Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - View Single Post - [News] Calendar 2012 (11/16/2011)
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Old 27th November 2011, 01:42 PM
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Tom Punks Tom Punks is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by letter View Post
I prefer the old one, because it's more natural (I especially love the one in the fur coat). What strikes me the most is that although Ayu hasn't changed drastically over the years, the difference in her face is not the age, but the make up, which is so obvious that it tells you its purpose for being there is to make her look younger.

It doesn't.

It makes her look like someone who's trying to look young, which I believe she would if she wore less. I like to see people age, as it gives them more character. I also believe it's possible to look a lot younger than you are--my mother is the living proof of that. But I don't like it when people do all sorts of things to look younger and get the opposite effect, and for that reason, appear desperate.

From an aesthetic point of view--she's pretty. But she lacks character, especially when you compare these two calendars.
I agree with this 100% just because in the 2003 calendar, you can tell she used to be such an effortless icon, while now it's pretty obvious that she's trying really hard to keep that kind of image.

@kazeyomi and truehappiness: Personally, I'd say the natural thing comes from the fact that she isn't trying nearly as hard in the 2003 one. Yeah, there's a ton of makeup, but it's still don't pretty effortlessly and naturally... She doesn't at all look like she's trying hard to look good, and more importantly, her poses are really natural and unforced, as if she's not really even trying to pose. In the 2012 one, she is posing to the extreme and obviously trying really hard to look younger than she is, which makes her look older. @_@
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