A Japanese idol (アイドル, aidoru
?) is a musical
celebrity who achieves widespread popularity and fame in
Japan largely by virtue of their looks and propaganda techniques intended to work for them. The term usually refers to female performers in their teens and early twenties who are considered
cute and pretty and achieve fame through publicity in the
mass media. Male performers, such as
Takuya Kimura and
Masahiro Nakai (aka "Nakai-kun"), both from J-Pop singing group
SMAP, are also commonly referred to (and refer to themselves as) "idols." Japanese idols are predominantly singers and actors, as well as models (in the case of females) for weekly men's magazines such as "Friday" and "Shūkan Gendai". Some of them may also appear as TV personalities (
tarento).