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So, when I was thirteen and I was first introduced to J-rock, I was pretty into Miyavi. Years have passed and I still have a very closely-held nostalgic love for him, but recently I've been so incredibly disappointed.
Not with the direction his music or image has taken...
But with the decisions he is making as his own management, in regard to some of his media.
The other day, I saw the music video for 'Secret'. Honestly, I was disgusted. It is never alright to objectify women in any way, let alone in such a blatant and sexist fashion. This video features a model (and posing is quite literally the extent of her role) in fetish wear, black X's of tape over her nipples, in full lad's mag positioning on a revolving platform. Does she have a character? No. In the copious shots of her, her face is hardly featured. Far from being a celebration of sexuality, there's a clinical coldness to the shots that should make any forward-thinking woman of today thoroughly uncomfortable. We are not pieces of meat. You do not treat us this way.
More disappointing still was that, when I voiced this opinion, I was immediately shouted down by others. I was told that if I thought it was wrong, I shouldn't get into a relationship with a man who would treat me that way*; I was told that media personalities have no duty to be role models.
Except they do. They have an awesome duty to be role models, especially in a fandom like this one: the visual kei fanbase is, as we know, very largely female, and especially popular amongst younger females. Young women, in other words, are the target audience for this music video, which teaches them that if they work hard and keep their minds open, they can spread their legs in front of a real pop star.
I understand that this is so desperately commonplace in the music industry, but personally I believe that Miyavi should be setting an example. Why? Because he manages himself. He is under contract with his own production company. On a more basic level, he has two young daughters. I want him to have to explain this video to them one day.
Being a feminist doesn't mean having to protest the shaving of your legs, or hating men, or burning bras. Being a feminist means standing up for women even when they're more interested in professing loyalty to a popstar than they are to their own gender; being a feminist means believing that women have a right to be treated better than this. And I am really, really disappointed. And I don't care if this post makes me unpopular, because even hateful discourse is discourse, and by the looks of this video, we could really use more of that in our society.
*My boyfriend is a feminist. And he's awesome.
Not with the direction his music or image has taken...
But with the decisions he is making as his own management, in regard to some of his media.
The other day, I saw the music video for 'Secret'. Honestly, I was disgusted. It is never alright to objectify women in any way, let alone in such a blatant and sexist fashion. This video features a model (and posing is quite literally the extent of her role) in fetish wear, black X's of tape over her nipples, in full lad's mag positioning on a revolving platform. Does she have a character? No. In the copious shots of her, her face is hardly featured. Far from being a celebration of sexuality, there's a clinical coldness to the shots that should make any forward-thinking woman of today thoroughly uncomfortable. We are not pieces of meat. You do not treat us this way.
More disappointing still was that, when I voiced this opinion, I was immediately shouted down by others. I was told that if I thought it was wrong, I shouldn't get into a relationship with a man who would treat me that way*; I was told that media personalities have no duty to be role models.
Except they do. They have an awesome duty to be role models, especially in a fandom like this one: the visual kei fanbase is, as we know, very largely female, and especially popular amongst younger females. Young women, in other words, are the target audience for this music video, which teaches them that if they work hard and keep their minds open, they can spread their legs in front of a real pop star.
I understand that this is so desperately commonplace in the music industry, but personally I believe that Miyavi should be setting an example. Why? Because he manages himself. He is under contract with his own production company. On a more basic level, he has two young daughters. I want him to have to explain this video to them one day.
Being a feminist doesn't mean having to protest the shaving of your legs, or hating men, or burning bras. Being a feminist means standing up for women even when they're more interested in professing loyalty to a popstar than they are to their own gender; being a feminist means believing that women have a right to be treated better than this. And I am really, really disappointed. And I don't care if this post makes me unpopular, because even hateful discourse is discourse, and by the looks of this video, we could really use more of that in our society.
*My boyfriend is a feminist. And he's awesome.
