^It is somewhat expected for women in Japan to retire once they marry or get pregnant, and for them to adapt to their husbands expectations... It's no wonder there are so many articles set around the idea that Ayu will get bent do social norms... It's what people expect from rebels.

Maybe that's it, for guys in Japan, she doesn't set a good example for females to be be good house wife in the view of some, so she gets bashed, it may seem harsh, but I guess its just from Japans views on marriage and women. Regardless of Japan, there are people everywhere who are against the female being the 'husband' :P and female empowerment. In america in Colorado, someones made gun threats to the feminist classes at a Uni recently because they didn't agree with the message it taught women.
I say let girls do what they want, in history they generally make better leaders. Even China before being communist, in its past was ruled by a women, Wu Zetian, who brought china into a golden age. (but she was the only one because the men said it was against the law of nature)
That's a little off topic but I just don't get the blah and expectations some people say women need to be. Everyone should be free to choose there own life. Man or women.
And she married a American, If they think, he is not Japanese, so he does not share the Japanese view on marriage, women are quite acceptable to be the 'bread makers' in the west.

But they say, that no news sells like celebrity babies. Maybe they are just sour she wont give them a golden story to sell :P

I think this sums tabloids up nicely

I mean, we all have these gossip trash rags that print whatever they want for sales, right? Or things obviously written by haters. This has happened countless times in the past. I really wouldn't worry about it much, guys. :P

Part of the hassle of being in the spotlight, unfortunately.

Honestly, guys. I don't think it's haters or people who think that Ayu is setting a bad example by not retiring who are writing these articles to attack her. She's just the Queen and there for her name will always sell papers. Kuu has a hubby and baby without retiring, but no one bashes her. I would say its because she never achieved the level of success Ayu did, so her "fall" isn't as dramatic, and therefore won't sell as many papers. Clam down with the crazy theories, guys. Don't make Ayu fans seem like a sour bunch. You gotta roll with the punches like Ayu herself does.

^ Japan bashes Kuu too... But the new trend of J-pop international fans is bash Ayu.

Again, this is a translation of a Japanese article, I'm pretty sure. That's basically what arama is. Perhaps there are more translations of Ayu articles, but it proves the same thing I was saying before. Articles about Ayu are more popular because her name creates more of a stir.

^ I know this is a translation of a Japanese article, I'm a follower of arama, but I read a lot of japanese articles bashing Kuu... but talking about international fans, they bash Ayu a lot more without sense. Ayu is more "popular" than Kuu so you will se more articles about her but they criticize Koda too.

Okay, they bash Koda, too. But, if they bash Ayu more my point is still valid. I don't get what you are arguing with.

I'm not saying you're wrong or I don't agree with you, I only wanted to said that Japanese people have criticized Kuu for these things. Not intention to being rude ^^ And I want to add that the bash to Ayu is more strong not only because is more famous, because international fans bash her more too.

Yeah, probably most of the people who write the tabloid articles don't really hate Ayu... in fact, they probably love her for the amount of copies they've sold over the years and still sell on her account, for all the random made up stories and scandals they come up about her.

What annoys me the most aren't the articles themselves, but the haters who believe in all those obvious lies and post some utterly stupid comments on those news websites... But, oh well, nothing that can be done really. All famous artists have tons of haters, the more people that know their name, the more haters they'll have, and, in Japan, EVERYONE knows who Ayu is.

Though sadly I guess its just what tabloids do. They done it for ages and they will continue to do it. I guess they keep things interesting at least but I wouldn't pass it as them having no hate for ayu. The a-nation remark was just mean. Not all Japanese like ayus music, so some will leave like any mixed music events that happen anywhere. They make it sound like only 20 people remained when she popped out

^ Well, you have to think about what would sell more to the random general public, an article saying Ayu did a good performance just like every year (basically no big news at all), or a sensationalist article saying that the once queen of j-pop is losing all her popularity, that people left when she performs and that she's having problems in yet another relationship? It's not necessarily that they hate her, it's just that those stupid articles are the ones that grab people's attention, unfortunately.

I honestly never read articles like these, but the thread title caught my attention just now. I couldn't help thinking, "what could she POSSIBLY have done now?". I do no understand the media's need to bring Ayu down all the time. It's crap like this that really irks me. Okay, maybe her music isn't selling as well as it did six years ago, but she still has many loyal fans; she isn't a washed up has- been like this article is trying to make her out to be. And her personal life is just that! That remark about her marriage is completely irrelevant to anything else mentioned in the article! That last bit, I feel, was a cheap shot. Ayu is still Ayu to me, she is still wonderful. I wish people had nicer things to say about her, but this is a tabloid we are discussing, after all...

I'm with you!

Am I the only one who found the article funny?

kinda stupid article.
but I agree that her voice and popularity are much worse now, so