Sexualized Depictions of AKB48 Girls in Their Summer Music Videos

Abstract

A pop idol group in Japan, AKB48, has female members capable of attracting the opposite sex into their fans. In this study, I will analyze the depictions of women portrayed in AKB48’s five summer music videos. To reach the objective of my analysis, I will use the theory of male gaze, specifically on the way the members are depicted in the videos. From my analysis, I discovered that through the perspective of male gaze, the idols are depicted as alluring, seductive, and playful. It can be assumed that the portrayal might be a strategy used to hoist their popularity over the other girl groups in Japan. Therefore, the sexualized depiction of the idols is actually proven to be successful in making the group popular.