Hey, what even IS Gyaru anyways?
-Hello lovelies! I wanted to make a Gyaru history post so here it is! This will go over the overall history and not really delve into substyles but don't worry I will make posts about those as well! Anyways, let's get on with it!
-The word gyaru came from the American world gal or girl! Gal is also what Gyarus call eachother and themselves. This phrase became popular with 'Campaign Girls' which were Japanese models for brand commercials. (Fun fact, this was also Special Weeks, a popular umamusume and race horse dams name) ANYWAY...This term became more popular with the release of the manga Sweet Spot, a manga about an office woman with a passion for golfing. This manga popularized the term 'Oyaji Gyaru' which literally literally means old man girl referring to her golfing.
-This is when the big Gyaru boom you could say really took place. Gyaru started as a counter culture to the limiting beauty standards of Japan that many women did not see themselves in. The standard at the time was dark hair, light skin, and very modest clothing. Gyaru is the exact opposite of that!! Tan skin, blonde hair, and 'sexy clothing', this was very powerful for many women the dress in a way completely different from what their country told them.
At first many Highschool girls started dressing Gyaru to show their personality. They would add bows to their uniforms, wear long nails, dye their hair, and decorate their bags. This was a BIG difference to how they were expected to dress and many of them were punished by their schools.
Many gals took inspiration from Japanese and American singers, Namie Amuro was a Japanese pop singer that many early Gyaru took fashion inspiration from. Amuro was often called one of the first styles, these gals were called Amuraa. American artists like Janet Johnson, Beyoncé, and TLC also influenced the fashion and somewhat controversial Gyaru makeup.
One of the first Gyaru magazines was 'Cawaii! Magazine' which took street photography of Gals in Shibuya. Magazines became a staple in Gyaru style in the future.
-Gyaru continued to grow during this time, I would like to make a comparison to Gyaru and Scene in the states. Both counter culture, have bright colors, and big hair! Just thought it was interesting.
The popular Gyaru magazine 'egg' became more popular during this time. This is one of the biggest Gyaru magazines if you look up a magazine or see photos it will probably be from egg! Also at this time many Gals took their more over the top looks and toned them down to wear them in daily life.
-During 2010-2012 the style was still on a steady increase with magazines reaching their peak and models creating clothing brands. As mentioned before Gals started toning down their looks and in 2013 much of the style started fading into obscurity. The beauty standards won and most girls started dressing modestly. Most magazine brands were cancelled.
BUT!!!! In the later 2010s Gyaru fared much better and many magazines came back!! New substyles were created and the culture has continued till present day.
-The style has been able to stay prevalent because of social media and the internet and has even moved to other countries! There are even many POC Gals that have taken back parts of their culture that was mistreated during the early days of Gyaru.
This style has such rich history and it's so empowering even today, I hope you learned something and I will make more specific posts in the future. I tried not to mention many substyles because I want to make other post about them so if you were wondering thats why! This was a yap fest but thats what ya girl does soooo!!
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