the case of BTS (Korean boy band), recently the company released a special video for fans, having all members dress as princes. What caused a stir was that in this video, Jungkook kissed Taehyung’s cheek, or simply put, they released the video to service fujoshi fans. It’s another kind of gaze, or even if it’s not so obvious, fans will ‘ship’ anyway.
“Once I went to a seminar about Yaoi (male-male romance) culture held at Chulalongkorn University long ago. They gave the reason that some women like Yaoi — there’s a theory that because women are oppressed in male-dominated society, we have a fantasy of wanting to see men being suppressed too. So women who like male-male romance take that gaze to suppress men who have submissive characteristics instead,” Anna said.
Simply put, it seems that idols reflect the values of the society in which they exist. Therefore, it’s not surprising to see the influence of male-dominated societal values in idols from Eastern cultures, whether Korean, Japanese, or Thai.
When idols deviate from these societal norms, it often leads to drama and backlash. For example, Korean idol Jonghyun from SHINee faced online attacks for supporting LGBTQ+ rights [2], and Irene from Red Velvet was criticized for reading a book with feminist content [3].
In Western cultures, such actions are often seen as a stance supporting one’s own beliefs. Anna provided a closer example with Orn from BNK48, who sarcastically responded to a comment on Instagram questioning her weight.
“I wrote about Orn on our page, and someone commented on our page that Orn’s action of replying to comments like that wasn’t right because ‘idols must be good role models’. But the word ‘good’ is different, right? “Good in one society doesn’t mean good in another society. If we tried moving Orn to an American context, people would see Orn as fierce, strong, spicy, or there would be articles from BuzzFeed coming out about why Orn is so cool, because they value protecting privacy as a good thing.”
From ‘Fantasy Full of Ideals’ to ‘Idol’ in the Faith of Fans
Although idols are often portrayed as the ‘girl next door,’ seemingly approachable, some observers note that within the world of fans, members of idol groups are treated almost as sacred objects to be worshipped. This aligns with the original meaning of ‘idol’ in English, which refers to an image or representation to be venerated.
While such comparisons might seem exaggerated, in a world where people often seek spiritual anchors, it’s not surprising that many turn to idols for comfort. For these fans, idols become a source of solace and something to hold onto
“For me, who are ARMY (name of BTS fan group), the group members are like gods. Because God can’t help us, but idols can. Idols often come out to encourage, teach us to follow our dreams, or like BTS, it’s clear — they come out to speak about loving yourself and others, even more than Christian teachings. Saying this may sound disrespectful, but Jesus may have been the idol of people two thousand years ago, Jesus oppa (laughs),”
Anna compared the similarities between idols and religion or cults, making it even clearer that people like Anna herself also need encouragement or power to continue living.
“Idols have become a form that responds to happiness in a way that shows more results. Like in Tokyo Idol, the head otaku of Rio (the main idol in the Tokyo Idol documentary) said that using his own money to help Rio follow her dream, he feels like he’s part of making others achieve their dreams. Or like the senbatsu election, it’s a capitalist idea. We have to buy things for one person to succeed, and the election is a method that clearly shows rankings. Which if it’s ordinary people like us, we may not experience success or receive love this clearly anyway. So we want others to be representatives of our success,” Anna spoke about another form of idols that has value for fans’ beliefs.
From Pikawui’s perspective, as someone who enjoys supporting others and believes that ‘supporting something can serve as motivation for us to work,’ this mindset became the foundation for his willingness to spend on idols. He sees the clear structure of the system, where his financial support directly contributes to the success of the member he follows, making the results visible and tangible.
Pikawui mentioned that spending money on idols also serves as a motivation for him to earn more money, as he saw significant financial gains last year. At the same time, he managed to balance his time, allowing him to rest and exercise.
Buying idol goods and services has characteristics not different from supporting one’s own religion and beliefs to survive. Handshake tickets are like things that allow us to access God, representatives of successful dreams that fans love and have faith in.
When outsiders criticize or disrespect these ‘gods,’ it often leads to dissatisfaction among fans, resulting in ‘Fan Wars’ — conflicts similar to battles of belief between two groups.
“When we love something, we will protect it. Especially if they behave well, they will have no flaws. But when we love them like loving God, we choose to look only at their good sides. Like in the past, Kim Namjoon (BTS) — the idol I liked the most — once mocked the English accent of African Americans, which I didn’t like at all. But I told ourselves that he didn’t intend to and has already apologized,” Anna talked about faith changing from religion to idols, making ‘being a good fan’ depend on ‘faith’ in the idol.
Being a fan shares similarities with religious followings. Just as Christians refer to themselves as Christians and Buddhists as Buddhists, fans of each idol group often have specific names or titles to identify themselves and their affiliation.
For example, fans of BTS call themselves ARMY, while those who follow BLACKPINK refer to themselves as BLINK, and so on. These group names foster a sense of unity and shared belief, contributing to the global appeal of idol culture. Although specifics may vary for each group, Anna noted, ‘It’s like chanting prayers at concerts. In a way, it resembles the Chinabanchorn mantra in Buddhism, which lists the names of members.’ She concluded that these practices, though seemingly light-hearted, reflect deeper connections and rituals similar to those in religious traditions.
The arrival of BNK48, which has created significant phenomena and trends in idol culture, has brought fan groups into the spotlight, particularly those that differ from mainstream fan culture. Outsiders often view this with confusion. However, trying to understand idol culture through the lens of fans not only provides insight into the fans or ‘otaku’ themselves but also offers a glimpse into the perspectives of those who are constantly evaluating and questioning their own ‘idols.
References
[1] https://www.facebook.com/feministnhoi/photos/a.1994801344073320.1073741832.1983367558550032/2088721918014595/?type=3&theater
[2] https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/korean-superstar-kim-jong-hyun-11716601
[3] https://www.allkpop.com/article/2018/03/male-fans-burn-red-velvet-irenes-merchandise-upon-finding-out-she-read-a-feminist-novel-netizens-react
