Public image

Hamasaki's influence extends into other aspects of pop culture, including fashion,and she is often considered an icon and trend-setter in fashion, a status attributed to her tight control over her image. As well as appearing in fashion magazines such as ViVi, Popteen, and Cawaii, Hamasaki repeatedly wins awards such as "Best Jeanist", "Nail Queen" and Oricon's "Most Fashionable Female Artist". This status has led to Hamasaki's shaping of Japan's fashion scene; many aspects of Japan's fashions—including clothing, hair, nails, and accessories—have in some way been influenced by her. As with her music, trends Hamasaki started have spread to Asian countries as Taiwan, China, and Singapore. Because of her "trendy image", Hamasaki has been sought by numerous brands to endorse their products. Throughout her career under Avex, she has promoted products ranging from electronics (Tu-Ka cell phones and Panasonic) to various snack foods. Among the products she has advertised on television are the Honda Crea, Kosé cosmetics, Mister Donut donuts, and Boss coffee. Although Hamasaki initially supported the exploitation of her popularity for commercial purposes, saying that it was "necessary that [she is] viewed as a product", after the 2001 incident in which Avex forced her to release A Best, she protested Avex's decision to market her as a "product rather than a person".