Construction of Japanese High School Girls in AKB48 Songs

Masculine Desire & Gaze: The Construction of Japanese High School Girls in AKB48 Songs Ghaida Farisya Study Program of Tourism, Faculty of Economy, Universitas Garut, Garut, Indonesia ghaida@uniga.ac.id Via Luviana Dewanty luvianadewanty@upi.edu Study Program of Japanese Language Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia

INTRODUCTION The members of AKB48 range in age from 12 to 29 years old. While the younger members naturally embody a girlish image, the older members may need to exaggerate this aspect. This is evident in their performance style, which resembles a school choir rather than individual performers, their choice of songs about friendship, school, young love, sweets, and flowers, and their attire, often consisting of school uniforms or music videos filmed in schoolyards (Keith and Hughes, 2016) AKB48 encapsulates the ways in which female performers in Japanese rap, punk, and pop music genres struggle with issues of authenticity, commodification, and objectification. As young girls designed and managed by men, their performances are dictated by stereotypical performance markers of youthful femininity and innocence, regardless of their age or target audience. The commodification and authenticity of their performances are constantly criticized, even within the pop idol world. In the analysis of five summer music videos from the Japanese idol group AKB48, Chandra and Mochtar (2022) argue that the videos depict the group members as alluring, seductive, and playful. This portrayal, which often focuses on specific body parts. This research discusses how high school girls are represented in AKB48's song lyrics based on the Oricon Chart from a heterosexual male's perspective. These studies demonstrate how the male gaze operates across different cultural contexts and media forms, shaping the representation of women and influencing societal perceptions of female beauty and sexuality.

LITERATURE REVIEW Research on the male gaze in Korean pop culture or K-pop has been conducted the past few years. The results of the discussion show that women's perceptions of themselves and beauty standards. They argue that K-pop culture, which often features female idols with strict beauty standards, can reinforce the idea that women must meet certain standards to be considered beautiful. These beauty standards can cause anxiety in women (Chen & Zhang, 2023). Male gaze women are typically depicted as passive objects of male desire, while men are positioned as active subjects who possess the power of the gaze (Mulvey, 1975). This gaze objectifies and sexualizes women, reducing them to their physical appearance and reinforcing traditional gender roles. In the context of the provided articles, the male gaze is explored in various forms of media and cultural contextsSuch as song lyric. Male gaze in song lyric adalah istilah yang digunakan untuk menjelaskan bagaimana perempuan direpresentasikan dalam seni visual dan literatur dari sudut pandang laki-laki heteroseksual. Dalam konteks lirik lagu, male gaze dapat terlihat dalam bagaimana lirik tersebut menggambarkan perempuan sebagai objek hasrat seksual laki-laki (Chen & Zhang, 2023; Chandra & Mochtar, 2022; Loreck, J. , 2016; Previous research has the topic of reggaetoneras, female singers in the notoriously sexist genre of reggaeton music. G mez Arrieta and Miller (2023) focused on Becky G, a reggaetonera who claims to be a feminist. They analyzed the music video "Sin Pijama" and found that although the lyrics speak of female empowerment, the visuals in the video still follow patriarchal norms and fulfill male fantasies. This article highlights the contradiction between empowering lyrics and objectifying visuals in reggaeton.. Focus on specific body parts Uses objectifying language Depicts women as passive objects

METHOD 1. Find the lyrics of the AKB48 song with the theme of high school students in Oricon Chart (The Most popular song awards in Japan) 2. Translate and identify representation of high school girl in song lyrics 3. classify the song verses in 5 AKB48 song lyrics about Japanese high school teenagers 4. Analyze data use male gaze Theory 5. conclusions Qualitative Method

FINDING AND DISCUSSION 1, Skrit hirari Seifuku ga Jama o suru 2.Sakura no ha abita ya hi 3. Sakura no kininarou 4. Iiwake maybe 5.Teacher Teacher 6. Sentimental train

CONCLUSION This research argues that these featured women not only reflect women's physical attributes as objects of sexual desire, but also reinforce existing gender norms in Japanese society. The research concludes that ignoring the complexity of teenage girls' experiences and emotions can potentially limit teenage girls' aspirations, expressions, and opportunities for growth. It is hoped that this research can be developed in future studies using more robust methodologies such as deploying surveys and interviews to understand how Japanese society interprets and responds to Japanese popular song lyrics.

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