the ramune marble 001, parasocial relationships in "fairy of shampoo" and today
“Every night he needs only fifteen seconds.
He looks into the pictures. He collects pictures of her
who he loves with an unrequited love.”-Jang Jung-il
Down the rabbit hole…
A while ago, I stumbled upon this song named “Fairy of Shampoo” (샴푸의 요정) from the Kpop group TXT. The song sounds dreamy and romantic but tinged with a hint of sadness. The vocals have quite a few layers of reverb and echo on top. I like the call and response between the main vocal line and saxophone in the chorus. There’s a cute saxophone solo in the middle and at the very end too. I don’t know why, but I had an obsession with the song for a few days. Before long, I was down the rabbit hole with this specific song.
If you want to fully experience this boy group rendition, TXT has also done performances of this song with choreographed dance. I’m not an expert in dance so I don’t have much to add, but there’s a bit of cool prop handling with the mic stand. The choreographer must have had fun trying to find different ways to pass an entire mic stand between members in between their constantly shifting positions in the group.
“Fairy of Shampoo” by TXT is actually a cover. The original song (with the same name) is by a band named Light and Salt, released in 1990. Listening to them back to back, the songs are quite similar. The original retains some of the dreaminess of the TXT version with the chimes and slight melancholy, but with the slightly “crunchier” production of the time. Here, we find that those saxophone parts were originally a synth part and the rap section was a new invention. The vocal part in Light and Salt’s rendition is far less processed. The drums are more complex, with some syncopation, bringing a slight groove to the chorus.
I’d like to add another cover into the mix: “fairy of shampoo” by an indie duo named dosii. Released in 2020, the same year as the TXT cover, this version goes for a more minimalist and less energetic rendition. The call and response saxophone part is replaced with an echo of the main vocal instead. I quite like the way the song ends - dosii adds a repeating chant on top of the main chorus that’s mixed to sound like it’s coming from far away. At first, it’s in a lower vocal range, but then it jumps up into falsetto as well.
Who is this “shampoo fairy”?
The original Light and Salt song is based on a 1987 poem by South Korean poet Jang Jung-il. Also named “The Shampoo Fairy”, the poem is about a man who watches the TV only for a 15 second ad of a woman, our “fairy”, selling shampoo. The latter half of the poem describes the effects of this fairy on the man. He collects pictures of her, fantasizes and dreams about her visiting him and speaking sweet lines to him before waking up from his dream.
Both the poem and song lyrics tell us that this woman is beautiful. In the poem, she is “wearing pagamas patterned with blue polka dots… has her hair shampooed…” while in the song she has “long flowing hair.” The man is drawn to this beauty, but also her words. She says through the TV screen:
“A brand new shampoo, the shampoo you have chosen,…
Perhaps you will fall in love.
This is what she whispers."
This fairy is not only beautiful but speaks of love, of emotional connection. She isn’t promising love, just hinting at a chance, but sometimes a chance is all you need for hope.
The poem also invites the audience to love the fairy as well, asking us twice “Would you like to watch her?”
However, the poem reminds us that while the man (and maybe you, as the audience) has fallen for the shampoo fairy, she is merely the face for the beauty company. Whether or not we are to fall in love with her, she is not a possible love interest.
“There is a beauty care corporation.
A preeminent Asian beauty care corporation.
And for us there is the fairy. The only fairy who still exists,
the shampoo fairy who flies to us at eight thirty, breaking
out of the TV screen.”
The songs omit this connection to the corporation, removing a theme from the idea of the shampoo fairy. I wish this wasn’t the case - that the songs would also mention the beauty company behind the fairy - but I suppose a kpop group singing about the capitalist underpinnings of a beautiful woman in an ad would be a bit ironic…
Can I love without money?
The extent of the young man’s actions because of an unreachable woman reminds me of today’s idol and influencer culture, of imbalanced parasocial love. Watching an ad for 15 seconds of a woman selling shampoo might seem odd to some, but when we live in a time where fans can be happy that their favorite celebrity got a collaboration with a brand, perhaps we are not as different from the man as we’d like to believe.
“He looks into the pictures. He collects pictures of her
who he loves with an unrequited love.
He even decorates his room with them.
The pictures of her smiling with bare teeth,
her wearing a swimming suit, her wearing
an equestion outfit, he collects them all.”
Collecting photos is only the tip of the iceberg today when it comes to parasocial love. Today, photocards are often included in albums in the idol world, and often which photocard is by chance, so there are customs of buying/selling/trading cards. However, if you as a fan want more… there’s posters, figurines, memberships to a fanclub, acrylic keychains, penlights, the list goes on.
I am more familiar with the Jpop/Utaite/Idol scene, where there is an item called the “ita bag” (痛バッグ). It is essentially a bag designed to show off your massive collection of merch dedicated to your favorite member, or “oshi” (推し). Bags are often expensive to assemble - a singular “can badge” can go for a relatively affordable price of a few dollars, but people who make ita bags might purchase a lot more to decorate their bag. Furthermore, these button badges are often sold blind-bag style, so you don’t know if you got the button you want until you’ve already bought them.
There’s a few ways to view this behavior by both the idol companies and fans.
A negative view would place the companies as the villian. Idol companies are taking advantage of this parasocial love to wring as much money from fans as possible. They produce variety shows, give us livestreams, all so that fans fall in love and are more willing to buy. Tug at the audience’s heartstrings, tell them your story, bring them closer, until they open their wallets.
A positive view would place the companies and the idols as a bright, sparkling influence. Look, an idol, following their dreams! Support them! Hear them sing, dance, entertain! Listen to their albums to get them to the big awards stages! They’ve worked so hard to get to where they are now, buy their merch so that the idol sees their dreams come true!
In reality, I think both views are true at the same time. I personally find these artists inspiring, but I cannot help but be aware that a company designed almost everything to be appealing to me. Is there even a way to separate art from business anymore? Art from the artist? Parasocial love from money?
Back to the songs…
After reading the poem, I found it ironic that TXT, a boy group from Hybe, one of the largest entertainment companies in the Kpop sphere, did a cover of “The Fairy of Shampoo”, a song based on a poem warning about the dangers of parasocial relationships and consumerism. From the perspective of a fan, the TXT members are likely no different from the shampoo fairy. In the choreographed stage performance, there is a move where they reach their arms out into the audience, like casting a charming magic spell of sorts.
But perhaps I am too harsh on idols. In the Japanese idol scene, there is this idea of “oshikatsu” (推し活), which refers to supporting one’s favorite with a great amount of effort, whether that be time, money, or both. Many take part because they say it brings joy to support an idol. Maybe there’s a concert to look forward to, or an album about to release. And if it brings joy to so many, then is it bad?
English Translations
The Shampoo Fairy by Jang Jung-il (scroll all the way to the bottom)
Fairy of Shampoo by TXT (the lyrics for the songs are mostly the same, the TXT version just has an extra rap verse)