WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:02.387 Translation & Subtitles: thoseguiltyeyes | scandal-heaven.com Hello, RINA here. 00:00:02.509 --> 00:00:10.063 For today's video, I received a DM on Instagram that piqued my interest a bit, 00:00:10.330 --> 00:00:14.190 so I will talking a little about that. 00:00:14.301 --> 00:00:16.689 First, I'll read the DM. 00:00:16.891 --> 00:00:22.359 "Hello! I'm a 21-year-old woman who's been a SCANDAL fan since middle school. 00:00:22.950 --> 00:00:24.928 I got your zine in the mail! 00:00:25.032 --> 00:00:28.081 I don't know if this DM will reach you, NOTE Paragraph 00:00:28.173 --> 00:00:33.311 but I am sending this in hopes that my feelings can be of some help to you, RINA-chan. 00:00:33.885 --> 00:00:36.555 I attend a women's university 00:00:36.555 --> 00:00:39.269 and am writing a graduation thesis with the theme, 00:00:39.269 --> 00:00:41.762 "Gender from the viewpoint of an all-girl band." 00:00:41.866 --> 00:00:44.711 I originally wasn't really interested in gender and the like, 00:00:44.711 --> 00:00:50.083 and I'm attending a women's university because I had a connection there. 00:00:50.164 --> 00:00:58.778 Me being very interested in gender-related issues is in large due to the various media you continue to send out. 00:00:58.883 --> 00:01:03.214 Thank you very much for creating my four-year topic. 00:01:03.497 --> 00:01:11.800 The message your zine gives is not that men and women are equal (I hear a lot of this in my lectures). 00:01:12.502 --> 00:01:18.306 Your desire to proudly live your life as a woman is conveyed, 00:01:18.443 --> 00:01:24.953 and it feels like the discomfort I've been feeling while attending lectures has disappeared. 00:01:25.702 --> 00:01:29.548 I will be incorporating these feelings and assertions into my paper. 00:01:29.728 --> 00:01:34.230 I'm curious as how you, RINA-chan, became interested in gender-related issues, 00:01:34.336 --> 00:01:37.557 so I'd be happy if you talked about that on YouTube or the like. 00:01:37.939 --> 00:01:43.409 I also feel that a lot of gender-related info comes from you, 00:01:43.446 --> 00:01:46.193 but I'd like to hear if the members talk to each other about things like this, 00:01:46.193 --> 00:01:51.173 or if you put those talks into your music. 00:01:52.414 --> 00:01:55.795 Please tell us about your gender-related stories. 00:01:55.881 --> 00:01:58.755 Also, I'd like for it to reach many women. 00:01:58.905 --> 00:02:02.683 (I'm really looking forward to the DAISY Project)" 00:02:02.813 --> 00:02:05.590 That's the DM I got. 00:02:05.590 --> 00:02:06.977 Thank you so much. 00:02:06.977 --> 00:02:09.392 This was mentioned, 00:02:09.992 --> 00:02:16.118 but I made a zine with the theme of "feminism" and "how women work." 00:02:16.317 --> 00:02:18.853 It's already sold out, 00:02:18.974 --> 00:02:22.266 and I thank everyone who picked up a copy. 00:02:22.445 --> 00:02:24.030 That made me happy. 00:02:24.200 --> 00:02:26.063 I got a lot of reactions, 00:02:27.101 --> 00:02:29.099 and, um... 00:02:29.518 --> 00:02:32.424 Getting back on topic, 00:02:32.646 --> 00:02:40.372 I became interested in gender-related issues due to two big reasons. 00:02:40.474 --> 00:02:44.522 First, the home environment in which I grew up, 00:02:45.069 --> 00:02:51.897 and what I felt as I was watching my mom navigate it all. 00:02:52.773 --> 00:02:57.073 Also, what I felt as I've been in the band. 00:02:58.535 --> 00:03:01.130 As we delved further into things, 00:03:01.200 --> 00:03:06.526 I think I became more interested in gender-related stuff. 00:03:07.115 --> 00:03:10.749 During the time I've been in an all-girl band, 00:03:11.467 --> 00:03:13.796 Um... 00:03:14.379 --> 00:03:21.955 I tried recalling if I had thought about gender and feminism, 00:03:21.955 --> 00:03:24.845 and I will give a few simple examples. 00:03:25.083 --> 00:03:26.596 This is the first one. 00:03:27.234 --> 00:03:32.271 I think this happened about five to six years ago. 00:03:32.401 --> 00:03:34.641 When being interviewed, 00:03:34.641 --> 00:03:37.960 this was said to us as a compliment: 00:03:38.129 --> 00:03:41.547 "You're not an 'all-girl band'—you're a 'band' band." 00:03:41.779 --> 00:03:45.739 I thought there was some kind of catch to it, 00:03:46.085 --> 00:03:51.228 or rather, I was kind of like, "What?" 00:03:51.228 --> 00:03:55.929 We're a band to begin with, 00:03:56.038 --> 00:04:03.931 and I don't think that all-girl bands are below ones with guys in them, 00:04:04.032 --> 00:04:08.786 but it's like they were saying we ranked up. 00:04:10.245 --> 00:04:12.646 I thought, "Huh?" 00:04:12.646 --> 00:04:17.152 I didn't really think too much about it then. 00:04:17.302 --> 00:04:21.322 Of course it wasn't something I got angry with, 00:04:21.435 --> 00:04:26.185 but it was something that stuck with me. 00:04:26.670 --> 00:04:29.218 Now for the second example. 00:04:29.574 --> 00:04:33.985 A while ago there were very few all-girl bands compared to now, 00:04:34.541 --> 00:04:37.098 and even when we'd appear at events or festivals, 00:04:37.270 --> 00:04:41.229 we were constantly the only all-girl band, or the only female artist there. 00:04:41.874 --> 00:04:48.949 When there are 3-4 or more performers, 00:04:49.304 --> 00:04:53.757 everyone's like, "Let's all make this event exciting!" 00:04:54.918 --> 00:05:01.142 So a lot of the time the bands mention each other during their MCs. 00:05:01.315 --> 00:05:06.319 When that happens and we're being talked about, 00:05:07.529 --> 00:05:11.284 "SCANDAL's dressing room smelled great," 00:05:11.436 --> 00:05:15.527 "When there are four girls, it really is great that there's so much beauty," 00:05:15.873 --> 00:05:20.115 are some of the things that are often said. 00:05:21.810 --> 00:05:26.325 We know that they don't mean any offense, 00:05:26.325 --> 00:05:28.363 but how can I put it... 00:05:28.481 --> 00:05:35.921 The way things like "It gets brighter when SCANDAL's here," 00:05:35.921 --> 00:05:39.512 and "When there are four girls, it really is great that there's so much beauty," are said, 00:05:39.632 --> 00:05:43.229 they're similar but also a little different. 00:05:44.552 --> 00:05:45.590 How can I put it? 00:05:45.870 --> 00:05:48.629 For those events and festivals, 00:05:49.339 --> 00:05:55.626 we go out on stage with the same feelings as the other bands. 00:05:55.703 --> 00:05:58.299 We're not just eye candy. 00:05:58.472 --> 00:06:02.877 There was a bit of a catch to those things [said about us]. 00:06:03.101 --> 00:06:05.884 Another thing that happens a lot 00:06:06.183 --> 00:06:11.147 occurs during taped events or live events for TV. 00:06:12.539 --> 00:06:16.565 When things are being transitioned and the MC comes out, 00:06:16.565 --> 00:06:19.588 they talk with the artist, and then the next performance happens. 00:06:19.668 --> 00:06:21.608 That happens often. 00:06:21.608 --> 00:06:26.578 During a time when we finished our set and had the talk portion afterwards, 00:06:26.578 --> 00:06:28.664 "You were the only female artist, 00:06:28.664 --> 00:06:33.878 but you were energetic enough to not lose out to guy bands," 00:06:33.942 --> 00:06:41.269 is how the female MC summed it up 00:06:42.005 --> 00:06:46.005 Unlike the previous story, 00:06:46.475 --> 00:06:50.187 I didn't get an unpleasant feeling from it, 00:06:50.244 --> 00:06:55.204 but music is not about battling to begin with. 00:06:56.306 --> 00:06:59.411 We're not doing this in order to win against someone. 00:07:00.106 --> 00:07:04.358 Each band has their own appeal, 00:07:05.540 --> 00:07:11.056 so I thought that that comparison wasn't something to be talking about in the first place. 00:07:11.575 --> 00:07:14.628 I just gave three examples. 00:07:14.904 --> 00:07:21.086 I've felt all kinds of things as we've continued to be an all-girl band. 00:07:21.604 --> 00:07:26.649 I've been playing in this band since I was a middle schooler, 00:07:27.341 --> 00:07:31.493 and as I've grown older, 00:07:31.704 --> 00:07:35.559 I've gained all sorts of knowledge and experience. 00:07:35.559 --> 00:07:41.545 I started to think that the feeling of strangeness I've had 00:07:41.778 --> 00:07:47.863 has a lot to do with feminism. 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:55.922 Knowing that what I've felt has a proper name to it, 00:07:56.186 --> 00:08:01.405 and knowing that there are many people worldwide turning that into actions, 00:08:01.674 --> 00:08:06.256 it feels like this fuzziness has cleared up a bit, 00:08:06.305 --> 00:08:09.956 and my heart feels a little lighter. 00:08:09.956 --> 00:08:11.349 So, 00:08:12.205 --> 00:08:17.260 I thought it was very important to send forth what I've realized. 00:08:18.213 --> 00:08:23.196 information can lighten people's hearts. 00:08:24.086 --> 00:08:28.579 The same is true of the stories I told earlier. 00:08:28.752 --> 00:08:32.783 No one probably meant anything bad. 00:08:32.876 --> 00:08:35.116 I truly understand that. 00:08:35.116 --> 00:08:44.360 It's better to update old ways of thinking as you live your ordinary daily lives, 00:08:44.436 --> 00:08:52.475 and I feel that this underlying thing is becoming more and more obsolete in this era. 00:08:52.539 --> 00:08:57.930 It'd be great if those who realize that will pass things on, 00:08:57.930 --> 00:09:05.494 and more and more people will be like, "Ah, that's right," and change themselves. 00:09:06.368 --> 00:09:14.523 I think it's important to raise issues in a way that everyone can enjoy. 00:09:15.203 --> 00:09:21.297 It's not that I've been feeling uncomfortable or angry about the causes. 00:09:21.297 --> 00:09:24.580 I just hope that the causes can be correctly identified, 00:09:24.850 --> 00:09:29.118 and that women lift up other women. 00:09:29.934 --> 00:09:32.425 For men, 00:09:32.839 --> 00:09:37.220 I think there's a pressure that comes from the idea that men always have to be masculine and need to look good, 00:09:37.220 --> 00:09:43.219 and also that they should be a man that supports their spouse financially, 00:09:43.528 --> 00:09:54.532 for which they need to have a higher educational background. 00:09:54.603 --> 00:09:59.638 In that sense, it can be hard to live your life because you're a man. 00:10:01.371 --> 00:10:05.518 However, those "rules" don't actually exist, 00:10:06.375 --> 00:10:11.246 so I really wish that we could create a society where everyone can live comfortably 00:10:11.246 --> 00:10:17.330 by realizing that's something we cannot understand unless we think about it rationally. 00:10:17.876 --> 00:10:20.920 This was also in the DM I received, 00:10:20.980 --> 00:10:23.392 and my way of thinking, 00:10:23.543 --> 00:10:32.557 it's not about living your life whether you're a man or woman, or if you're LGBTQ. 00:10:32.811 --> 00:10:37.221 It'd be great if we can have pride in ourselves 00:10:37.319 --> 00:10:39.330 while making sure to respect genders 00:10:39.673 --> 00:10:46.050 and ways of thinking that fit each of us well. 00:10:48.503 --> 00:10:52.611 I don't think it's that simple for everyone, 00:10:53.371 --> 00:11:05.120 but I think it's awesome when you find a way of living that suits you. 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:06.529 So, 00:11:06.638 --> 00:11:10.991 I want you to value each style. 00:11:11.471 --> 00:11:16.461 Lastly, about the "Do the members talk about this with each other?" question, 00:11:16.813 --> 00:11:18.807 we do usually do so. 00:11:19.341 --> 00:11:24.311 Every Wednesday the four of us always go to the studio, 00:11:24.508 --> 00:11:29.465 and afterwards we and our staff have a meeting. 00:11:29.638 --> 00:11:35.818 We do this every week and talk about things then, too. 00:11:35.901 --> 00:11:38.427 Of course our opinions can differ, 00:11:38.681 --> 00:11:42.213 and each of us have our own thoughts about gender. 00:11:42.336 --> 00:11:45.348 There also are differences in passion for it. 00:11:45.348 --> 00:11:46.735 It's really all over the place, 00:11:47.276 --> 00:11:49.954 but I think that's fine. 00:11:50.941 --> 00:11:55.806 I value being able to regularly talk about things like that. 00:11:56.241 --> 00:12:03.896 So, what I'm talking about right now is how I personally think and communicate. 00:12:03.946 --> 00:12:06.981 I hope you can regard it in that way. 00:12:07.676 --> 00:12:12.252 I've been getting a lot of messages like this, 00:12:12.673 --> 00:12:16.215 and I feel that what I've been projecting little by little 00:12:16.275 --> 00:12:19.742 is gradually starting to be conveyed. 00:12:19.816 --> 00:12:21.630 That makes me very happy. 00:12:21.908 --> 00:12:27.085 I want everyone to live a comfortable life. 00:12:27.272 --> 00:12:30.843 I want to say, "I'm good with this."