Translation & Subtitles: thoseguiltyeyes | scandal-heaven.com

Hello, RINA here.

For today's video, I received a DM on Instagram that piqued my interest a bit,

So I will talking a little about that.

First, I'll read the DM.

"Hello! I'm a 21-year-old woman who's been a SCANDAL fan since middle school.

I got your zine in the mail!

I don't know if this DM will reach you,

But I am sending this in hopes that my feelings can be of some help to you, RINA-chan.

I attend a women's university

And am writing a graduation thesis with the theme,

"Gender from the viewpoint of an all-girl band."

I originally wasn't really interested in gender and the like,

And I'm attending a women's university because I had a connection there.

Me being very interested in gender-related issues is in large due to the various media you continue to send out.

Thank you very much for creating my four-year topic.

The message your zine gives is not that men and women are equal (I hear a lot of this in my lectures).

Your desire to proudly live your life as a woman is conveyed,

And it feels like the discomfort I've been feeling while attending lectures has disappeared.

I will be incorporating these feelings and assertions into my paper.

I'm curious as how you, RINA-chan, became interested in gender-related issues,

So I'd be happy if you talked about that on YouTube or the like.

I also feel that a lot of gender-related info comes from you,

But I'd like to hear if the members talk to each other about things like this,

Or if you put those talks into your music.

Please tell us about your gender-related stories.

Also, I'd like for it to reach many women.

(I'm really looking forward to the DAISY Project)

That's the DM I got.

Thank you so much.

This was mentioned,

But I made a zine with the theme of "feminism" and "how women work."

It's already sold out,

And I thank everyone who picked up a copy.

That made me happy.

I got a lot of reactions,

And, um...

Getting back on topic,

I became interested in gender-related issues due to two big reasons.

First, the home environment in which I grew up,

And what I felt as I was watching my mom navigate it all.

Also, what I felt as I've been in the band.

As we delved further into things,

I think I became more interested in gender-related stuff.

During the time I've been in an all-girl band,

Um...

I tried recalling if I had thought about gender and feminism,

And I will give a few simple examples.

This is the first one.

I think this happened about five to six years ago.

When being interviewed,

This was said to us as a compliment:

"You're not an 'all-girl band'—you're a 'band' band."

I thought there was some kind of catch to it,

Or rather, I was kind of like, "What?"

We're a band to begin with,

And I don't think that all-girl bands are below ones with guys in them,

But it's like they were saying we ranked up.

I thought, "Huh?"

I didn't really think too much about it then.

Of course it wasn't something I got angry with,

But it was something that stuck with me.

Now for the second example.

A while ago there were very few all-girl bands compared to now,

And even when we'd appear at events or festivals,

We were constantly the only all-girl band, or the only female artist there.

When there are 3-4 or more performers,

Everyone's like, "Let's all make this event exciting!"

So a lot of the time the bands mention each other during their MCs.

When that happens and we're being talked about,

"SCANDAL's dressing room smelled great,"

"When there are four girls, it really is great that there's so much beauty,"

Are some of the things that are often said.

We know that they don't mean any offense,

But how can I put it...

The way things like "It gets brighter when SCANDAL's here,"

And "When there are four girls, it really is great that there's so much beauty," are said,

They're similar but also a little different.

How can I put it?

For those events and festivals,

We go out on stage with the same feelings as the other bands.

We're not just eye candy.

There was a bit of a catch to those things [said about us].

Another thing that happens a lot

Occurs during taped events or live events for TV.

When things are being transitioned and the MC comes out,

They talk with the artist, and then the next performance happens.

That happens often.

During a time when we finished our set and had the talk portion afterwards,

"You were the only female artist,

But you were energetic enough to not lose out to guy bands,"

Is how the female MC summed it up

Unlike the previous story,

I didn't get an unpleasant feeling from it,

But music is not about battling to begin with.

We're not doing this in order to win against someone.

Each band has their own appeal,

So I thought that that comparison wasn't something to be talking about in the first place.

I just gave three examples.

I've felt all kinds of things as we've continued to be an all-girl band.

I've been playing in this band since I was a middle schooler,

And as I've grown older,

I've gained all sorts of knowledge and experience.

I started to think that the feeling of strangeness I've had

Has a lot to do with feminism.

Knowing that what I've felt has a proper name to it,

And knowing that there are many people worldwide turning that into actions,

It feels like this fuzziness has cleared up a bit,

And my heart feels a little lighter.

So,

I thought it was very important to send forth what I've realized.

Information can lighten people's hearts.

The same is true of the stories I told earlier.

No one probably meant anything bad.

I truly understand that.

It's better to update old ways of thinking as you live your ordinary daily lives,

And I feel that this underlying thing is becoming more and more obsolete in this era.

It'd be great if those who realize that will pass things on,

And more and more people will be like, "Ah, that's right," and change themselves.

I think it's important to raise issues in a way that everyone can enjoy.

It's not that I've been feeling uncomfortable or angry about the causes.

I just hope that the causes can be correctly identified,

And that women lift up other women.

For men,

I think there's a pressure that comes from the idea that men always have to be masculine and need to look good,

And also that they should be a man that supports their spouse financially,

For which they need to have a higher educational background.

In that sense, it can be hard to live your life because you're a man.

However, those "rules" don't actually exist,

So I really wish that we could create a society where everyone can live comfortably

By realizing that's something we cannot understand unless we think about it rationally.

This was also in the DM I received,

And my way of thinking,

It's not about living your life whether you're a man or woman, or if you're LGBTQ.

It'd be great if we can have pride in ourselves

While making sure to respect genders

And ways of thinking that fit each of us well.

I don't think it's that simple for everyone,

But I think it's awesome when you find a way of living that suits you.

So,

I want you to value each style.

Lastly, about the "Do the members talk about this with each other?" question,

We do usually do so.

Every Wednesday the four of us always go to the studio,

And afterwards we and our staff have a meeting.

We do this every week and talk about things then too.

Of course our opinions can differ,

And each of us have our own thoughts about gender.

There also are differences in passion for it.

It's really all over the place,

But I think that's fine.

I value being able to regularly talk about things like that.

So, what I'm talking about right now is how I personally think and communicate.

I hope you can regard it in that way.

I've been getting a lot of messages like this,

And I feel that what I've been projecting little by little

Is gradually starting to be conveyed.

That makes me very happy.

I want everyone to live a comfortable life.

I want to say, "I'm good with this."