Waseda-graduated Gladys Tenyu Hasaki’s “True Feelings” in Response to Criticism on SNS: “Even though I’m Highly Educated…

Why so much buzz?

Fumio Kishida, Yoshio Kojima, and His Excellency Damon ……As a leading private university along with Keio University, Waseda University continues to produce a wide variety of talented individuals. Ayu Hasaki, who appears in the current issue of “FRIDAY,” will graduate from this prestigious university in 2023 and is attracting attention as a “unique, highly educated gradol.

She won the Next Break Award in Gravure of the Year 2024. While being called “Reiwa’s beautiful leg queen,” she has been posting photos of her graduation ceremony at Waseda University side by side with her photogravure cuts on social networking sites, and each time she does, she generates a lot of buzz.

However, not a few of the responses have been critical. Some of them say, “She’s highly educated,” but how does she feel about that? We asked Mr. Hasaki about his true feelings.

–How do you feel about the fact that your postings about Waseda University have sometimes been flamed?

Every time I post a post that juxtaposes a photo of me when I graduated from Waseda with my current gravure, I get a huge response. I even received a call from someone of my generation saying, ‘I graduated from the same university as you. It has grown to a maximum of 23 million impressions, and I realize how rare it is for someone with a high school education to do gravure.

I knew before I posted that I would get comments like, ‘You graduated from Waseda, so why are you doing it? Conversely, it also means that people with various ideas have seen my posts, which has been a stimulus for me in my activities.

-Please tell us how you came to enroll at Waseda University.

I entered Waseda University with a recommendation because I wanted to study welfare and psychology extensively. When I was a high school student, I was devoted to Synchronized skating, but an injury to a senior student made it impossible for me to continue the club activities themselves. I would do backflips in the school pool, and it was deemed dangerous.

At that time, I was deeply depressed, and it was a health teacher who saved me. I want to be someone who can listen to others and save their hearts like my teacher. I talked about that during the interview.

-What were your school days like?

The campus of the Faculty of Human Sciences, which I entered, was in Tokorozawa, surrounded by mountains. I had no classes, so I couldn’t go out for fun, and many of my friends would say, ‘I like Honkan (in Takadanobaba). But I entered the university to study, so I was happy to be able to concentrate on my studies under great professors.

However, from my sophomore year, I entered the COVID-19 crisis, and my classes were online. The saddest part was not being able to make friends.”

Studying at Waseda is alive and well in gravure

-Mr. Hasaki, you have a very serious personality, but you are also very passionate about gravure.

At Waseda University, I have learned to ‘think in an angular way’ in many situations. I naturally think in many different directions when I do gravure, such as ‘how can I make the audience happy’ or ‘how can I make the composition of a costume look better?

-You made your debut in the entertainment industry while still in college, but for a while after graduation you were a childcare worker and a gravure artist.

After graduating from college, I worked as a child development specialist. I worked on curriculum and support for children with developmental disabilities, and it was rewarding to see their growth, even if it was only for an hour.

But I was doing gravitas on the weekends, so I couldn’t keep doing it because I was overloaded with work and I got a flat tire. It was a very good job, but ……”

-He has disclosed that he himself has ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).

I was diagnosed as an adult, though it wasn’t extremely severe. Since I was little, I was the type of person who would rather be alone than get along with friends, and it was hard for me to sit still in class.

I had a vague feeling of ‘it’s hard to live’ since I was in elementary school, but as I grew older and studied more, I learned that there are many people in the world who have a hard time living. That is why I thought it would be nice if I could work to support people, if not eliminate their difficulties in life.

This desire is what motivates me to do gravure. I probably didn’t need to tell my fans that I have ADHD.

However, I have received kind words from fans, such as, “Actually, I have ADHD myself,” and “Thank you for disclosing it,” which made me feel glad that I made it public.

I want to become more famous and bring smiles to many people’s faces. To that end, I think I will continue to post about Waseda from time to time!”

Ayu Hazaki / Born in Tokyo. A graduate of Waseda University’s School of Human Sciences, she has attracted attention for her unique background, which includes experience as a childcare worker. She made her debut in the entertainment industry when she started modeling for photo shoots while still in school. For the latest information, please visit her X (@ayu_hazaki) and Instagram (@ayu_photo_18).

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