The Moment the Curtain of Light Comes Down: The Retirement of a Charismatic Young Lady, 2005-2015
In the late 2000s, charismatic girls became a symbol of the times in Kabukicho. The media featured these women of the night as stars, creating an era of self-production, but behind the glamour lay excessive work and loneliness. The recession that followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers spread to the nightlife district, and competition for sales intensified. In the midst of days without rest, these women continued to manage themselves as a brand through social networking services. Being seen became their job, and the boundary between their private lives and the stage disappeared. Eventually, the women began to see their own shadows in the light that symbolized success. The moment they leave the stage saying, "I have already performed my part," is not a moment of defeat, but a recovery of the ego. In the ever-changing city and consumer society, their retirement was a symbol of the maturity and exhaustion of the nightlife culture.
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