It's been quite an eventful and heartbreaking past couple of weeks for anyone who's been into gyaru. Not only did Ageha cease it's publication along with a couple of their magazines under that branch but it was announced a while back that EGG magazine, which was considered the gyaru bible for years and years now, has also discontinued as well. Quite disappointing considering I thought that was the only hope left for a gyaru magazine at this point.
A bit question people keep asking again and again the new style gyaru? The opinion I have is harsh; but no. I feel like Neo-Gyaru is not gyaru at all. It's too refined and too conformist. Nothing stands out or wows me like the older eras of gyaru fashion did-even when they changed-there was always something incredibly unique. I wish we could just say 'Gyaru has died' and call this new fashion by a new name. There is nothing gyaru about it.
So what makes the older era popular and appealing-especially towards the communities outside of Japan you ask? It's the uniqueness and effort put into the fashion. A thing that I think people will mistake this for is Westerners being behind on the trend when that in't the case- the truth is is that we have a thing for detailed clothing. If we're spending a couple hundred on brand clothing by no doubt it has to be a piece or a brand that really sets the standard high in uniqueness. Nothing thrills me more when not only someone compliments my outfit or style but also asks where I buy my clothing or make-up because they've seen nothing like it. Then I always have to reply that I buy online or that it's imported-which shows I have to put in a lot of effort and money to achieve that look.
We have pretty plain clothes in the United States at least. Forever21 and h&m are huge staples in everyone's wardrobe. You'll see girls wearing the same exact outfit or carrying the same exact bag-in droves even. Not that you probably won't find it in gyaru or lolita fashion-we twin out or a lot of people will have the same item but it's a lot harder to get a repeat versus stuff that's within easier access. Even so we place our own unique flare into the outfit.
A lot of fashion here is jeans and t-shirt; a lot of people hide behind hoodies and loose jeans. When people dress up it's to look sexy borderline hoochie with cleavage and ass everywhere..colors won't match or the outfit is incredibly simple. I'm not saying everyone is like this but a good majority I see are like this. If I see a very well dressed person with a full face of make-up with nice clothes I definitely have my attention in on them-it's happened rarely and props to them. Things like Cocolulu gave casual wear a twist I felt. You still looked like Barbie doll even when frumpy. So it showed that even that can be done even with causalish clothes.
I spend a good two hours on hair and make-up if I'm not short cutting everything and throwing on a wig. I don't always do lolita and gyaru. Only for when I hit the Bay Area or there is an event now a day because where nobody actually knows me where I live and over the years I've been forced to conform a bit to stay safe and to please workplaces/parentals if we go out as a family, ect. But that doesn't stop me from being gyaru whenever I can be.
As a Westerner I feel like the new style leaves me no challenge at all. It's effortless. I can throw on a forever21 dress with cut outs, not wear circle lenses because I already have light colored eyes, wear a neutral eye shadow, and not even put on fake eyelashes because I already have thick lashes naturally. I always jokingly say when I have a lazy day to just go out real quick with hardly any face on, "Am I gyaru still today?" because without the glam? I look like a plain white girl who just dresses well.
I can see the challenge for the Japanese girls of course, they still have to use lenses and lashes. However personally for me there's no difference between what I already have to have added halo-less lenses and thin lashes. The appeal of gyaru was the effort I had to put into it to be that. You could easily distinguish a gyaru girl from a girl on the street just by her make-up alone.
Personally when I first did gyaru, I couldn't afford brand clothing at all. I was stuck with Forever21 but I really worked hard on my hair and make-up and tried to coordinate and accessorize my outfits differently just so I could stand out and still be considered a gyaru. But as soon as I bought high end lashes and make-up and could afford brand I REALLY started looking like a real one just because even my clothes down to my shoes would stand out. That floral print? That's Liz Lisa and they do the prettiest floral prints. Those heart heels? Yumetenbo. That baby doll I wore with the perfume print? Only ma*rs does that and it's a representation of their brand. That shiny belt with fur and dangles and bling? DIA. Those thin to thick graiented cross cut lashes? Diamond lash. Each thing had it's trademark that made it detailed and beautiful.Sure Forever21 has floral print but it wasn't as beautiful as Liz Lisa's nor did the pleats continue the pattern perfectly even folded like that brand did.
That was the thrilling part. I think that was the bit of it that really appealed the audience outside of Japan-gyaru was super girly and unique. For me honestly, it brought out my inner Spice Girl because it was so girl oriented. I felt crazy glamorous with my glitter eyes, teased hair, and heart heeled shoes. Fuck yeah I was sexy princess and I felt that way. Gyaru had given so many girls confidence. Like I said before EGG's slogan was "Get Wild and Be Sexy". Whether you were a cute hime gyaru, kurogyaru, rock gal, or even an agejyo-you all had that incommon. You went against all the social rules to be wild and you were so confident with your girl power that you were sexy. That was what gyaru was. It was a life style. It was an attitude. It was something that stood out but represented femininity.
The new style? You have to look as plain and grown up as possible with your printless dresses/do street style with beanies and cut outs or as pure as you can be with your gingham print and pigtails. Wait. What? Yeah. I said the same thing when I saw Popteen try to play off this "Clean neat gyaru" thing back in September.
It saddened me because gyaru was starting to look like everyone else did here and not what it was way back when. I love ruffles, I love chains, lace was plus, and if it clung tight, or came with sparkley threads-thigh high boots, and cute accessories I was all for it. Even Liz Lisa was once upon a time considered a Hime Gyaru brand. Seeing the old clothing always makes me go 'wow' because even something so well liked like Liz Lisa, had an era where it was rebellious in a cute girly elegant type of way. Even then, back then, it was just a little bit sexy with it's short hem lines and such.
What do do now for the gyarus who want to be like I am and do the old style?
Find unique clothes. If it catches your eye? Invest. Nothing says you can't even still be on trend-I try to follow the trends a little but I always try to have a full face of make-up on with big circle lenses and lashes and pretty hair just so it looks girly and a little bit unique. Everytime I go out even in plainer clothes with good hair and make-up; I always get tons of compliments. I just went to a mac store the other day ago and the sales associates were enthralled with wow PURPLE my eyes were. I also as I went out the parking lot got complimented on my Black Peace Now bat jacket with wings on the back. See? Little details count. So don't get discouraged if you like the older style. Try to be unique still. Try to combat it!
Yes I will miss seeing newer clothing with crazy stuff on them. I'll miss seeing beautiful models in magazines and wanting to LOOK like them and question how the hell did that do this or that make-up technique. That was the fun of it. But that's okay. Look at it this way; we are going back to our roots. Gyaru started when people were plain. They didn't have brands. Hell the used fucking white out for white eye shadow. They didn't have circle lenses or even crazy good eye lashes.
In a way, we got spoiled. We ARE spoiled. We have wonderful cosmetics brands to use, the internet at our disposal, blogger girls to follow who still want to be agejyo or hime gyaru or whatever.. We have the clothing that existed-ect. Now we are given the challenge to be unique with no guidance. No models. No magazine. No upcoming trends for said substyle. WE will be the trendsetters. We will be the ones that maybe in a couple of years that will bring all of this back full force to a younger generation of gyaru.
And I look forward to it. Just because gyaru died as a big commercialized trend doesn't mean I have to stop or we have to stop being that. Yes it's a bit harder and discouraging a little admittedly, but I look forward to the challenges ahead. I can't wait until I find lots of people who perhaps still continue the style like I do-even years down from now. I can't wait to see the new era revive. I am optimistic!
Here goes the hair and make-up! First off the hair was PikaRin/Hikari Shiina (she is a Popteen model for those of you who don't know) inspired! Half up pigtails with curls and partly down! The glittery bow is a trade mark classicy 'ShibuHara Girl' thing to do considering that even Tsubasa herself used to rock over sized bows!
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