Being sexy is only reserved for Koda Kumi! :roflmao

j/k :P

Only she's not sexy heheh.

Gonna run away now!

:innocent

Anyway! I can't wait to get my copy of this ViVi! There's a Kinokuniya a few states from me. I'm going to give them a few days to get it in stock and then call in my order right away lol.

well, all i have to say is that if i were as sexy as ayumi, i'd constantly be flaunting it!!! who can blame her?

I'm so sick and tired of this dark and heavy eyeliner look. Can't her makeup artist be a little more creative? It's beginning to look cartoonish and unflattering on her, especially when combined with her current hairstyle and color.

That, or she should start learning how to do the model squint. Opening your eyes that wide just doesn't work.

hot damn she's sexy :luv2 i might turn gay for her srsly :luv2
she KILLS in those ripped jeans. ripped jeans look so freaking SEXY on her. god. i wish i looked that good in jeans.

not if i go straight for her first! hahaha! ;)

^ :laugh

i love you guys, seriously. this forum rocks. awesome people here! it's times like this when i feel that ayu is doing this all for us, to make us happy. and she succeeds. <3

It's her expression: the "bedroom eyes"

Something I wrote in 2006 that I think is relevant to this discussion:

~So, I learned something in my art history class that made me think of this. Why are people much more up-in-arms (so to speak) about covers like "STEP you" and "Startin" and seem to forget about "RAINBOW", "I Am...", and "LOVEappears"? What makes the former "trashy" while the latter are "tasteful"? I think it has a lot to do with her gaze and, in "I Am...'s" case especially, the overall theme. In "LOVEappears", yes, she's TOPLESS, but her gaze is not seductive. Her gaze is...well, I don't know if it is confrontational, but it is certainly not inviting (which is also emphasized by her standing straight and tall with her hands on her hips).
In "I Am...", while she is wearing nothing but "leaves", the overall theme of the photo series is Ayu being a muse of peace. While there is more sex appeal in those full body shots of her, there are other shots that do not have as much, and I think an actual background scene and the overall theme tend to turn sex appeal into a secondary thing to many viewers (i.e. it's not like some viewers see it for the first time and go "Woah...SEXY!!!" immediately, like some of her recent covers). As for her gaze, there is barely a picture where she looks at the viewer, thus excluding them in a way.
As for "RAINBOW", I think that the artistic-ness of the cover takes away from any obvious sex appeal. What I mean is, when I first saw the cover for "RAINBOW", I was so blown away by the vibrance of the colors and effects that it took me a moment to realize she was naked. She looks fairly inhuman here - more like she's either physically part of the water or some kind of mythological sea dweller or nymph. The focal point, the part that my eye first goes to, is her hair and then her eyes, the only parts of the image that aren't blue. As far as nudity goes, like "LOVEappears", she doesn't look inviting. Her legs are drawn up to cover her chest and her gaze does not seem very seductive.
So, the difference between these and "Step You" and "Startin"? Let's start with her gaze: In both versions, whether seductive or smiling, her gaze is inviting. She is there for the viewing pleasure of the audience, and for that purpose ONLY. As for her figure, no, she is not naked, but the clothes she is wearing (leather boots and corset/lingere piece in "STEP/you" and fur and high heels in "Startin") are clothes we associate with sexuality because they are designed to accentuate the female form. In both covers, Ayu is sitting in ways that, like her gaze, say that she is there only for the pleasure of the viewer. She is sitting in ways that we typically think of when we think of "sexy poses". Combine this with the absence of a complex background and/or "artistic" elements, and you have a cover where the main, secondary, and third focal points are all Ayu, and most likely not her face either. When I first saw the cover of "Startin", all I saw at first was -BAM! - legs (vs BAM! - colors that I saw when I first looked at "RAINBOW").
One final note, I believe the Westernized look of both these covers further pushes their obvious sex appeal because that is what Westerners are used to seeing when it comes to an artist being sexy.
This is just my opinion, something that I found interesting and wanted to share. My point isn't that one of the first three covers are somehow better or worse than the the last two, only that the composition of the image is what makes our perception and what makes it different from image to image.~

As to my personal opinion about the ViVi picture: I'm not really a fan. I've never been a fan of "sexy" Ayu (including her "STEP you" and "Startin" covers), because it seems less sexy and more shallow objectification (sexuality and sensuality are very beautiful, but also very intimate, things, and both are extremely difficult to capture in a photo), and I'm concerned that she is slowly going the way of many pop stars who talk about being an independent and strong woman and then dress and act entirely for the male gaze.

I'm NOT saying that I think Ayu is trashy or anything, this is just the part of her image I like the least.

^I see the point you're making but I've never found the Startin/Btb... covers to be sexual at all. @_@

If someone does something sexy, or wears something revealing, DOES NOT mean they are doing it to gain the attention of the opposite sex. It can do, yes, but not always. Sometimes it is simply for fun or because it makes said person feel good.

Considering Ayu's fanbase is largely female, and since this photoshoot is in a magazine that most men wouldnt go near, I highly doubt it has anything to do with appealing to men. I think if Ayu started appearing half naked in most of her photoshoots then there would be a reason to complain...I don't even know why I'm typing this anymore @_@.

that's a relief too :D I hate him to death

i like your way of interpretation~

OMG they are absolutely amazing, the photoshoot preview it's so promising..she looks so gorgeous and i love her hair!!
the jeans wearing pics seems to be...wowow.

*hearT_Place* explained so well, but like kagami tried to say I dont think main purpose of that shoot is to attract opposite sex. I think (considering she's already famous artist who has a lot of work behind her and that magazine is for women) that main message is to show how women know what they want and are not afraid to show it, especially in japanese public where cute and innocent girls are into the spot.
Like ayu herself said: we are not dolls

I don't get it.. people talk that much about those tattoos? I like them. But am I the only one noticing ayu showing the half of her breast in the scan? That's what creeps me out.. omg..

Koda Kumi has mostly female fans... Even if by western standarts this photoshot is sexy, it's not what most japanese men find attractive at all... There's a reason why most of Morning Musume and AkH48 fanbase are made of older men, and why girls like Ai Otsuka and Aiko always own the "who would you like to date" polls

This is sexy to most japanese men:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5rppSVxP3g...ing-musume.jpg

And this is the kind of girl people will see on male oriented erotic and pornographic publications and videos... Actually, Ayu was more like this when her covers were "artistic" than now... Most of her sexy shots (and not only Ayu's, but also Koda's and Namie's) are made to show power and control over her own sexuality, pretty much like Madonna do... Not really to attract men (actually, most men have tons of problem dealing with strong and sexual women, not only on Japan, but anywhere in the world)

Jeez, I didn't realize that in 2010 adult woman still got criticized for embracing their sexuality. I seriously do not understand the controversy with this photo shoot. Does she look like she's enjoying herself behind the scenes? Yes, so let's move on and let her continue trying out new themes.

^ Women are not supposed to be sexual beings (in the eyes of men). Someone in JPM wrote some interesting stuff about a thing called Madonna/***** complex. It is scary but true, there are men who think like this even in 2010.

I'm happy that you typed this. I agree 100%!

Good Post, very true!

I love you :laugh