Singer, model, and TV personality Ricca Kanon put it out there on social media at the end of August: she’s tired of the same old pitch.
She says she regularly gets messages from TV and commercial producers that look like legitimate work offers. Once the meeting starts, it often slides into something else. Compliments about her body. Then the real ask — sleep with them tonight and she’ll get the role, the lead spot, or ongoing work until she “makes it big.”
According to her, this has happened dozens of times. “Almost every time.” The emails have gotten slicker and more detailed, which makes them easier to fall for. When she tries to bring someone else along, they find a way to dodge it.
She’s had enough. From now on, any talk about TV projects happens online only. No more in-person meetings.
Kanon, who’s from Osaka and has been performing since 2011, didn’t hold back. She said the physique she’s spent years building wasn’t created so some producer could use it as a bargaining chip. She’s currently freelance after switching agencies twice, and she thinks independent artists get targeted the most because they have to chase their own gigs.
Her message to other women in the industry was simple: don’t take those deals. Protect yourself. Tokyo has decent people and it has the other kind.
The post blew up and made it into mainstream coverage. A lot of people seemed surprised this is still so common. It’s not a new problem — gravure idols, music idols, voice actors, and people in broadcasting have talked about similar pressure for years — but someone saying it this directly still lands.