Shiina Ringo only selling music to guys

[Inseu]

First please don't take offense. The thread title is only meant to catch your attention.

I'm the type of Shiina Ringo fanboy who owns 4 volumes of Sexual Healing...for me her voice has TONS of sex appeal. When she sings she sounds like the sexiest woman on earth, and I can't get enough of it. I've always assumed that most of her fans are guys who feel the same way.

My question is, what's the appeal of Shiina Ringo for female fans? What's your opinion on her voice?

[NCORE]

I feel like we're miming here and it's getting crowdy in this box I'm in =o

I think she's cooler than she's sexy, but either way I don't really get what you're going on about, sorry...

[TurtleFu]

1) Shiina has tons of female fans. Just look at the audience shots of her concerts. Front row of DO was almost entirely female.

2) You are SERIOUSLY underselling Shiina. For an artist who creates such powerfully emotional music and very inventive arrangements, for you to say you like her primarily because she is sexy is probably some of the most objectifying sexist bullshit I have ever heard.

3) Don't assume all other men agree with you just because they are also men. I don't find Ringo sexy at all, at least not to the extent as that being the reason why I listen to her music

4) I imagine most of Shiiina's female fans like her music because her music is good, as is the same for most of her male fans, because most people in the world don't think with their fucking dicks.

*mic drop*

[Glathannus]

I wouldn't have been sold on the first Shiina Ringo song I ever heard, unless I appreciated the composition first and foremost. The vocals were nice too, but I appreciate plenty of music with "terrible" vocals. If vocals were my #1 priority, I wouldn't be into the other projects of Tokyo Jihen members, and I'd be ignoring all the songs Shiina Ringo has given away.

[Inseu]

Originally Posted by TurtleFu

2) You are SERIOUSLY underselling Shiina. For an artist who creates such powerfully emotional music and very inventive arrangements, for you to say you like her primarily because she is sexy is probably some of the most objectifying sexist bullshit I have ever heard.

3) Don't assume all other men agree with you just because they are also men. I don't find Ringo sexy at all, at least not to the extent as that being the reason why I listen to her music

4) I imagine most of Shiina's female fans like her music because her music is good, as is the same for most of her male fans, because most people in the world don't think with their fucking dicks.

*mic drop*

Of course the music is good - she makes timeless pop/rock, I thought that's a given.

BUT my point is, on top of that, very few female vocalists can sing with such (erotic) intensity. And that's what I find most appealing. If the singer is someone else, I would probably enjoy the music, but not obsessed. And look, I wasn't discussing her appearance...

I want to dig a bit deeper, and see what causes the obsession. I was simply curious if female fans feel...empowered listening to her?

"Most objectifying sexist bullshit"? I don't think Miss Apple minds being objectified. She wants fans to "think with their fucking dicks". She has portrayed characters such as prostitute, sexy nurse, showgirl...She's a very smart. When the last Tokyo Jihen album didn't sell well, they disbanded right away. It was clearly a business decision.

[BlueApple]

Originally Posted by Inseu

"Most objectifying sexist bullshit"? I don't think Miss Apple minds being objectified. She wants fans to "think with their fucking dicks". She has portrayed characters such as prostitute, sexy nurse, showgirl...

DID I JUST READ THIS CORRECTLY?

WOW YEAH SHE TOTALLY DRESSED THAT WAY BECAUSE OF MALE FANS. No. no. wtf. This is the most sexist crap. Are you even for real now? Do you honestly think such an incredible woman like Shiina Ringo would think "yes I am going to dress this way to gain more of a male audience and because I want to be objectified"? PLEASE WHAT I DON'T I JUST. I CAN'T. WHY. Not to mention calling her Miss Apple? Are you trying to sound condescending?

A woman is capable of owning her sexuality and sexual appeal. She does not have to do it solely to gain the attraction of men. I am pretty sure Shiina Ringo is her own person and not some pop idol who is basically manufactured from beginning to end/top to bottom.

ANYWAY.

As a female, who listens to Shiina Ringo, who says that I CAN'T FIND HER APPEALING? Because I do. Her voice is awesome, and it has always been a huge selling point for me. I've grown to really like unique voices for female singers because they always seemed frowned upon by the general public who can't understand that these unique or strange voices are also beautiful. I also think she is a really beautiful/cute & cool woman and I admire her and her music is very inspirational to me in many ways blah blah blah. Just because I'm not a guy doesn't mean that I can't see or think these things???

Also agreeing with everything turtlefu said basically.

Edit/Also about this nurse outfit/honnou from wikipedia: Shiina chose a hospital as the setting for the music video for "Honnō". This choice stemmed from her frequent hospital visits as a child and her more recent hospitalization. Although Shiina intended the video to have a cyberpunk feel or to portray the image of a spacecraft's interior, many people interpreted it as cosplay, which disappointed her.

[deadgrandma]

Id say she's comfortable with being
"sexy" now more than before (see Shun song+video), but there's nothing wrong with that. I didn't know what she looked like on first impressions but she does have a sexy voice, and that did appeal to the part of me that thinks with my dick, but so what?

[Inseu]

Originally Posted by BlueApple

DID I JUST READ THIS CORRECTLY?

WOW YEAH SHE TOTALLY DRESSED THAT WAY BECAUSE OF MALE FANS. No. no. wtf. This is the most sexist crap. Are you even for real now? Do you honestly think such an incredible woman like Shiina Ringo would think "yes I am going to dress this way to gain more of a male audience and because I want to be objectified"? PLEASE WHAT I DON'T I JUST. I CAN'T. WHY. Not to mention calling her Miss Apple? Are you trying to sound condescending?

A woman is capable of owning her sexuality and sexual appeal. She does not have to do it solely to gain the attraction of men. I am pretty sure Shiina Ringo is her own person and not some pop idol who is basically manufactured from beginning to end/top to bottom.

Thanks for the response!

I call her Miss Apple because I prefer the literal translation...also I dislike the Beatles association.

I was saying that she doesn't care what we think about her, BUT at the same time she's deeply aware that a female artist's image is very important, and she present herself in a classy way.

Didn't expect such angry responses when I called her sexy...and the thread title was intentionally inaccurate and silly.

"I am pretty sure Shiina Ringo is her own person and not some pop idol who is basically manufactured from beginning to end/top to bottom."

Her performance has elements of idol pop. For example, in her performance of "OSCA" on the Bon Voyage DVD, those dancers in red, when they lie on the floor and move their legs as if they're riding a bicycle, it's very similar to Nancy Sinatra's video for "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'

How about that stripping stunt she did when she sang "月極姫" on Spa & Treatment?

[TurtleFu]

Then why the "miss"? The "Miss" is the condescending part.

And anyone can tell that she isn't adopting the role of prostitute simply to say "Oh look at my sexy body and fap to me". A lot of her music really cleverly subverts the roles of women in Japan. Like, have you even listened to Shouso Strips lyrics? The whole album is basically about sex and how Ringo really messes around with the idea of female sexuality in Japan.

Like, how male chauvinistic is it for man to see a woman being sexy, or sexual, and think "Oh, she must be doing it because she wants to get attention from men!". Okay, goodbye third-wave feminism!

Your opinions range from vaguely sexist to hilariously misinformed.

Also:
BlueApple *high-five*

[Inseu]

Originally Posted by TurtleFu

Then why the "miss"? The "Miss" is the condescending part.

And anyone can tell that she isn't adopting the role of prostitute simply to say "Oh look at my sexy body and fap to me". A lot of her music really cleverly subverts the roles of women in Japan. Like, have you even listened to Shouso Strips lyrics? The whole album is basically about sex and how Ringo really messes around with the idea of female sexuality in Japan.

Alright then. English is not my first language and I was always taught that "miss" is a title of respect?......

Anyway, I don't pretend to be a male feminist and enjoy her music solely for artistic merit. She won me with her passion, and I don't see anything wrong with being obsessed with her the same way one's obsessed with a pop idol. If you aren't in love with her, your loss mate!

Regarding her lyrics, I've found them cryptic and are open to interpretations. For example, I find "Himitsu" a subtly seductive song, while another might say she's making fun of oversexed people who're indifferent to the suffering in the world. "Cleverly subverts the roles of women"? I'm not quite sure...That would be someone like tUnE-yArDs.