In the past, actresses and TV personalities of single mothers of mature age who embarked on new love affairs were applauded as “cool” and “haven’t forgotten their women. Now, however, the same behavior somehow tends to invite “bewilderment” and “subtle reactions. One person in the midst of this change is Michiko Kichise. She is an intelligent, elegant, and sometimes mysterious beauty, but in October 2023, after her divorce, she appeared on “Sake no Tsumami ni naru Hanashi” (Fuji TV) and won the hearts of men with her friendly and drunken manner. However, female viewers were not unfrequent in their criticisms, saying that she was “sloppy” and that her image had been ruined. On “VS Soul” (Fuji TV), which she appeared on the year of her divorce, she asked her idol Katsutoshi Sato, who is almost twice her age, “How is it for someone my age? was also a topic of conversation. The positive response and smiling Ms. Kichise gave provoked a backlash of “You’re forcing me to say it” and “Are you trying to get at me? and “Are you trying to get at me? On the other hand, Ms. Kichise must have felt that she was getting a kick out of her variety show. The other day on “Fashionable Clip” (NTV), she said, “I couldn’t get a man to come close to me. I’ve been having trouble getting men to come close to me,” she said, adding excitement to the conversation. However, it was only the studio that was excited, and for women of the same generation, it resulted in a difference in temperature: “No, I’m definitely popular, but I just don’t count it if someone doesn’t like me comes on to me. …… Many also expressed concern for the feelings of their daughters, who are still young, when their mothers engage in “love talk” on TV. For Ms. Kichise, it is probably none of her business, and her talk about being “unattractive” is probably just lip service. However, if she makes a mistake in this matter, her image as a celebrity will be severely damaged. Here, I would like to discuss the turning point in the atmosphere of “support → confusion” that arises when single mother actresses in their 40s and 50s declare that they are “active in love.
