Gyaru Resurgence
Blond tan bad girls are back
28 February 2008
Introduction
Gyaru are no longer "cool," but they aren't going anywhere.
Back when the Gyaru entered the Ganguro era, a stream of Gyaru called White Gyaru (opposed to the "black" Ganguro girls) had emerged, who combined the original Gyaru look with cleaner aesthetics and a penchant for luxury brands. The term "white" referred to their preference of white skin over the fake tans of their comrades. They also liked white-colored coats and clothing rather than the standard sexy black. Recently the White Gyaru faction have reasserted control over the entire movement, bringing back the accessibility of the look that once attracted normal high-school girls.
While the Gyaru look is still considered outside of the mainstream, the subculture has become the standard for a large number of rural and working-class girls across Japan. (Tokyo youth seem less interested, even though Shibuya is the shopping hub.) The core Gyaru magazine Popteen is now one of the best selling magazines for young women at 284,794 issues printed a month. Late last year, newspapers like Nikkei Marketing Journal and others were ready to crown Popteen's main model Tsubasa as the next big opinion leader for youth — the first legitimate heir to Ebihara Yuri. Tsubasa has the Midas Touch in being able to suggest products on her blog and see them sell out days later. Her spokeswoman work for the brand Liz Lisa had put the manufacturer on the map. In traditional "Yankii" working-class style, however, she suddenly decided to tie the knot to a Men's Egg model at the age of 20. As part of this life-change, she promptly retired from Popteen — only after a special marriage issue, of course!
Although Popteen represents the most central and popular stream of Gyaru culture, one of the more interesting spin-offs is the Koakuma — literally, "little devils." Although the word was originally used to mean young girls who played devilish romantic tricks on men, the girls in the Koakuma subcultures do not actually fit this mold particularly well. Compared to their Ganguro predecessors though, they revel in curly brown hair, whitened skin, and lacey dresses in a total look that seems very much oriented towards attracting men. Unlike CanCam's "mote" look, the Koakuma seem less interested in real-life boyfriends and more in fairytale princes. Inside their elaborate mess of blond curly hair, tiaras sparkle. Eyes need at least three passes of mascara etc. — each a different hue. Color contacts provide that necessary element of exoticism. "Sparkle" is the key aesthetic mood: all consumer electronic devices — cell phones, Nintendo DSs, iPods — must be bejeweled.
The main magazine for the movement is Koakuma Ageha — perhaps the most-visually bright magazine in publishing history. Every single item in the magazine "sparkles" like a diamond under direct light. All faces are blown out to make them blemish-less, featureless plastic masks. Like other members of the Gyaru subset, Koakuma girls love Louis Vuitton bags and wallets, but their magazines rarely have the media connections to get direct tie-up from luxury brands.
While the Gyaru look is still considered outside of the mainstream, the subculture has become the standard for a large number of rural and working-class girls across Japan. (Tokyo youth seem less interested, even though Shibuya is the shopping hub.) The core Gyaru magazine Popteen is now one of the best selling magazines for young women at 284,794 issues printed a month. Late last year, newspapers like Nikkei Marketing Journal and others were ready to crown Popteen's main model Tsubasa as the next big opinion leader for youth — the first legitimate heir to Ebihara Yuri. Tsubasa has the Midas Touch in being able to suggest products on her blog and see them sell out days later. Her spokeswoman work for the brand Liz Lisa had put the manufacturer on the map. In traditional "Yankii" working-class style, however, she suddenly decided to tie the knot to a Men's Egg model at the age of 20. As part of this life-change, she promptly retired from Popteen — only after a special marriage issue, of course!
Although Popteen represents the most central and popular stream of Gyaru culture, one of the more interesting spin-offs is the Koakuma — literally, "little devils." Although the word was originally used to mean young girls who played devilish romantic tricks on men, the girls in the Koakuma subcultures do not actually fit this mold particularly well. Compared to their Ganguro predecessors though, they revel in curly brown hair, whitened skin, and lacey dresses in a total look that seems very much oriented towards attracting men. Unlike CanCam's "mote" look, the Koakuma seem less interested in real-life boyfriends and more in fairytale princes. Inside their elaborate mess of blond curly hair, tiaras sparkle. Eyes need at least three passes of mascara etc. — each a different hue. Color contacts provide that necessary element of exoticism. "Sparkle" is the key aesthetic mood: all consumer electronic devices — cell phones, Nintendo DSs, iPods — must be bejeweled.
The main magazine for the movement is Koakuma Ageha — perhaps the most-visually bright magazine in publishing history. Every single item in the magazine "sparkles" like a diamond under direct light. All faces are blown out to make them blemish-less, featureless plastic masks. Like other members of the Gyaru subset, Koakuma girls love Louis Vuitton bags and wallets, but their magazines rarely have the media connections to get direct tie-up from luxury brands.