Main components of Gal/Gyaru:
The origins of gyaru are attributed to many things, however what is most often credited for the gyaru boom is the Bubble Economy era. During the Bubble Economy, party culture exploded and what came out was the Bodikon Gal. The Bodikon Gal abadoned the stereotypical jet black and pale skin image and opted for tan skin and "tea" colored hair. If you take a look at older issues of gal magazines such as Egg, you will often see such a hair color. Bodikon Gals were free, fun, and fierce. Before the gyaru, the Bodikon Gals were the rebellious young women of Japan. Bodikon planted a seed in the minds of many young Japanese women. Many teen girls, who wanted to emulate the glamour and sexiness of these women began to copy their style. These girls would become the first Kogals. Kogal merged the innocent image of schoogirls with the sexiness and glamour of Bodikon and were seen as a symbol of moral decay. While many still maintained the typical "tea" color, most opted for shades of blonde in immitation of artists like Namie Amuro and Ayumi Hamasaki. They shortened their skirts, wore loose socks, penny loafers, and baggy cardigans and sweatervests with their school uniforms.
As time went on, the style became more extreme. They wore very high platforms, favored designer brands, and tropical accesories. These were the first Gyaru as we know them today. Popular motifs and accesories included hibiscus flowers, large platform sandals and boots, bell bottoms, and Hello Kitty. Many went to tanning salons but some took the tanning to the next level, creating Ganguro.
The Ganguro style is credited to the a gyarusa, or gal circle called Ganguro-san Kyoudai WithU, most famously Buriteri. Her appearance on the March 2000 cover of Egg became their best selling issue. They are credited for pioneering the Ganguro style which went on to influence many other styles like Manba.
Gal overall, but especially in these early years, was heavily influenced by American Black Culture. In many early gal magazines, you'll see many gyaru sporting clothes similar to that you'd see in black fashion, and even a few with braids and curly perms. This gave birth to substyles like Rasuta Gyaru and B-gal, although these are some of the most controversial styles other than Ganguro and Manba. It is to be noted that Ganguro and Manba weren't originally considered to be "gal" but were included in gal magazines because they were still considered to be in the same "genre" as gal. This became convoluted when media coverage used the terms interchangably.
Throughout the 2000s, the gyaru lost the high platforms and toned down the tropical imagery but still maintain a distintive style with more emphasis on western influence and glamour. Gal magazines featured many American celebrities such as Beyonce, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton. Towards the tail-end of the 2000s, cuteness was becoming increasingly important in the style, and sexiness was begining to take its place back. This is where Hime, Tsuyome, and Agejo come in. Hime Gyaru is a very dramatic style, featuring giant hair, extremely cartoony makeup, and very princesss-like clothing. As you may have guessed, Hime Gyaru is cartoony caricature of a european princess. Tsuyome meanwhile, much more edgier and sexier. Like Hime Gyaru, Tsuyome also features dramatic makeup and giant hair. However, Tsuyome is much more causal. A typical Tsuyome outfit usually features a cute top, often with a cheetah, leopard, or zebra print element, some short shorts or skirt, boots or sandals, fuzzy legwarmers, and the most iconic of all, a D.I.A belt. D.I.A was one of the most iconic gal brands for the edgier styles. Like Hime and Tsuyome, Agejo is both cute and sexy. The most common color schemes in Agejo are pink and black, with the ocasional appearance of purple, red, and white. The most commmon motifs were bows, thigh-high boots and socks, short skirts and shorts, and extravagently decorated heels with giant bows and roses at the front. Agejo became a very popular style with hostesses and became associated with the industry. A good example is the movie "A Girl's Life". Although most examples of these styles you'll see online are quite fantastic, there are plenty of examples of Agejo and Tsuyome which are much more toned down and casual.
Other substyles not mentioned:
List of general gyaru activites:
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