what makes a gyaru? part 2

 So... now that we've covered the makeup that goes into the look, your face is done, what else are you missing to become clearly undeniably gyaru? There's a lot more that goes into the final result!

Hair Color:

Gals pretty much always prioritize their hair as another indicator of their style! They have a huge range of natural tones that are all go-to's... But of course blonde is considered the quintessential gyaru color and will always be acceptable~

Caramel, auburn, chocolate, and other shades of red and brown are all amazing options featured in every gal magazine! You see these tones especially dominate in ageha, popteen, and nuts!

I'm sure we've all seen that split dyes, gradients, and just about every color in the rainbow are all options too! If you're bold enough to try them and your style suits the look, go for it 💖

What about really dark hair?

When the other elements are there and bold I think it can definitely work!! 

Models Sakurina and Romihi both look amazing here even if it's less instantly recognizable as gal 💖

however, I'm pretty sure models mostly only went dark to give their hair a break from all the bleach or because their magazine required it for an article! You do not see it very often 😅

Note that I personally feel that when you're pale, and you don't have a strong enough contour... it becomes a lot harder to recognize even gal models like Tsubasa and Nonoka (below) as gyaru 💔

Out of context, they could easily just be cute girls in another magazine from the eras gal influenced other mainstream styles 😅 Contouring and big eye makeup with lashes and lenses became popular over in Harajuku too, so those things alone don't necessarily scream gal without enough of the rest in place!

Going juuuust a bit lighter into brown hair territory, tanning a little, and keeping your brows light helps so much!

The most gyaru color you can choose is the one where you look best! 💖 I would just say that for most gals black is the least ideal color... and that you should consider what your hair color does for your skin tone and the contrast of your makeup ✨️You should also consider how well it goes with your wardrobe (ie doing bright blue with agejo may be wayyy more difficult than its worth)

Hair Style:

The golden rule of gyaru hair is VOLUME!!

Your hair should have some poof to it even when it's straight! If your hair tends to go flat, you should either use texturizing products or hairspray to help combat it ✨️

Your hair should also always appear *intentionally styled* more than frizzy, messy, or like a rat's nest (unless you're going for that manba vibe that's intentionally meant to scare people off) 😭😭 If your unstyled hair likes to run wild, I'm not saying you can't keep your natural texture.. but I am saying it will look way more cohesive if you can find the right products to keep it looking healthy and well maintained! Flyaways and damage are pretty much a gal's worst nightmare (笑) Protective hairstyles like braids and locs are fantastic for most gyaru styles if they suit your hair type 👍 you likely already know if that applies to you (笑)

Gyaru also tend to use extensions because bleaching your hair all the time can lead to fried, unhealthy hair that needs to get chopped off 😅 they're not necessary but they help to achieve length and volume that couldn't be possible otherwise! You can often spot extensions in inspo of straight styles if you really pay attention ww

As far as styles go, straight hair is always classic as long as you style it with volume added✨️ Straight gal hair should never mean flat or otherwise unstyled!

Gals don't need bangs, but they sure are cute! If you want to try them, make sure that when you section off hair for cutting them, it's in a triangle or v shape, and not a half circle! 

The cut is essential to them sweeping to the side properly & growing out into nice side bangs or curtain bangs if you ever want to change your look 😘 look at how the bangs are sectioned on the gals below!

Ponytails, twintails, and buns are also great options for cute looks 

Just about every variation of curls or waves is fantastic for gal 💖 it's the easiest way to elevate your look and the magazines are filled with both styles every issue ✨️

Short hair is also very doable 💖

It's usually kept around bob length, and still should be slightly layered! The right cut can go for a boyish gyaruo style or feminine curls!

The one exception to the volume rule is Ayame from Soul Sister! Shaved hair can be gal I guess, it's just.. really hard to pull off 😅 You have no way of adding volume to your hair without any, so you must double down with an intense makeup look if you're gonna try this 😬

My apprehension isn't that she looks bad at all! I think Ayame is super cool! 💖 It's only that I'm worried that beginners may struggle to successfully pull super short looks off until they have a strong foundation in the makeup!✨️It goes without saying that this look is for strong and bold styles only, and not typically for sweet ones like himekaji or agejo!

On the other end of the spectrum, sujimori is the most OTT gal hair styling you'll see... Usually gals want sujimori for seijin no hi (coming of age day in January), summer festivals while wearing yukata, because they're hostesses (or agejo trying to look like hostesses), or modern kuro gyaru (especially Black Diamond)

The "suji" in sujimori refers to the stripes of hair created by pulling the top layer of the look apart and arranging them intricately 🤠

Suji can be done on short or long hair!

It's extremely necessary to have a layered haircut for this style, with the shortest layer typically being cut at chin length 💖 you can't achieve the right volume and suji placement if its too long!

It's important to note that sujimori is most often *done in salons* and not at home by most gals themselves!! It's definitely a skill you can learn if you dedicate the time, but this is why I stress so hard that sujimori is an extreme OTT style! It is an OPTIONAL event style, and all types of gal already have good hair options that don't require it. 

I would start by learning curls and waves you can wear every day, before moving onto teasing your hair! and *then* try suji for the first time after you've built up experience w

There's so much freedom in the styling you can do... just have fun and make sure it looks like you did something to it and makes sense for your style! (笑)

Nails:

Gyaru nails can be any length as long as they're styled and cute 💖

Originally, nails were always fairly short and focused on DIY decoration and polish that could be done by gals at home!

Over time it became more common to go to salons instead, that either made custom acrylic sets or professionally made press-on nails suitable for gals!

Any style of nail art you can imagine works for gal, though we don't really see classic french tips? Most preferred styles use rhinestones, pearls, animal print, or other fun elements even on a "simple" set!

Even though they're amazing and the most associated with gal, XXL nails are inherently more at risk for breaks and may not be right for everyone... or their jobs! (笑) don't feel like you have to have super long nails if you work with your hands a lot, at a desk, or anything that that might make them a hindrance 💅🏽

Make sure that your nails are well cared for and polished in a flattering color, even if they're short✨️ The only nails that really *aren't* gyaru are neglected ones 💔

(Coming as someone who used to bite mine like the left picture above, I feel your pain if its hard to stop!! But throwing a solid wash of glitter on my nails and letting them extend past the finger even a little helped the look so much!! And once they're a good natural length, adding a little bit of deco to short nails helps them feel so much cuter and more satisfying 💖 Notice how much better each step of the progression looks!)

Tans:

Its important to note the history of tanning in gyaru, so that you have context for why its considered a basic element, before going any further! 

❌️Go back and read the links at the bottom of my philosophy post if you haven't yet!!❌️

While many original gyaru started off tanning a little to emulate j-pop legend Namie Amuro and overseas trends...  Japanese media jumped to spread exaggerated & negative images of gyaru as sex crazed, wild high schoolers... The news quickly blamed gyaru for the supposed boom of high schoolers participating in compensated dates (enjo kosai). Gals faced severe harassment and discrimination at home, at school, and even at work for simply looking gal. Those classic photos of gals sitting on the street to do their makeup and hair were sometimes because they couldn't do it at home, period! 

The phenomenon of o-gyaru (where the o is to indicate "dirty") stems directly from how many gals took to living on the streets during this time, and their lack of clean clothes and hygiene 💔 For many it was to prioritize how much mileage they got out of their tanning & hair appointments on a strict budget, or because they simply didn't have a home. However, this was often poked fun at and made to seem like they partied eternally to the point of not wanting to bathe...

Gals report being yelled at on the streets, have photos taken without their consent, TV episodes dedicated to mocking them viciously, and as an awful cherry on top had to deal with adult men coming onto them no matter their age 🤮

https://youtu.be/o6oW0XzmIL0

https://youtu.be/Y9bWJl7aQZs

All of this catalyzed the events to come:

Darker gal styles like gonguro, manba, and yamanba were all escalations in response to being told to quit tanning, and stop being "promiscuous and crazy" even for the girls who had never participated in anything like the stories the media kept pushing! They were told time and again by society to fit the rigid mold for Japanese women that insists "pale is ideal" and that good girls behave *quietly* and dress *modestly*. The more society pushed back the more rebellious gals became! It had the bonus effect of deterring unwanted advances from men who hoped they'd be as "easy" as the media portrayed 🫠 Men often complained that being too dark and wearing too much makeup made girls ugly (yikes), and gals saw this as a win! (笑) They would no longer be the coquettish and *slightly tanned* kogals that men & the media fetishized.

Many interviews with gals from the time assert that they felt being Japanese meant being "uncool" compared to the rest of the world, while to others it meant they couldn't have the freedom to dictate their own lives as they desired 💔 looking boldly different was escapism in many ways.. Instead of giving in to the pressure to quit, they turned to each other as a tribe and competed to outdo each other in the opposite direction ✨️ 

"Who's the darkest?'

"Who scares unwanted men away the most?" 

"Who has the loudest laugh?"

"Has anyone ever even seen her without makeup?"

The early gals treated becoming extreme as a flex, with the prospect of being noticed on the street for a shot in Egg magazine an extra incentive ✨️ If you were featured in street snaps enough, you might even become an exclusive model for the magazine! A job that tolerated gyaru was rare... but one that encouraged it? 🤯

This pushed girls to continue to outdo each other, and how you looked underneath the facade became sacred territory not to be shared with others for many gals ❌️ Anecdotes tell us that model Buriteri was even afraid to be seen without her gal makeup at sleepovers!

"Buriteri never showed her face without makeup. 'Even when we had a sleepover party,' said Mizuno, 'the only thing she would take off was her eyelashes. After a shower, she would spend two to three hours in the bathroom doing her makeup. We would bang on the door if we had to go pee.' To this Buriteri would shout back, 'I am to shy to show you my real face!' She said doing herself up like that was a tool to hide her true personality. She was actually really shy and inhibited."

-Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno  

I believe in keeping an open mind and trying to combat your own ethnocentrism (the idea that your culture is inherently correct and that anything outside of what you know must be "wrong") when discussing any unusual phenomenon in other countries, gal or not... But I'm also never going to claim that other POC can't feel uncomfortable with extreme tanning, or that it's even healthy (hello skin cancer!) It was 100% clumsy, and driven by teens who had mantras like "no future!" who lived for the moment and not the repercussions they might face later (or how others viewed them). Some gals clearly did want to look like their idealized version of other races as part of running from their identity.. Alba Rosa's clearly Hawaiian idolization is rampant with this; and the most infamous examples are B-kei and B-gyaru variants..

(I'm choosing to not show bgal because while we must admit that its a thing, I respect that it makes many black gyaru in the foreign community uncomfortable! There's plenty examples of what it is online for those unaware)

I've linked this interview with Yone-san before, but the section on tanning is important context here as well.

It's just impossible to separate gal from its history, & we can't change what happened. Yes, some examples of the style were appropriative and in bad taste. We can't just pretend like it didn't happen and sanitize the style to feel better. Revisionism stops us from being able to learn and grow! But by extension of that we must consider both why it all happened *and* how certain aspects make darker POC feel now... so that we can make an educated & empathetic decision for ourselves going forward.

It must also be said that looking like another specific race was not the goal behind many gyaru either! One of my Rose issues has a whole section on coords to emulate Paris Hilton! (笑) "Amekaji" brands like Cocolulu strived to live out an American surf culture that was cartoonishly bright and loud, where everyone eats hamburgers all the time and goes to the beach every day! Other gals just wanted to look like dolls (like banba: a word that combines Barbie with manba!) or from another planet entirely 👽 

Overall the style was seeking any escape they could from mainstream Japanese expectations, and gals wanted to get a rise out of those who hated them for being different. They thought that by looking radically different, they could gain the courage to act how they truly wanted and make change happen.

But despite the clumsiness of it all, for many gal enthusiasts the history of the tan is also why we love it so much 💖

 It feels freeing for a style to finally say "we love your dark skin!" and that darker is better, after being told your whole life that the opposite is the only way to exist. To even be *popular* in the style for it as well! The most loved gal models in Egg through most eras were the darkest! ✨️ Buriteri, Kaa~tan, Mipochi, and others kept the style alive and had fans eager to emulate them at every turn!

All of this is far more nuanced than I'm able to get into in this entry, and everyone is going to feel slightly differently or want to draw the line in a slightly different place based on their own experiences. I'm never going to claim to be the definitive answer on this aspect, & only want to provide background for people who don't have it yet. 

Back to the tans themselves... every style within gal can accommodate being more or less tan! Yes, even old school styles 💖

Though to be true to the intent of those older styles' rejection of social norms, it's probably going to be best to keep a light tan even if you don't want to tan heavily! 🌺 The makeup is particularly made for the contrast on tanned skin, so keep that in mind if you want to pursue old school as your full-time gal style ✨️

More modern iterations of gal (after kyabajo began to influence the style and it all broke into mainstream) are pretty much always accepting if you don't tan💖

There is no real rule to how tan or not you should be in japan, aside from that certain old gen gyarusa like Angeleek asked you to be "dark enough" to join, as proof of commitment to the style in spite of the consequences... its undeniable that *tan will always be more gyaru* than pale even if both are acceptable!

(You should definitely read the whole list of rules! It never ceases to crack me up ww)

It should go without saying that you should never tan darker than you're comfortable with, ever! nobody would ever ask you to do that! ❌️ A great rule of thumb is to use whatever level of tan you get from being out in the sun regularly as reference if you're unsure and want to try it👍

 As much as I love a good suntan, UV tanning outdoors or in tanning beds will always have an inherent risk for skin cancer depending on how much exposure you're getting and your family's medical history!!

Self tanners are a great way to achieve a light to medium tan (its really hard to fake bake so much that you go from a foundation's light shades to its dark ones! Ones with bronzer only temporarily look super dark as a guide of where tanner has been applied) that's perfect for gyaru and can be kept up at home a few times a week! That's probably the most ideal way to achieve your tan if you don't naturally have a color you're satisfied with 💖

You don't *have* to tan, but if you'd like to, gyaru will always encourage it! Just use your brain!! 🥲 And please be respectful about not making it a costume or caricature of other people's identities

trends for clothing & accessories:

Gyaru have always been trend conscious! It's another way to signal to other gals that you're committed to keeping up with the style, plus they're fun! 😆💕

Trends may revolve around substyle, as most years of gal had a specific look you could point to as the must try vibe! A great example of this is that through the agejo boom, other styles also borrowed agejo trends!✨️ Brands like d.i.a catered to suitable pieces for the style... (yup, you heard that right, one of these tops is d.i.a!)

and even completely different style brands like Ghost of Harlem took a glamorous turn to stay noticed! 💖

More subtle trends tended to take two forms:

Specific shapes, cuts, prints, etc would be consistent across brands for the duration of the trend, or would get featured in magazines so you'd know what to look out for that season✨️

Being aware of what most brands were doing would make the trends stand out even more too!

I'm borrowing these trend watch posts from the new defunct Universal Doll blog 💔 Mitsu used to have the best breakdowns 😭

Other overarching trends included the style of shoes worn, hair color, and even what eyelashes gals preferred! These trends tended to last for a while, like how pointed toes were extremely in vogue from 2006 through the agejo boom~

The other type of trend was specific "must have" items that gals of every style gravitated towards that season!

When I tell you this choker was EVERYWHERE I'm not joking! ww

This Lipservice dress was also in just about every magazine I read from when it came out~

I highly recommend looking for trends within the style of gal you like most, and determining which suit your style best! Being able to spot trends will also help you thrift offbrand items more effectively!

brands that scream luxury:

Designer brands were one of the first elements of the initial gal boom! It all started with short uniform skirts, a golden tan, a Burberry nova check scarf, and a dream (笑)

Gal was pioneered by coddled rich girls who wanted to be trendy in a global way, and part of flaunting their wealth was to put brand labels front and center ✨️ they notoriously loved wearing Burberry scarves with their uniforms so that they'd be able to show off at school too 🤯

The later influence from kyabajo (hostesses working at cabaret clubs) also contributed to the designer addiction for gals, as gifts from customers & being successful at their competitive job lined their closets with evidence of their desirability ✨️ Being able to flaunt as a kyabajo effectively told competition and customers that they were worth their price~

Its been a staple no matter the gal era to show off a bit ever since! You'll often see models posting their latest buys on their blogs and even instagrams to this day~

Designer spotted on the street warranted a whole page in Egg! And this wasn't remotely the only article ww

My old nuts issues have tons of spreads dedicated to the latest bags of the season!

Gals even go out of their way to sneak their LV bags into photos 😆

Sometimes they opt for a subtle flash of a logo hidden within their coord...

...anddd sometimes they choose the least covert options possible (笑)

I'm not AT ALL saying you need designer items to be gal! They're just undeniably something important to many gals!! I honestly suspect a lot of gals buy knockoffs to get the look more accessibly too 🤫

IF you wanted to play into the hype, a good quality vintage/thrifted leather bag is a great place to start! They don't fall apart on you like cheaper bags and can last a lifetime, as long as you care for them 👍 Coach, Betsey Johnson, Kate Spade, and Michael Kors are all generally regarded as great gateway labels 💖

Just don't forget that Gal was quickly taken up by poorer girls, including other types of delinquents who wanted to be rebellious in a feminine way! As said above, it wasn't unheard of for them to be kicked out by their parents and wind up on the street if they wouldn't give the style up 💔 While the origins were luxe, the majority of gal history has been about *accessible* and *easily replicated* styles so long as you understand the elements behind the look! These days the fashion is for everyone regardless of their financial status, and I don't want that to be lost by talking about the expensive side of things!

This also leads us to the real goldmine as far as we're concerned...

gyaru brands:

So.. what makes a brand gyaru?

*a brand that gyaru wear often

*follows trends gals are wearing at the time

*featured in gyaru magazines

*been in Shibuya 109

The more points the brand has, the better!

For example, Sexpot Revenge is sometimes featured in gal magazines and worn by rokku gals like Amihamu from ageha... But it was never in Shibuya 109, didn't follow gyaru trends (its generally seen as a vkei brand!), and was rarely if ever center stage in gyaru magazines 💔 Of course, you can still wear Sexpot! There's just certainly more gyaru brands for a punk look (ie Ghost of Harlem)!

In contrast, Egoist was in gyaru magazines since the ganguro days, worn by models, was in Shibuya 109, and follows gyaru trends to this very day! It still exists, and their current brand director Hana has a kickass personal style I can't get enough of 💖

Every era and style within gal has its favorite brands! Yes, BRAND*S*, as in there will always be multiple great choices for any look you want! Some of the most famous are d.i.a, ma*rs, and alba rosa 💖 But there's so many more to explore aside from these!

Doing some exploration on your own will help you find more brands than most lists have the time to share ✨️So how do you find brands to check out? Ideally it'll be a combination of things from your research!

*look at tagged brands on posts of coords you love!

*read ameblo blogs from your favorite Japanese gals!

*look at magazine scans for featured brands, they'll have ads, as well as sponsored pages and often lists of what was worn in street snaps!

*look for other resources on gyaru, especially older ones from the heyday of the foreign gal community! They often have tons of resources readily available and can be great alternative places to learn in addition to what I post!

*look at haul posts

*look for logos on your favorite inspo pics! Many brands love to hide their name in graphics and prints ✨️

*look for what tags are used to describe the item on mercari.jp! for example, "ピンク系" can be helpful for pink & feminine styles

*look for lists of brands in 109 through the years! Not all will be gyaru brands but they'll often have good picks!

Go back and peep the other brands hiding in the Egoist examples above as an exercise 💖

Incorporating multiple gyaru brands into your closet will help elevate your look! There's an allure to having an amazing piece that nobody recognizes, but they all wish they did! 💖 It was also extremely rare for coords in gal magazines to use only one brand! That was often reserved for spreads advertising that brand, while coords on the street loved to flex their ability to find and style something nobody else had noticed yet! ✨️

Look at how many brands Tsubasa wore here!! Many are often listed in English too ✨️

Looking at multiple brands also helps you narrow down your personal style better, as brands within the same style can have totally different vibes! 💖

Gals wearing Jesus Diamante & La Pafait have very different vibes despite being in the same substyle! JD is usually more elegant and mature with crisp lines, and LP looks youthful, cozy, and soft in style!

"What if I can't fit into gal brands?"

A lot of bottoms from gal brands don't fit me, so I tend to modify them or look for ones with stretch 💔 I do understand how frustrating it can be!

A lot of mid size gals on my feed are able to find items that stretch enough for them! It's always worth finding gals that look like you for inspo! There's also gal brands that do carry a wide range of sizes like Yumetenbo, and if you're lucky in your hunt, ma*rs' briefly lived Deluxe line!

I would also say that even if you have to thrift the main clothes in your outfit, that doesn't have to stop you from using accessories, purses, and other items from gal brands that fit everyone!

Researching brands and keeping an open mind while shopping can only help you become a more well rounded gal! 💖

a "gal mind":

I purposefully put this one last, because even though it's an important aspect of gyaru, without actually doing the makeup and other elements nobody is going to recognize you as gal 💔 It's a hard truth, but how could they if its all in your head? I'm also going to assume that if you want to be gal, you want to be one that other gals recognize as one (笑)

So what is a "gal mind" anyway?

Let's go back to some quotes from Yone-san for perspective:

"Normally people who didn’t care about their surroundings would be the target of bullying. But gyaru were the first people who stood out on purpose, and didn’t care that they were different. Instead of getting bullied, they would be the subject of admiration and make people say, “woah, isn’t that person kind of cool?” even though they were different. It was the first time this kind of thing happened, ever."

"For 23 years, I was the editor of a letter column in Nicola, a magazine for middle schoolers, and during that time there was a reader that wrote in, “When I dress up like a gyaru girl, I am able to rebel against my mom. If I dressed in normal clothes, I had to listen to my mom. So from now on, I’m going to become a gyaru.” I replied, “Why is that?” and they said, “Because then I can say no to my mom.” Japanese people think that if they change their outside appearance, their inner self and personality changes too."

"The original gyaru didn’t wear mini skirts to attract men - they wore them simply because they wanted to. It was almost like chima’s uniforms and something unique only to them."

"real Gyaru culture isn’t about how one looks or dresses, but rather a mentality."

"gyaru found their own pastimes and searched for fun things to do themselves, instead of waiting for fun to come to them"

"The people who call themselves gyaru nowadays dress to impress men, so in my opinion they aren’t really embodying true gyaru culture"

"the media used or exploited the original gyaru and turned gyaru style into a “sexy, erotic” style. This is also when hostess/bar-girls started dressing like gyaru, making the culture into a costume"

-Yasumasu Yonehara (ex. Egg founder)

It's worth noting here that hostesses and other "ero" styles of gal have become synonymous with the style and are considered by many to still qualify! Nobody would argue that sexy items from d.i.a or ma*rs aren't gal! But questioning your motivations behind the style is always important 💖

Here's some other quotes to consider 💖

“Girls who, without caring what others think of them, try on the clothes they like, explore their style and develop their own personality that way. That’s what I think gal is about! For example there are lots of girls who change their looks and aura completely over the duration of only one year. When I see these transformations, I come to think that gal fashion can express people’s spirit and hearts very well. It reflects a lot of different things. You think “I want to become like this,” and through fashion you can search for your real self. “Today I want to be different than ever before!” – I think that is the challenge that builds character. I still think of my present self as 100% gal!” 

- Mai Hirose (ex. Popteen model)

“True gals didn’t care what anyone thought them. They did what they wanted to, and they wore what they wanted to.”

— Sayumi Gunji (ex.ViVi Editor)

“Being gyaru means I have a place where I belong.”

-Kyon (Angeleek member)

From these and other quotes about the OG gyaru, my takeaway is that a gal mind means dressing for yourself and other girls in your community, and to use the facade as a stepping stone towards standing up for yourself and what you want! You shouldn't let how others feel choose your life for you.✨️ Gal is being bold and unapologetic for existing in ways you like... and forging your own path to live a fun existence even when one doesn't clearly exist for you! 🌺

To me, personally, becoming gyaru meant knowing eyes were on me and that showing how unhappy I was would only be that much more obvious... but gals are supposed to be happy and bright, so I should radiate that too! If I could find a way to laugh in spite of the harassment at school and home, then I was doing something to change my life for the better 💖 I used this mask as a crutch until it became actual positivity, and then over time it became second nature ✨️ Some of my gal friends from back then are still my closest friends to this day and I wouldn't trade that for anything 🥹💕

I wanted to become the easygoing girl who didn't care if her family hated how she looked and acted (because I didn't agree with their plans for me anyway!) while finally putting my happiness first 🌺 If I thought I love it, shouldn't that be enough? I was going to become like the cool gals I envied and looked up to no matter what!

Do some soul searching, it might take a while to understand the right mindset for you! 

But giving yourself a purpose behind gyaru is one of the best things you can do on your journey 💖

Some food for thought to wrap this loooong segment up:

How do we know the girl in pink is gal if we ignore the gals around her and imagine her outside of Japan? Would brightly colored hair, a tan, and a sweatshirt automatically make you think gyaru? 🤔 Probably not if you're in America!

Egg model Yun on an errand day w

Would you assume she was gal if you couldn't see her tan, hair, and nails all visible at once? Does this match up to the inspo you save to look back on and emulate?

How about this gal? She's undeniably wearing d.i.a with circle lenses and even has a nose contour going, but do you think that this is the version of herself she presents on her socials? If her coord wasn't clearly d.i.a, would you still know she was gal right away?

The point I'm trying to make is that they all have clear gyaru elements despite the core aspects of the makeup being absent or hidden! 

This helps them stay recognizable to us, but that we *also* know from gals themselves that without the makeup, these elements aren't enough to be truly gyaru. In countries outside of japan especially, bleached/dyed hair and skin tone by themselves don't signal anything gal-related in particular! 💔

Instead, we should see pictures like these as a way of incorporating gyaru into our daily looks even on days we can't go all out! If you've decided to commit to the lifestyle, having gal elements beyond the makeup can help you feel connected to the style even on your off days! 

As hinted at by the name of this blog, my goal is to help you see & learn how to become the most gal you can be in a wearable and sustainable for every day way!

Taking the steps into becoming a lifestyle gyaru in mind & body (over someone who only dresses up as a gal) expands even past these elements and I can't wait to cover more of gal culture with you later 💖 But for now, incorporating these elements into your wardrobe will help you skyrocket into even more gyaru territory ✨️

until next time 💋