Ayu: Anything Goes - the XXX (30th edition)!

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

I totally agree that it’s frustrating seeing comments only about Ayu.

But if I had to theorize why…
Ayu, particularly now, kind of plays up the robotic doll aesthetic, so I think that might have something to do with it. And she’s mostly only seen in recorded or photographed (edited) instances. She doesn’t really do “natural” photo shoots anymore, or makeup. Her casual, down to earth persona that she once had is pretty much nonexistent now, too. I mean, she used to appear in jeans and a t shirt haha.

Koda Kumi, Amuro Namie and especially Utada Hikaru have kept a sense of realness to their persona. I’d say Koda Kumi is closest to Ayu in terms of negative online comments, but Koda also appears on TV a lot more (without digital editing), and with other artists, so she doesn’t have that “queen all alone in her tower” aspect about her lol. Her being from Kansai also gives her a bit of friendly relatability.

I’m not sure what caused Ayu to sort of shun public appearances now, but I suppose she’s earned it given how much of her life was spent in it.

I don’t think she’s had nothing done, but I don’t necessarily think she’s gone overboard—at least permanently. There was a moment where her fillers were a bit much, but I think she looks fine now. Personally I think the colored contacts are the most jarring.

I still think she’s beautiful though.

[Zeke.]

Her face has very much transformed. Her eyebrows used to angle downward in the middle, which gave her more of a distinct and sometimes aggressive look. She has since diluted distinctness and smoothed out her features.

As far as her image, yes, she really leans into the notion of being “inaccessible” now, whereas much of her earlier persona was built on the inverse (or at least included a healthy balance of it).

Basically, although there was always an element of Ayu being “aspirational” to many, it’s now like an inflated sense of aspiration with zero sense of accessibility.

[natalaxie]

It annoys me a lot that the press tore into her when she started to age and then when she had work done they tore into her for not ageing… women cannot win
Also she’s had 2 kids - this changes your body in immeasurable ways. I don’t blame her at all for being self-conscious of how she looks given how cruel the media is. More power to her!

[MKAyu]

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

Koda Kumi, Amuro Namie and especially Utada Hikaru have kept a sense of realness to their persona.

Definitely. It makes sense to me that she'd do "queen alone in her tower" (perfect description); mainstream society is cruel to her. They called her shallow and annoying at her most popular, started cheering over her "劣化" the moment her sales slipped even slightly, and now post about every instagram post making fun of every pose, every word.

She has enough fans to be profitable and a family. If I were her, I would try to focus on those and stop trying to be relatable to people who treat me like that, too.

Not that I know why she does things this way. It's just what I've always assumed.