my gyaru philosophy...

 To avoid confusion I'm going to be really upfront about where I stand for future posts..

I have no problem with reiwa (the current era) gyaru versus heisei (the era in which most gal inspo comes from)! I support every era of gyaru so long as it's decided by the gals wearing it that it fits the definition of gal! I will always be open to updating my definition of gyaru as it evolves and respecting the generations to come (even when I have my favorites) 💖

...or people who want to be gal inspired but not actually gyaru! (so long as they don't claim to be gyaru when they're not actively putting the work in to be!)

This blog is simply about *becoming more gyaru* and *becoming better at gyaru* for the people serious about learning about & getting into it!

 I cannot pretend that taking every shortcut will create the looks you've been saving as inspo! I think that for most gal enthusiasts, if you're honest with yourself and know what makeup/tans/falsies etc look like, it's clear that the pictures we save are doing most if not all the core elements of gyaru! 

I also believe in the idea that the best way to fully commit to gal as a lifestyle (because it IS a lifestyle fashion more than many others) is to expose yourself to *reasonable* inspo as well as the more over the top looks you already love 💖 Sujimori and other extreme maintenance elements are not an everyday thing, even for Black Diamond sa-jin (gyarusa members) or Ageha models! 

It's important to keep perspective and build the basic skills & items up so that you can be a little bit gal when you can't fully dress up! ✨️

Your Black Diamond faves still have cute hair and coords when they're not doing photoshoots and PR ♡

It'll not only be easier to look gyaru by factoring that in, it will also help you wear gal more often vs only aspiring to the coords and hair that Japanese gals save for special events 😘 OTT gal is expensive! And often hard to psych yourself up for if you don't have places to wear it (笑)

With all that said, if your goal is to look like the gals you look up to most, it really *will* take a learning curve with a lot of makeup & saving for items you want.. and that shouldn't be a bad thing! Gyaru really is about commitment & labors of love 💖 

I think the quotes in the link below from various gal icons really sum up how I feel about all of this! (but please forgive that the original blogger's source us now private 😭)

GAL is...

This style realistically takes most beginners a year or two to build the right makeup skills in, as many of us came here without really wearing it before! 🤯 

And that's before we get into the cost of the right wardrobe (which will vary depending on factors like if you're thrifting, if you're buying gyaru brands, and if you're relying on inflated depop prices vs a shopping service to buy from japan).. and hair... and nails... and all the other things you're probably going to want in your ideal look! 🥲

You probably won't have a fully gal closet for a while! You'll instead need to transition your wardrobe over time as you're able 💖

That timeline given *also* expects that you're able to practice with the goal of improving regularly, and that you're trying to! Find an experienced gal you look up to and ask for constructive criticism! I promise it'll help so much to uncover areas to improve that you can't see yet 💖

But the prospect of this journey should be exciting & fun if you're serious about the style and want to do it long term, and not just for the hype while it's popular (笑) 

being able to say you worked hard at something you love, and got really good feels amazing!!

Of course I'm not telling you that you have to do *everything all the time* or that you have to dive into every single element from day one! That's part of why I shared my gal evolution before anything else! I want you to be able to see that the more elements of gal I've added, the better it's gotten! & also that I'm saying all of this from a place of having lived it! I really do believe in the core elements I'll be discussing here being the key to success!!💖 because gal is also a lifestyle fashion, the expectation is that you will stay connected to the style through other parts of your life and essence even on your lazy days!

We all have days we aren't wearing a full face of makeup, or can't be stressing about our hair and outfits. Of course you have to go to work appropriately for your job title and might not have time to do everything before school every day or with a child at home! But I think that any reasonable person already understands that! (笑) We should be honest with ourselves about whether our goal is to *be* gyaru or just dress up in it sometimes as well.

The reality is, the more we take away from the original context and elements of gal, the harder it is to be seen as a gal by others 💔 

 If you can't wear contacts, eyemake will be harder to achive the proper effect! If you can't wear gyaru brands, you're gonna have a harder time finding clothes and accessories that suit the style! But it IS possible to go without things like that if you're dedicated to the trial & error... and committed to taking a more critical approach to what you buy and how you style everything together! One of my goals here is to ease that process along too!

But... if you can't do most/any of the core elements, it might be good to ask yourself if this is truly the style for you?

 It's okay if it isn't! I'm not trying to judge anyone for enjoying something they dont participate in 💖 Maybe you just like the big eyes, or dressing a particular way! There's lots of ways for incorporate those things into your life that *don't have to be becoming gal* or can be gal inspired!

Ultimately the reason why older gen gals stress the history and core rules of gal is that they really *will* help you look more recognizable to other gals as part of the tribe! (Your ego skyrockets when someone spots you at the mall and asks if youre a gyaru! ww Or when a japanese gal follows you back because they think you're cute!) 

It also becomes difficult for us to help others learn what those rules even are, when they're always up for debate every time we try to discuss them... or when the gyaru tags are filled with random looks that arent gal from people *not even trying* the basic elements...

Gyaru is not just about being a cute girl! It's a very specific kind of cute (and sometimes intimidating 👽) with a lot of nuances! The confusion quickly becomes "I don't need anything but X to become gyaru!" ...and then we see newbies give up when they can't make heads or tails of how to do the style right, or take it badly when well-meaning gals offer advice that is only meant help them.. confusion about gyaru only leads to a weaker community and less gals 😭

 I promise we really do want to see everyone thrive in this style! To most of us who have been here a while, this style means so much on a personal level!! Many of us are drawn to gal because of our own experiences and the need to embrace parts of ourselves that we were told to shun or hide away 💔

 We know that it takes time and that everyone (including us) had some truly medicore or plain busted phases trying to get where we are today! (笑) We just don't want to see authentic gyaru die out or get lost in misinformation 💔 

I also feel very strongly that as foreigners to a japanese fashion, we have to be conscious of *Japanese gals'* definition of what gyaru looks like and honor it! We have access to interviews from famous gyaru all over youtube, plus magazines, blogs, and other amazing sources that should be our guide to what is and isn't gyaru! We want japanese gals to be able to take pride in going global, and not regret encouraging us 😭

When we debate amongst ourselves as outsiders about the standard for gyaru, instead of looking to the standard set by Japan, we wind up watering it down and losing authenticity 💔 We have to respect the style and its history, (which is so strongly tied to being worth losing your job prospects, family, and home even!) by doing it properly and with heart! We are guests in another country's fashion!!

I know that might sound cheesy, but that's the spirit behind gal to me ♡

All I ask is that you at least *try* the basic elements of the style if you're curious about the style for real, before dismissing them! You might be shocked at how much they help or how much you like them ✨️ If in the end something really doesn't work for you, the vet community is here to teach you how you can *compensate* for those missing pieces by amplifying other parts of your overall look! 🎉

I want to be positive and open to anyone who truly wants to become gal! But at the same time I need to be firm about certain things.. I hope everyone can understand 💖

If you aren't already aware of the style's history and want to learn, I suggest you start with these! Understanding the history us crucial to starting out so that you understand what the later styles evolved from!

 I'm trying to link multiple sources so that you can get different perspectives about everything!

https://neojaponisme.com/2012/02/28/the-history-of-the-gyaru-part-one/

https://neojaponisme.com/2012/05/08/the-history-of-the-gyaru-part-two/

https://neojaponisme.com/2012/06/06/the-history-of-the-gyaru-part-three/

https://sabukaru.online/articles/gyaru-revolution-yone-san-and-the-influence-of-egg-magazine

https://unseenjapan.com/gyaru-culture/

I also promise that not alllll of my entries here will be quite so long & heavy as the next couple!! It just doesn't feel right to discuss nuances of eye shapes and building up good coords when we haven't discussed the essentials in detail first! I'm going to be as transparent as possible about what elements make up gyaru so that we can properly break them down later 💖

Bye for now 💋