As Japan Ages, Pop 'Idols' Aren't as Spry as They Used to Be

Hey! I was quoted in an article that ran in the New York Times:

As Japan Ages, Pop 'Idols' Aren't as Spry as They Used to Be
Japanese culture is renowned for its obsession with the impermanence of beauty, and many a poem has honored the brief but perfect life of the cherry blossom. 

In human terms, the Japanese “Christmas cake” maxim celebrates feminine beauty, but dictates that a woman is past her prime at 25, when she should avoid turning into leftover Christmas cake. In show business this has long meant that female pop “idols” should marry and retire by their early 20s.

But with the number of Japanese older than 65 rising from 7.1 percent of the population in 1970 to a world record 22.7 percent in 2009, the Christmas cake dictum is showing signs of age. The Christmas cake example is the singer Momoe Yamaguchi, whom Japan swooned over in the 1970s. After stealing the nation’s heart, she married in 1980 and disappeared forever into domestic bliss.

Go to original article here. Or here (if NY Times wants you to pay money... Ha!)