AV idol

An AV idol (adult video idol; AV actress (AV女優, Ēbui joyū^?)) is a Japanese idol who works in the pornographic business, often both as an actress as well as a model as the video performances have a wide range, from just the idol strolling around their house doing chores in bikinis to hardcore porn. Since the dawn of the AV industry in the early 1980s, hundreds of AV idols have debuted every year, with an average career span of about a year, appearing in five or ten videos during that time. Notable AV idols have careers spanning several years, have a high general public recognition, or make a significant impact on the industry in some other manner.

The line between "adult" and "family" entertainment in Japan is not as clear-cut as it is in some other countries. A celebrity may appear in AVs after already having established a career in mainstream television. Also, it is not rare for a popular AV actress to go on to mainstream celebrity.

The AV, or "Adult Video" market is a major industry in Japan, reportedly worth about ¥400 billion ($4 billion) per year. In 1992, it was reported that over 11 AVs were being made every day by over 70 production companies in Tokyo alone. The AV market was estimated to make up about 30 percent of Japan's video rentals. It was estimated in 1994 that, between legal and illegal videos, around 14,000 AVs a year were being made in the country, in contrast to about 2,500 in the United States. In an English language interview in 2011, AV idol Azusa Maki estimated that as many as 10,000 girls attempt to get into the Japanese AV industry each year.

AV performers were often struggling actresses who could not find work in the theatrical Roman Porno films and girls from the soaplands. AV star Kaoru Kuroki has been credited with raising the status of AV idols in the public's eye. According to Rosemary Iwamura, "she didn't seem to be making videos because of a lack of options but rather as an informed choice."

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