Harajuku Poupées: Gyaru
Gyaru (ギャル) girls are in many ways opposites of the Lolitas. Known for always being very trendy and cool, sometimes even bad girls, Gyaru are girls that follow a very glamorous lifestyle, which contrasts heavily against the modesty of Lolitas. Gyaru are also very common in popular Japanese media, having very famous followers (that I’ve also featured here for Plastic Candy’s J-Urban week), such as Miliyah Kato and Koda Kumi early in their careers and Namie Amuro as well!
Girls that represent the Gyaru fashion movement may vary in look. Because it’s a fashion movement that is mostly connected to lifestyle and not a signature outfit choice, there are many aspects to it that are expanded in different ways for each branch of Gyaru; while some girls like to spray tan themselves heavily, others might prefer the designer accessories and leave their skins paler and so forth, but all of them are connected by their distinctive dyed hair and sexy clothes.
Silhouette
The Gyaru movement originated in the 70s, arguably reaching its peak in 80s, and it was mostly created as a form of rebellion against a conservative Japanese culture, whose standards of beauty were the extremely white complexion. With flashy outfits and accessories as well as attention-grabbing fake tans (that are somewhat uncommon to be reached naturally in Japanese skin, so any tan really stands out) that are emphasized by their white make-up, the Gyaru used their love for a materialistic culture in order to create a counterculture -made-subculture. The look of Gyarus vary depending on which branch of the movement they adhere to the most and their personal taste, but they are mostly more revealing than other styles across Japan and take advantage of very long, heavily decorated nails, spray tans and eye contacts.
Gyaru Culture
The name for the Gyaru movement came from a brand of jeans that was rising at around the same time as the movement was originating, called gals. The slogan of the brand was
I can’t live without men
and it’s probably what affected the style of the girls the most, since they tend to follow a very sexualized type of fashion.
Nowadays there are many outlets for Gyaru culture, including famous magazines such as EGG, Happie Nuts and Sweet as well as many Gyaru-geared shops around Japan (now the market has even expanded to rural areas). A very famous habit of Gyaru girls is that of organizing Gal Circle get-togethers. This activity consists of a group of Gyaru meeting up in order to promote their style, music, and dance. The types of Gal Circles vary, but they mostly serve the purpose of promotion and celebration of the Gyaru lifestyle!
Styles of Gyaru
Kogals (コギャル)
Kogals are easily recognized as Japan’s version of California beach girls, and mostly come from affluent families that can afford to pay for their extravagant lifestyles that usually consist of dying hair, a lot of make-up and tanning, the latest cellphones and designer items of the best brands. Kogals that are more mature tend to expose a lot of skin, like beach girls, while those who are still in school wear their uniforms with very loose, long socks that look like this:
Something I picked up on while reading about Gyaru, and mostly Kogal, fashion is how much prejudice is geared towards this movement. This is definitely a product of the style’s counter-culturual roots, and may appear a bit offensive to most traditional Japanese citizens, but I find them extremely exotic and interesting for the amount of work and time they put into their daily lives in order to achieve their signature looks.
Another very common practice within the Kogal culture is how they often subject themselves to lives as prostitutes in order to pay for their expensive tastes and also appear a lot in Japanese adult movies… This is due to the fact that the contents of the magazines geared towards the Kogal audience often times would bring up sexual themes and guides about how to do things properly in bed and other things, like how to have sex while wearing a kimono. Girls adhering to the Kogal movement also tend to speak in a dialect that is a mixture of English and Japanese. The Gothic Lolita look is believed to be a reaction to the exposure that identifies the Kogal style.
Many people believe the Kogal style is actually that of the Japanese schoolgirls, but it’s not, since Japanese schoolgirls are what they are because of their school uniforms, it’s not exactly a fashion movement. Kogals, however, change the uniform a little by making their skirts smaller and wearing their signature loose socks.
Ganguro (ガングロギャル)
Ganguro girls tend to be a lot more aggressive with their looks because of their over-the-top tans that often times make their complexion look very dark brown and they’re also known to emphasize their tanned skin with a lot of white make-up, from eyeshadow to lipstick. Their make-up and level of tanning are also very significant since they can indicate what fashion movement they adhere to, for the Manba and Yamanba movements share similar characteristics as that of the Ganguro but their make-up patterns are different and more attention-grabbing.
Girls from the Ganguro movement don’t focus as much on the fashion aspect of Gyaru as many other branches do, focusing mostly on their wigs or flasy hair and dark skin and make-up. Their fashion tends to be cheaper, but a lot more unusual and outrageous, which enhances their interesting aesthetics. They also have the impression of being bad girls for their unusual looks, but most times they just like dressing that way, and it doesn’t reflect behavioral traits.
Himegyaru
The Himegyaru, or Princess Gyaru, are quite different from other types of Gyaru because rather than focusing on the movement’s signature tan, they prefer to take more advantage of extravagant hair and princess-like fashion, like a hybrid between sweet lolita and gyaru. They’re known for their puffy, beehive hairstyles that are often times achieved through the use of wigs or dyed hair. This branch of Gyaru is a lot less about sexuality, and mostly about cuteness and girly charm.
There are more types of Gyaru I could talk about, but because it’s more of a lifestyle than a striking fashion characteristic, it’s harder to pinpoint each of its branches, so I just picked the most dramatic ones!
I really love the Gyaru fashion movement because it’s so unique even though it’s a mix between a materialistic culture and a fascination for an American style pursued by Asian girls! It’s very interesting to see how this counterculture draws attention without needing any sort of aggressive behavior and it really conveys its message of breaking free from a traditional Japanese culture effectively.
If you would like to know more about the fantastic culture of Gyaru and really indulge a little bit in their looks and culture, feel free to take a look at the show below! It’s really informative, just ignore the Japanese-accented translations they added to the special.
Nowadays the Gyaru movement has been severely changing, though. There isn’t as strong a cultural influence from them as there was around 10 years ago. Famous Gyaru stores like Alba Rosa and Gilfy have been suffering with their change of market and Gyaru girls simply aren’t found coloring the streets of Shibuya as much as they have in the past. Even though the trend is declining in Japan, it seems to be gaining popularity overseas in places like New York and China, so perhaps not all is lost for the lovely Gyaru!
I really hope this flashy trend doesn’t die out.
