Net idol
Encyclopedia
A Net Idol is a Japanese term that is someone who achieves celebrity status through the internet. Unlike an Internet celebrity, a net idol is more focused on Japanese pop culture.
in the late 1990s. The first "cyber idol" or "virtual idol" was Kyoko Date in 1997. She has a fabricated history, statistics, and her own songs. Meanwhile, gurabia aidoru (グラビアアイドル, i.e. "[photo]gravure idols") such as Yoko Matsugane
, Rio Natsume
and Eiko Koike
, net idols themselves, have largely appeared skimpily clad in "cheesecake"
photographs.
, Tila Tequila, and Masuimi Max
found their fame especially on alternative and fetish talents. Dita herself is attributed with having the first model site on the Net in 1992. Tila can largely owe her fame to sites like Friendster
and Myspace
. Masuimi is currently transitioning from the Net to mainstream consciousness through projects like David Lynch's Inland Empire
, and hit reality TV shows like Fear Factor
.
wearing only a bikini made from lettuce as advocacy of veganism and vegetarianism, as well as against animal cruelty. Alicia was voted as sexiest vegetarian in the world on a PETA poll in conjunction with the ad; other stars who were on the same campaign were Pamela Anderson
and Maggie Q
.
History
Net Idols emerged as an off-shoot of Japanese IdolsJapanese idol
In Japanese culture, are media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly attractive or cute and who will, for a period ranging from several months to a few years, regularly appear in the mass media, e.g...
in the late 1990s. The first "cyber idol" or "virtual idol" was Kyoko Date in 1997. She has a fabricated history, statistics, and her own songs. Meanwhile, gurabia aidoru (グラビアアイドル, i.e. "[photo]gravure idols") such as Yoko Matsugane
Yoko Matsugane
is a Japanese gravure idol from Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. She is famous for her voluptuous figure. She has released several DVDs and photobooks and has appeared on several TV shows in Japan...
, Rio Natsume
Rio Natsume
is a Japanese gravure idol. She has released several DVDs and photobooks and has appeared in several TV shows in Japan.In 2005, Natsume was featured in a video game called "Gal of the Sparrow 2", which also features other popular J-idols such as Chikako Sakuragi, Saori Yamamoto, Yuka Watanabe,...
and Eiko Koike
Eiko Koike
is a Japanese idol. Outside of Japan, her best-known work is the film 2LDK. She has worked as a ringside commentator and spokesperson for Japan's PRIDE Fighting Championships from 2000 to 2006....
, net idols themselves, have largely appeared skimpily clad in "cheesecake"
Pin-up girl
A pin-up girl, also known as a pin-up model, is a model whose mass-produced pictures see wide appeal as popular culture. Pin-ups are intended for informal display, e.g. meant to be "pinned-up" on a wall...
photographs.
Alternative & Fetish Models
Most mainstream talents found their start on the Internet. Models like Dita Von TeeseDita Von Teese
Dita Von Teese is an American burlesque dancer, model, costume designer, author and actress.-Early life:...
, Tila Tequila, and Masuimi Max
Masuimi Max
Masuimi Max is an American fetish model of Korean and German descent. Born on a U.S. Air Force Base in Jacksonville, Arkansas, Masuimi's father was a career Air Force man, with her early years spent traveling all over the world, and her teenage years growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Career:Masuimi...
found their fame especially on alternative and fetish talents. Dita herself is attributed with having the first model site on the Net in 1992. Tila can largely owe her fame to sites like Friendster
Friendster
Friendster is a social gaming site that is based in Malaysia, KL. The company now operates mainly from the three Asian countries namely in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore....
and Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. Masuimi is currently transitioning from the Net to mainstream consciousness through projects like David Lynch's Inland Empire
Inland Empire (film)
Inland Empire, sometimes styled as INLAND EMPIRE, is a 2006 mystery film written and directed by David Lynch. It was his first feature-length film since 2001's Mulholland Drive, and shares many similarities with that film. It premiered in Italy at the Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2006...
, and hit reality TV shows like Fear Factor
Fear Factor
Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a...
.
Net Idols By Country
Philippines - Catherine Guittierez a.k.a. Alicia Mayer formerly known as Alicia Bonifacio is a Filipina celebrity. She first gained fame through her personal website containing her sexy photos that eventually led to her acting career and is now a mother-to-be. She was crowned as Miss Internet Philippines and in 2007 Alicia posed for PETAPeta
Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...
wearing only a bikini made from lettuce as advocacy of veganism and vegetarianism, as well as against animal cruelty. Alicia was voted as sexiest vegetarian in the world on a PETA poll in conjunction with the ad; other stars who were on the same campaign were Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
and Maggie Q
Maggie Q
Margaret Denise Quigley , professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American-born actress and former fashion model. She currently stars as the titular character on the action-thriller TV series Nikita.-Early life:...
.
Net Idols in Fiction
- In the animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, Sayonara Zetsubō SenseiSayonara Zetsubo Senseiis a Japanese manga by Kōji Kumeta, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. It is a comedy about a teacher who takes all aspects of life, word and culture in the most negative light possible. It satirizes politics, media, and Japanese society...
. Kotonon, one of the net idols in the show, in real life is obese and unattractive. Her website of heavily photoshopped images is extremely popular. A real-life net idol is also mentioned on the show but she was given a pseudonymPseudonymA pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
. - In the anime and manga, Death NoteDeath Noteis a manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a god of death, or a shinigami, named Ryuk...
. KiraKira-People:*Kira , stage name of Janine Scholz*Kira , stage name of Natasja de Witte*The name given to the person who uploaded the pictures in the Edison Chen photo scandal-Characters:...
(killer) or Light YagamiLight Yagami, also known as is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the manga and anime series Death Note. He is an extremely intelligent, athletic, popular, but bored young man who finds the Death Note dropped by the Shinigami Ryuk by sheer chance...
's killings made an uproar on the InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. People praised him that a new GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
has come. - The anime and manga Mahou Sensei Negima had Chisame Hasegawa as the net idol among her class.
- In the anime and manga Kaichou wa Maid-sama, a young boy named Aoi Hyoudou cross-dresses and becomes well-known net idol, much to the dismay of his father.
- In the game The iDOLM@STER: Dearly Stars, the hikkikomori character Mizutani Eri begins her career as a net idol.
See also
- List of Japanese idols
- List of Japanese gravure idols
- Fetish modelFetish modelA fetish model is a model who models fetish clothing or devices that augment his or her body in a fetish manner or in fetishistic situations, though he or she may not work exclusively in that form of modeling....
- List of bondage models by decade