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Yeah, I'm with you - I wouldn't call "Sparkle" a parody, but a reference and commentary, absolutely. The juxtaposition of a Seiko Matsuda style 80s idol and a modern day sexy idol makes that very obvious.
I like your idea that the virginal image is supposed to be the exterior but the sexy image is what's inside that same performer's mind - the idea of a woman's sexual energy being repressed in Japan is basically the reason why Koda Kumi's fans are mostly female, and women had the same issue in the USA as well... it probably wasn't until the late 80s or early 90s that artists like Madonna and Tori Amos and Annie Lennox made it okay for women to express interest in sexuality in their lyrics & videos. In Japan it's still an issue - more modern pop singers are still very innocent and not an all sexually aggressive (which makes them sexy to the male audience interested in more subservient girls).
You're right - Ayu being in padded rooms with a weird helmet that looks to examine her brain really supports the idea that Ayu is commenting on sexually aware pop artists being driven crazy by holding it in, or more sexually forward forward pop artists being seen as crazy. Both interpretations probably work.
And I hadn't thought about the connection to vanitas! Ayu's use is regrettably inconsistent, however - while she does often show earthly comforts in a negative light, she doesn't always do so. I feel like she wouldn't sell all the Swarovsky-decorated phone straps and designer scented candles if she was more serious about that stuff. Sometimes I feel like she shuns the glam life or like it makes her nervous or lonely, but other times I feel like she's Scrooge McDuck, swimming in a pile of money and loving it. It's hard to get that aspect of Ayu's attitude & career really pegged down, you know?
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