“Groupies”- 追っかけ」は社会現象?

2007年 12月 20日
作者: 代表 高山和子
カテゴリー:
“Groupies” 「追っかけ」

The word “Groupies” refers to people who devotedly follow stars around, often with the vain hope of meeting them. The past few years have seen a surging phenomena of middle-aged women going gaga over some handsome-looking Korean stars, ignited by the drama “Winter Sonata” starring Bae Yong Joon. However the recent trend seems to indicate that the “Yon-sama” fans have been replaced with a somewhat different type of groupie; middle-aged or older women captivated by teenage stars young enough to be their sons or grandsons, which has been clearly developing into a social phenomenon.

Last year saw many mature women flocking to ball parks just to capture a sight of Saitou Yuki, a handsome high school baseball player, who became a national hero with the nick name of the “Handkerchief Prince.” The simple action of taking from his pocket the blue handkerchief given to him by his mother made many of the auntie fans rush to department stores just to find the same handkerchiefs used by Saitou. The emergence of Saitou seems to have triggered the craze for teenage princes, exemplified by Ryou Ishikawa, the youngest golfer ever to win a national men’s professional golf tournament, or other young stage actors.

groupies.jpg-0001What is common with these young stars is that they are all extremely polite, focused and hard-working. The “Prince Groupies” are most likely to see in these stars the chance to relive their youth, their unfulfilled dreams, or find the embodiment of their ideal sons. Whatever prompts them to flock to ball parks, theaters or golf courses, it seems certain that this behavior offers these women an exciting means to relieve their stress and enjoy their lives.

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代表 高山和子 について

岡山県 津山市出身。英語講師。米国ドレーク大学大学院修士課程修了。帰国後、英語教育に携わり、'90年津山市にライト外語スクールを開校、本物の実力を身につけさせる指導に定評がある。国際ロータリー財団奨学生、英検1級、TOEIC 990点、国連特A級。 フル・プロファイル