The Appeal of Japanese Fashion magazines

I was watching a couple Popteen videos recently and two of my favorite Popteen models have graduated. Okarie being the first and Kumiky recently being the second one. The idea of explaining the appeal of Japanese fashion magazines versus the American ones kind of came into my head. I'm always asked why I'd pick a Popteen over a Teen Vogue since obviously I can read English and not Japanese. I can explain this a bit in a couple of different ways. This isn't only for just Popteen but the deceased gyaru magazines and the running of Gothic Lolita Bible and Kera which I also follow pretty closely.

I think the coolest thing about Japanese fashion magazines is the relatability. The way they market these models is really great. Of course models here are scouted too but the cool thing about Japan is a lot of the girls start out as 'reader models'. They're not exactly cast by any agent I don't think-they followed the magazine they're representing pretty closely and know the history behind it. It's not "oh you're going to be on the cover of this random magazine." A lot of these girls live a specific fashion life style (gyaru/lolita/punk/ect) and grew into the fashion looking at the older models. A lot of the girls are incredibly regular and were fans of the magazine they read before hand.

Another really cool thing is this sense of family between the models. I think the closest thing we have here is the Victoria Secrets Angels who are consistent and represent that line but that's not for a magazine really. Popteen, Ageha, Egg, ect all have a line up of the same model who only represent that magazine. They will do this for years and have a certain style unique to them that will really set them a part from the other girls. In Popteen's case I always thought that it was Pikarin because she wasn't fully Shibuya-kei nor was she Harajuku-kei or Akiba-kei either-she was super well rounded. In  Ageha's case it was definitely a show down between Sakurai Rina and Himena Osaki for me. You'd follow these girls for years and be dedicated to buying the issues where they were the featured cover girl in support of their career. In Popteen's case-graduating models is always a little saddening but you know the ladies will move on to bigger things with their modeling career. 

A lot of the models create their own brand for fans to wear. A really huge line right now clothing wise is Kokokim which is Angelic Pretty/Kera model's Kimura U's brand. A lot of fans showed up to support her line and buy her clothes. In my case she  had gained a new fan because I really loved how passionate she was on creating her own clothing line and store! It's neat how she's expanded it. Other girls create and endorse products. Tsubasa Masuwaka is known for endorsing GEO's Princess Mimi contacts, Palty Hair Dye and creating through Koji her own top selling make-up line DollyWink and CandyDoll. This will also expand their fanbase through product placement. Tsubasa, Rina, and Pikarin are also singers/idols! They have their own albums and singles expanded outside of their modeling career.

Other than this, a lot of the 'reader models' will bring clothes they selected from a certain brand to their photoshoots. These brands are usually accessible for girls to buy and own. They can wear the same clothes as the girls they admire. I just bought a Kera magazine for a matter of fact and a couple of things I own clothing wise and make-up wise are featured in the magazine and a model is wearing it! I got so thrilled seeing Kimura U in the Ghost of Harlem dress that I bought. I think that it really brings a sense of reliability for the readers. 

I read a lot of Elle and Vogue and even Seventeen in  my high school days and honestly I felt like I could never really look up to the girls in there. A lot of it was high end pretty girls in yeah...high end clothes that no normal girl could afford. I don't really remember any magazine model's names or anything that truly stood out to me. They were literally coat hangers for whatever line or brand they were endorsing. A lot of the media here pressures girls to look sexy or fit a certain image or else you don't fit the 'criteria of looking beautiful'. So the pressure is there to afford expensive things and to diet or even grow-up too quickly. 

Not that Japanese magazines don't shove ads down their readers throats. Ageha and EGG are super guilty of having pages and pages of diet pills and plastic surgery/weight loss adds saturating the back pages. And I'm very sure girls feel pressured in Japan as well- a lot of clothes are still one size only. Good luck trying to fit into ma*rs or DIA without your thigh or bust hanging out if you attempt to squeeze it. Japanese magazines definitely have their faults as well. However Japanese beauty standards are for sure different. A lot of girls are for sure reliant on make-up in Japan and I loved how EGG models especially had imperfections making a girl who looked up to the gyaru life style a lot more reachable. Even Kera model Haruka is recently decked out in colorful braces! 

The Western counter part is very organized where  Japanese magazines are cluttered despite there being a method to the madness when it comes to information! 

Which one do you guys prefer? What else do you guys like about Western or Japanese magazines and which do you religiously follow?