Ayu's social networks - Discussion #51

[Chibi-Chan]

Originally Posted by hayasaki

^although I agree. i also wonder what it really is that kind of look/attire that shows her just being herself?

I would like to see her making a normal face, smiling like she would with no camera around. She's posing way too much for my taste in her pics. They look more like a fashion shot.
I really like to follow Britney on social media, for example. Because Britney shares a lot of videos/pics that aren't perfect, on which she looks normal or sometimes she's just making a goofy face and kidding around.
I don't need to see Ayu in her 12625361626162627 "sexy" outfit posing like a fashion model. Not to mention that lately it looks as if she's trying waaaaay too hard for my taste, as if she's trying to prove something, so that her pics are a little emberrassing to look at for me.
I don't need to see a perfect pic of sexy Ayu trying to look as hot as possible, that's boring. I want to see an Ayu who isn't afraid to show her real face without duck face and 27 different filters.

[koumori]

I think this is the way she prefers her photos to be. I'm glad she's still sharing stuff on social media and honestly, it's up to her what image she projects to the world.

I think it's a lot to ask for a celebrity to show the "real them" to everyone... I feel she has been putting more of a separation back between "Ayumi Hamasaki" and "Ayu" than she was a few years ago.

[Yoake]

What I love about Ayu is she is true with herself. She doesn’t act as the old society's image try to force on her. She assumes all the parts of her personality. Sometimes she is serious, sometimes she is shallow, sometimes she is furiously happy, sometimes she is making fun of herself (remember that duck rubber ring?) …All that faces are a part of herself. It’s not a shame to show that and to act as she want to act. The photos are just the representation of how she felt at that moment. Age and gender shouldn’t rule our life. She is a true inspiration for all women and minorities who are afraid to walk the head high and be themselves when they want. You want to ride a unicorn just because you find that fun? Don’t be afraid because you’re 45. Life is too short to care about people’s view who don’t dare to stick out the mold. Fulfill your wishes and you’ll end your life without regrets!

[primavera♥]

@orbitalaspect

Spoiler:

Not sure as to why you decided to fulfill this role as victim of bullying over posts that were also mild and more so referenced comments that were in Chibi-chan's elaborated agreement to your most (which brought up new and more controversial statements). Also it's ironic that you say you want a conversation when it you took another opportunity to claim people were bullying you and were triggered and upset instead of creating dialogue. This post by love in music doesn't come off that way at all. But I guess you made it that way. Also ironically since you don't want people to view your posts that way. There are points to respond to in that post for anyone, but you write it off as someone being upset and bullying. As far as Louass post, for me it is different from love in music but also not bullying. An opportunity to further that conversation if you felt like it, and if not, move on.

Originally Posted by love in music

Yeah honestly, I think as fans we should accept this is her. She likes dressing up and she likes fancy things. She may be relatable and down to earth in some ways but she's also superficial in others. She may be uncool in some ways but she's a badass woman in other ways. It's just who she is/has been for a long time now. I used to want her to be a certain way but realized that's super controlling and immature and had to check myself and think some fans should too..

Just like everyone else on the planet, ayu is not perfect, but she's an amazing person and should be shown more love and less hate/judgment, especially by her fans.

If you agree or disagree with what she is saying here, there are various points to elaborate on. It's an argument that tries to go against the thought process that we should put ayu in a box of whatever we think being "herself" is (something explicitly pushed forward by chibi-chan more than in this thread). Often that box does relate to biases based on age, gender, and ethnicity, but they weren't going there in this comment. So here we could discuss our assumptions about ayu, what she likes, what she wants to promote, what actually goes into picking her outfits and our biases about that, etc. She's arguing that if there was a lesser sense of needing to put ayu in the box of who we think she is, we might have less judgmental comments assuming that she is trying too hard to not be herself. Tbh, as I said earlier, a lot of these statements relate more to chibi-chans post. Which isn't a problem because neither of your posts were directly quoted, making it a more open response. Also you discussed how you weren't trying to put ayu in a box or call her names, but Chibi-chan did, and then you went on to do that about ayu fans who you assume have less depth based on their positions.

Originally Posted by love in music

I can't believe how personally you are taking things and I also can't believe I took the time to read all of that.

It's funny because I wasn't even angry at you? I'm not angry at anyone here, just want some more positivity in the ayu fandom and want others to accept her for who she is instead of wishing she was some other way but I'm not demanding it or trying to force people to and I'm certainly not bullying anyone lol, people can and will do/say what they want

And this is what I was thinking reading your original response, orbitalaspect. No one is trying to force ayu fans to do anything and the same people posting have very much so posted their own negative views before. If you feel like that positivity just isnt deserved for those reasons, then just say so. But people can challenge your assumptions and/or biases and even question motives. Im all down for discussing problematic defense of any artist and it's great to post about it, but I think it was misguided here.

@Chibi-chan

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by Chibi-Chan

I would like to see her making a normal face, smiling like she would with no camera around. She's posing way too much for my taste in her pics. They look more like a fashion shot.
I really like to follow Britney on social media, for example. Because Britney shares a lot of videos/pics that aren't perfect, on which she looks normal or sometimes she's just making a goofy face and kidding around.
I don't need to see Ayu in her 12625361626162627 "sexy" outfit posing like a fashion model. Not to mention that lately it looks as if she's trying waaaaay too hard for my taste, as if she's trying to prove something, so that her pics are a little emberrassing to look at for me.
I don't need to see a perfect pic of sexy Ayu trying to look as hot as possible, that's boring. I want to see an Ayu who isn't afraid to show her real face without duck face and 27 different filters.

@Chibi-chan. Your taste, yes. Your taste almost always ends in you making negative assumptions about ayu's personality or intentions. Like we all have things we'd like to see, but not everyone goes as far as to say that someone isn't being their true self or that they're trying too hard to be something they're not just because we don't like it or think they're not good at it. Now ayu has to lose her fear of showing her real face to over a million people on social media to truly be herself? Even artists that post "ultra-natural" photos can do so with an intention to promote something. It just seems like a lot of assumptions are always being made about ayu, some more problematic than others(based on other posts), and some that deal with biases related to aspects of social identity as well. I think it really would create a different experience as a fan (not necessarily better or worse, but different) to at least look at some of those assumptions and where they are coming from. I usually don't respond to many of your posts because I don't have time to write lengthy responses on here often and even today this isn't very much, but I'm happy to engage in dialogue about this topic even if outside this thread and in another.

Sorry mods, if this is off topic please move it. I felt that these points are related to how ayu is on social media and how we respond to that as fans, but it may not be perfect for this thread.

Anyway, about these outfits, ayu certainly is constantly trying new things. But I would like to know what her favorite styles of dress are if she has some. She goes through so much. I do associate her personal style and even social media style as something separate from her live and tour styles. Personally, I can't say if more or less goes into the styling now, because I think measures of effort depend on how much one likes it. In the past, where more effort is assumed, ayu has so many styles I just truly don't like. She really is just always changing.

[koumori]

Originally Posted by primavera

Sorry mods, if this is off topic please move it. I felt that these points are related to how ayu is on social media and how we respond to that as fans, but it may not be perfect for this thread.

It is about her social media, and so far people are debating okay.
As long as people keep it clean and don't insult each other/make personal assumptions, we're good. If I missed someone doing that then please report the posts in question.

Originally Posted by snowo

this thread...

[Chibi-Chan]

Originally Posted by primavera♥

@orbitalaspect


@Chibi-chan

Spoiler:

@Chibi-chan. Your taste, yes. Your taste almost always ends in you making negative assumptions about ayu's personality or intentions. Like we all have things we'd like to see, but not everyone goes as far as to say that someone isn't being their true self or that they're trying too hard to be something they're not just because we don't like it or think they're not good at it. Now ayu has to lose her fear of showing her real face to over a million people on social media to truly be herself? Even artists that post "ultra-natural" photos can do so with an intention to promote something. It just seems like a lot of assumptions are always being made about ayu, some more problematic than others(based on other posts), and some that deal with biases related to aspects of social identity as well. I think it really would create a different experience as a fan (not necessarily better or worse, but different) to at least look at some of those assumptions and where they are coming from. I usually don't respond to many of your posts because I don't have time to write lengthy responses on here often and even today this isn't very much, but I'm happy to engage in dialogue about this topic even if outside this thread and in another.

Maybe it's me, but I don't really get your point? (This isn't meant to be passive agressive, I just don't really think I get it.)
I wasn't saying Ayu tries to be sexy while being not. I was saying, because she tries too hard for me, she isn't anymore. I find her instagram account simply more and more boring, because it looks like every woman's IG. There isn't much of a difference between her kind of pics and the ones my female friends post. Everyone is just trying very hard to be as hot as possible in their pics. It's boring and I don't like this kind of pics.
Trying too hard to look hot doesn't make her a bad person or whatever, it just makes her pics and social media appereance boring and a little emberassing, in my opinion.
If you don't agree, that's fine. I couldn't care less if others agree or not, but I think I'm allowed to voice my opinion like everyone else without being basically told "I don't want you to write those things".
People here are constantly commenting on her weight, that she's too fat or how her breasts look. But somehow people find it more insulting when I say I think she tries too hard to look hot (and therefore am indirectly saying that she wouldn't need to try that hard because she would look more sexy without trying that hard).
If you guys like to read my comments as if I'm betraying the fandom and don't deserve to be here, be my guest. But it's boring when people don't try to argue my points but only comment how they don't like my posts.
Having said that, I don't think Ayu posts her pics because she feels like it, but out of a PR decision. I honestly think that it would do her more good if she would stop trying to look like every basic fashion model and more like herself. From my experience Japanese people respond well to more normal pics of her, when she looks like herself. It makes them point out how nostalgic they feel and how cute she is, whereas those other pics, with strange facial expressions and poses and hundreds of filters seem to provoke comments how ugly she became (btw, I wouldn't say she looks ugly).