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

Yup, agree with Andrenekoi... it's too bad that some guies still act like they're losing control, respect or interest in a woman if she is strong about her sexuality :shrug

I'll look up to Ayu even more if she really means it this way... but i have the feeling that many female artists get topless just to go with the flow, act cool and sell more too. Shock value is another kind of pressure, just as bad as playing angels.

Not meaning that Ayu does any of it, but i still wonder everytime... hope she's sincere in her works.

Umm... There's a strong line between being sexy and sleezy... And ayu is simply potraying sexy. I feel like the nude she's showing is for the sake of art and and just the idea of sex... people always associate nude with sex, and thats not always what the shoot is about...

haha, yea....

hmms, I know that those photographers are professionals and they probably seen lots of nude females celebs before.... But ladies out there, are u willing to pose naked in front of 10 or more male photographers/staff in the name of art?? well, it might be nothing more than just ARTISTIC... but surely it will makes u feel weird. well, it actually depends on the decision of the artist herself i suppose... :P:P:P

I think for models it is not so different if they are underwear or naked (hiding... the things lol) They have not to worry about if the photograhers see them naked, the important thing is how they look in photos, is what I think.

Her face looks gorgeous as usual...

but honestly she looks severly photoshopped/airbrushed on the chest,and with all due respect, i think that does NOT look natural.

(*runs to avoid rocks*)

Anyway, i dont think there is a hidden artistic purpose behind the picture at all. No story behind a pic, no artistic (and with artistic i mean alternative or groundbreaking) shoot or ideas, and certainly NO ABSTRACTIONS behind this picture. :laugh

And well, towards your idea Mayayu, i think you are right, after all the idea of promotional pictures is to sell magazines, that's it. Just what almost every artist does. It's just a promotion pic like she always does, with a clear intention of provoking the eyes, nothing more than that. :)

By the way, she's not on the cover? I only see inside scans, no cover.

^Yea, I believe someone said Namie was on the cover for this one.

Hmm well I'm disappointed Ayu isn't on the cover, but at least I love Namie as well, so that's good :)

well, its just a preview. i assume she will be on the cover next month.

Unfortunately, at least in America, a woman's right to express her sexuality , at least in the way the media portrays it, overrides her right to be intelligent, her right to be independent, her right to be strong, her right to be her own person, etc, especially considering the long history in the west of women being nothing more than a sexual beings. This has a lot to do with why I, as a woman, am sensitive to other women expressing themselves in ways that could possibly objectify themselves (I know that is their right, but it is also my right to disagree with them).

As for what kind of sexuality attracts certain, seedy types of men, I think it has more to do with acting without repercussions than anything. Take ads in Japan for the game "Bayonetta", where passers by were encouraged to pull flyers off a wall, revealing a giant image of a naked woman (the title character). It encourages that type of control that allows one to act without any consequences :no

Luckily, that's not what Ayu is about, and, while I'm sensitive a specific part of her image, it's nice that she is so well-rounded, and what I dislike is only a part. It also makes a big difference that, as other members have pointed out, this shoot is for a women's magazine. It's still not my favorite photo (for other reasons, too, like the extremely heavy eyeliner), but at least it's not in a men's magazine.

(For the record, I'm just expressing my opinion. I'm not Ayu-bashing, or putting her down or calling her a w**** or bashing or putting down anybody else for that matter, and I hope it doesn't come off that way). I'm glad we have a forum where we can express our individual views on different topics.)

I love everything about this!! Thank you!! :heart

If you put it like this, your reasoning is absolutely justified and understandable, even though I don't agree with everything you wrote. I understand your point of view and the intelligent post you made. This is how it should be presented when you don't agree or don't like something and not that horrible bashing and name calling that happened here before.

Not everybody has to like the photoshoot. I like it a lot, though. I'm really curious about the next ViVi issues and how the following photos will be.

KOHARU!!! :love Sorry just had to do that, lol.

:yes

All very good points and I agree with all of the points expressed here. I love it when we have intelligent people expressing their opinions in a mature manner.

I completely agree with you guys :yes

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/3166/111xmh.jpg

the same tattoo in rule pv ??? 2009

No, those tattoos were maybe temporary ONLY for the Rule PV...

so was the tattoo on the cover of Secret...but then part of it turned out to be real.

maybe part was real in this case too...

can anyone provide those screencaps in higher quality?

Here are some more from the Rule making of


Everything looks fake to me, but who knows. They could have just added on to an existing tattoo she had like for the Secret cover.

I wouldn't doubt the possibility of those Rule tattoos being an extension of the on her back if she has any

I agree with Ranma Matsuri, I was waiting for people to say those points, thank you for doing so cause it's true, and that's what this photoshoot is about in my opinnion. :yes I'm glad that's all wrapped up. :D

So i finished clicking and scrolling to the bottom when i saw her semi-nude pic and i was like O___O "ayu isnt the type to do that..." idk. but yeah she's at the age to do that and can do what she wants. She might have wanted to make an impact with this 50th single coming up lol XD Thank you for the scans.

woow this is turning into a Woman's Council forum or something, but I agree with Andrenekoi

isn't it a bit weird that the lower part of the tattoo is darker? no?

^youre right. it is kind of weird. the rest is just like a line drawing, but the part at her lower back is so dark...like they had to use and existing tattoo and add to it to cover it up.

hrm...

I noticed that too. I think it's real.... if it is, it looks so cool! :luv2

(Yaaaayyyy!!!!! appears initiate!!!!!)

The black/darker part is more than likely real, I doubt they would go back in and add this just for a magazine photoshoot.

Yay! Ayu is "trashy" now :heart

:yeekWAW!!!!!

I think that all just depends on how comfortable those ladies are with their own bodies... They're obviously not going to pick someone who looks self conscious to do the shoot. And even though there would most liking be men conducting the shoot, I would expect them to be professtionals and have experience... instead of being some poor bum from off the street. it's not like she's in a sports magazine or a porno... As you can probly see by now I have no issue with the idea of using nude as art :P

She's always been. :mischief But now AHS knows about it. :innocent

If it is real, I wonder what it is? If it's just a random design there it'll be stupid to me. I hope if it's real there's some deeper meaning to it like the one on her shoulder.

the rule tatoos (bottom part)? real? and no ones ever seen them

^She probably covers it just like she used to, and sometimes still does, cover the one on her shoulder.

That's a new Ayu direction I love!
Love the half naked pic, she looks gorgeous! :heart
I do find it very artistic and mature. And it's really sexy, something I normally don't connect that much with Ayu.

Would be great if the tattoo on her back is real. I love (fitting) tattoos.

Thanks for sharing :) ayu looks great

It kinda looks like it was smudged by her pants, haha.



They're painting it on in the first 30 seconds of the making and you don't see anything really on her lower back while they are drawing it on.