The Anti-Tori Web Page
An Anti-Tori page? Could it possibly be true? It is. Someone has actually
created and Anti-Tori Amos page on the web. Check it out, the address is
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Amphitheatre/7548/index.html.
I've heard many people say they didn't like Tori's music, but I've never
heard of any one being Anti-Tori. The concept just baffles me. But everyone
is entitled to their own opinion. I would have expected to find mention
of Tori being anti-male or something like that on the web page, but there
was nothing like that. So I'm taking this space to respond to the internet's
first Anti-Tori
Page. All of the text that is orange has been taken directly
off the site.
The attack - First, the page is not only anti-Tori, but anti-fans too.
While I did find the page somewhat amusing, it is also somewhat offensive
too. "Maybe she calls you 'Ears With Feet'
because you have no brains." is the first thing one sees when the
page loads. The author (no gender is ever given) asks the reader
to read the reasons for not liking Tori with an open mind, but then states
"If you send me hate mail, you are enforcing the
notion that I have of Tori fans being grossly unintelligent."
If that's not bad enough, they go one to state that the only reason
males buy Tori albums is because she puts her face on everything.
I was under the impression that people bought albums because of the music,
not who was on the cover, but I'll get into that in a minute. When
i got finished reading the arguments I got the impression that the other
feels that buying a Tori album is not better that buying a copy of Playboy
Magazine, which they refer to as entertainment for
pigs. So, is Tori supposed to be entertainment for pigs?
The Arguments
Tori sells her body to sell records
- What kind of feminist is always dying her hair,
putting on pounds of makeup, and having her picture taken a million times?
During the Modern Rock Live interview in 1996
Tori was asked if she considered herself a feminist. She replied
that she thought feminism was over.
She's pandering to the male customer by acting
like a whore. As
a male I can say that Tori's looks have to bearing on whether or not I
go and buy one of her cds. I do not walk through the record store looking
for pictures of sexy people on people's cds, and buy the cd based on that.
I don't care how good looking an artist is, if they can't sing, I'm not
buying their cd. I don't think she's acting like a whore by putting
her picture on the front of the album. Try some cover art for a change.
Maybe someone should explain the art of photography. It's not like
her albums are covered in glamour shots of herself. They are pictures
that carry a message.
Tori is a bad role model
- What Tori
teaches these girls is to be as skinny as possible, wear a lot of make
up, dye your hair, and show it off. What do you think overweight
women think when they see thousands of pictures of Tori all over the place?
The lesson she should be teaching is that women should be comfortable with
their bodies no matter what they look like. During
an interview on the disc that came with the Mick St. Michael book Tori
says "I'm not interested in this dieting scene, forget it. Chicks,
the more to love." Does that sound like someone that's trying to
be as skinny as possible?
Tori treats herself like a sex object -
But it constantly baffles me how Tori
speaks of her rape and then sells herself as a sex object to men around
the world. Do you think that she would have so many web sites dedicated
to her if she looked like Janet Reno, even with the same voice and music?
HELL YES! Okay, so if she looked
like Janet Reno I might not have posters of her up on my wall, but I would
still buy her albums. Then the author says she's wearing tight clothes
to be viewed as a sex object. Perhaps Tori is just comfortable enough
with her sexuality to be able to express it. That doesn't mean she's
a sex object. If she played in a baggy t-shirt and pants I would
still go see her. I don't care what Tori wears (although I admit
she's got some pretty awesome clothes and shoes!)
Tori is slipping -
She's slipped, and nobody has realized
because they're still looking at the pictures of her inside "from the choirgirl
hotel." Wasn't this argument already
stated? After a while things get pretty repetitive.
Tori is a complete phony
- Tori Amos makes nonsensical blather and
trys to call it artistic. This appears to
me, as a severe case of "I don't get it". As Mikewhy said on
The Dent.
Some people just don't get it. (Read his essay Some
People Just Don't Get It ). She's
writing songs about Jackie O.? These are Tori's true feelings? Jackie's
Strength was about more than just Jackie O. Even if it wasn't, and
those really are her true feelings, so what? Just like everyone is
entitled to their own opinion, they are also entitled to their own feelings.
Who are we to say what other people feel? Next comes the attack on
the pig picture from Boys for Pele.
All I see is shock value and another excuse to show off some of her breasts.
There is no statement here, she's only making you believe that! Once
again, another case of some people just don't get it. Mikewhy has
also compiled quotes from Tori about the picture and you can read them
here . Tell
me about the nicotine patches, you geniuses. Yet
another attack on the intelligence of Tori's fans. And finally, my
favorite statement on the entire site.... She
writes nonsense, you find your own meaning. I'm
not sure how anyone else sees this, but isn't the point of music to find
your own meaning?
What's next for Tori
- This
is where the picture of Tori on the cover of Playboy is. Along with
the caption It
wouldn't really be a big change from what she does now.
Has Tori ever posed naked? Sure there
are some nude pictures of "her" on the 'net, but they are the biggest joke
I've ever seen in my life. This statement is based on the repititive
arguements already stated, but still nothing has been said to convince
me that Tori is merely flaunting her sexuality.
The reason for this page
It's going to take a lot more than a few pictures
and the same opinion stated over and over to get me to change my mind about
liking Tori's music. I think the author lost site of the fact that
Tori is just a musician. I also would have liked to hace seen some
of Tori's merits pointed out, such as attending Peabody and forming RAINN.
Here are some final statements on the Anti-Tori site. On this page
the author gives their reason for making their page.
She is just a performer who put out nonsense
and acts like an idiot to make money. Have you ever seen her interviewed?
She's an airhead, she throws together some nonsense on a record and it
sells like crazy. The
other night I was watching Jewel on Much Music's Intimate and Interactive.
That's the first time I'd ever heard her interviewed and she didn't seem
very comfortable being asked questions. I think Tori keeps interviewers
on her toes. Like on the episode of CNN World Beat when she was asked
if she was still the Cornflake Girl (I cringed when I heard that).
Tori responded "I never was the corn...I was the raisin girl. We
don't like cornflake girls. They stab their friends in the back."
She has always appeared to be a very intelligent and capable person.
What I would liked to have seen on the Anti-Tori site was some quotes
from Tori to back up the authors statements. Not just a few pictures
with boxes drawn on them stating the same opinion that has already been
address at least ten times. So, I added some quotes to back up my
stance. I honestly got a kick out of the Anti-Tori website. The last
thing said on the last page was I
have purposely not included any personal information about myself here
because I want people to attack my opinions, not my character. So
it's okay to attack our intelligence again and again? I would really
like to hear what other Ears with Feet have to say about the site, so
check
it out and email me
.
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