Monday Playlist: Yababababa

 

Today's tracklist features (primarily female) Japanese rappers and hip-hop artists. They are either explicitly singing about gyaru, are gyaru themselves, or the song reflects the spirit of being wild and sexy. 

The title of this playlist is derived from relatively recent gyaru-go. It's a play on the very versatile Japanese word "yabai" which can mean anything from terrible to amazing to "omg." It's not uncommon for "yabai" to be shortened to "yaba," and now, gyaru (in our infinite wisdom) have added extra "ba's." It's cute and fun to say. 

やばばばばばば ( ✧Д✧)

letter from the editor: body image

Rafael Lanfranco

Dear reader,

This post is a bit weird. I'm unsure if I'm settled on the format (that is, this "letter from the editor" style), but, goddammit, this is my blog, I'm a star, and I can do what I want. 

I'm delighted with the direction my blog's taken and the stuff I've been posting. I'm proud of it. Nevertheless, I've begun to feel like an outsider looking in. An anthropologist studying a group rather than participating in it. Granted, I'm still a "practicing" gyaru in everyday life, but I haven't documented it. I haven't posted pictures of my coordinates or even myself with friends in diary entries. I want to. Desperately. But recently, I've been feeling down about my body. 

It's a number of things. I am 28 years old now, and my body has naturally changed since my early twenties. I also stopped taking birth control for the first time in 13 years, which has resulted in bloating, breakouts, and overall dissatisfaction with my body. I'm sure this is a temporary feeling (as most emotions are), but it's liberating to talk about. Even if I'm just yapping into the ether. 

I don't want it to stop me. If anything, this'll be a good chance to practice some self-grace, self-patience, self-love. All those good things. 

In times of doubt, I remember a passage from one of Carrie Fisher's memoirs, in which she discusses how insecure she was in her youth (particularly regarding her body image) but how, as she grew older, she came to cherish and respect her younger self. And you know what Carrie was like, so she framed it in that irreverent, self-deprecatingly funny way of hers, effectively chastising young Carrie for ever being so self-critical. 

I bet I'll feel the same in a couple of decades. But in the moment, it's harder to remember. 

I know you're asking why I'm telling you all this. To be completely honest, I don't know. I think I'm saying it to myself. This blog is essentially a love letter to me. By that logic, I am the object of my own affection. Therefore, I should treat myself and my body as a lover would. 

I'll try to keep that in mind from now on. You should, too. 

All my love,

Lexie 

( > 〰 < )♡

dear diary: 10/11/24

This afternoon, I went to a super cute Angel Blue pop-up in Ginza. It was based on the whimsy and nostalgia of a childhood bedroom, namely one from the Heisei era. 

The artist, Yamashita Mero, did a beautiful job dressing the set and making it feel lived-in. 


It was a true feast for the eyes. Although it wasn't a very big space, I spent a while soaking it all in. 


That cat photo is hilarious. Why does its eyes look like that? I also wonder if that's someone in the art department's actual childhood cat. I bet it is. 


I immediately clocked the Furby and the Fueki glue boy. I recently got into Fueki when I saw that my local stationary mise had a bunch of random Fueki goods, like stickers, tear-off tabs, and lip balm

He looks so dumb, and I love him so much. 


I kind of freaked out when I saw the Baby Lips. I didn't know that was also a 2000s-thing in Japan. 


As an art director, I wish I could sit down with Yamashita and pick his brain. I wanna know where he sourced everything. Mercari... maybe?



After the pop-up, I wandered around Ginza for a while. The pop-up took place on the eighth floor of the Yurakucho Marui, a posh department store in Chiyoda. I love Japanese department stores; they are so clean and well-organized. Walking around one (especially during a low-traffic time) helps me clear my head. 

Eventually, I stopped in a bookstore and picked up some Jojo manga for a friend's birthday. (She doesn't read this blog, so I should be safe...) ( ̄b ̄;)


I then had lunch at an oyster bar. Let me tell you, one glass of red wine and a fresh Hokkaido oyster later, and I was living it up. Loving life. In the words of Matthew Wilder, nothin' gonna break my stride. (See: foreshadowing)


While making my way to the underground, I totally ate shit. Stride: broken. I was texting and walking simultaneously (I'm dumb) and wearing my Big Girl platforms, a recipe for disaster. I rounded a corner and tripped. Some Ojiisan 100% saw my underwear. For free. 

I'm physically fine, but it was embarrassing. I used to dislike the Tokyoite tendency to ignore everyone around you (even when someone trips and kisses the pavement), but I was grateful in this case. Shout out to everyone at that intersection who pretended that nothing happened. I love you.


Before heading to Ginza, I went to the Starbucks in my neighborhood. (Hi, nonlinear timeline. Who am I? Christopher Nolan?) 

I'm not sure why this is, but once I've put on my outfit and finished my makeup, I have to leave the house. Like... right away. Even if my plans aren't until later, I'd rather wait it out at a coffee shop than mope around my house in my going-out clothes. I don't know why, but it makes me feel like a ghost. Like I'm haunting my own apartment. If I'm at home, I gotta be in my pajamas. That's just the way it is. 

For an hour, I nursed an iced tea and worked on this short story about a gyaru and a Jirai Kei girlie who are best friends. I'm hoping to post it on this blog when it's finished. 


I'm going out for tacos and cocktails with a friend now. I'll talk to you later!


Later...

I'm home. I just now realized that I only took pictures of my drinks... (≖ᴗ≖ ✿)

After tacos (which were delicious), we went to a bar that does cocktails based on movies. You can also bring up a random movie that's not on the menu, and if the bartender knows it, he'll concoct a drink on the spot. 

I asked for a cocktail based on Paprika by Satoshi Kon. This is what the bartender came up with:


The hearts on top were pepperminty. They tasted a bit like York Peppermint Patties. The other cocktails I got were based on Blade Runner and Chungking Express. This was my second visit, and the drinks were even better this time around. Well... the first time, I got a cocktail based on John Carpenter's Halloween, and it came with a knife. That's pretty hard to beat. 

OK, I'm off now. I'm sleepy. And by the looks of it, I'll be in bed before 12. How nice. 

Shibuya 109: The Rise and Fall of Gyaru’s Holy Land


Located across the street from Shibuya station, Shibuya 109 (or Marukyu) is the kitschy cylindrical landmark of Dogenzaka. As I emerge from the metro exit, I see it right away. It’s hard to miss. Its metallic silver panels sparkle in the morning sun. Even on a Wednesday, it’s crowded. I push through clusters of meandering tourists, gawking at the city through the lenses of iPhone cameras. Salarymen hurry across the junction in their navy suits. It’s early, but there’s a cacophony of noise: the bird-like trill of crosswalks, rumbling black taxis, J-pop coming from God knows where, and advertisements for some new Netflix anime blaring from giant monitors.

I duck under the shade of Marukyu's entryway, passing fashionable young women wearing crimson eyeshadow and ink-black twin tails. They’re carrying shopping bags from Rojita and Ma*rs, two Marukyu-housed labels catering to Jirai Kei, a darker version of Girly Kei with subcultural roots in the edgy teens of Kabukicho. Opposite, people rush in and out of smaller alleyways, leading to more shops, cafes, and izakayas. These streets are the district’s arteries, and 109 is the heart.

Such department stores are located everywhere, but Marukyu is more than a shopping destination; it's a cultural icon. In fact, its visionary architect, Minoru Takeyama, aimed to create a “fashion community” that stood out among its contemporaries. It did not take off immediately. That’s not to say it wasn't profitable, but it didn't become the cultural touchstone it is today until the gyaru boom of the 1990s.

This is where my own love story with Marukyu begins.

My introduction to gyaru was through the ultra-cool, ulta-reverent subculture magazine Egg. I recall being drawn in by those depictions of the rough and raw early years of gyaru when Ganguros — with their bleached hair, tan skin, and white circles around their eyes — prowled the streets of Shibuya in packs. I wanted to know them. Be them. They were mostly middle-class teenage girls who teetered on mega-high platforms and wore colorful, often provocative clothing. It didn’t take me long to learn that these clothes were purchased at Marukyu.

I was born in 1996. By the time I became aware of gyaru fashion, the Ganguro peak had long died. I missed the party by a good 25 years. I am reminded of this as I walk inside Marukyu today, in 2024.

It’s beautiful and bright. The first floor carries garments in conservative shades of off-white, oatmeal beige, and charcoal-black. It’s not all neutrals: dusty pinks and faded lavenders stand out among the achromic fray. Past the clothing stores, there are sleek counters of international cosmetic brands, natural-looking colored contacts, and girly bejeweled purses. A quote from Kate Klippensteen’s 2000 book Ganguro Girls comes to mind as I take the escalator up: “An extended walk through [Shibuya 109]… is dazzling, as in the way a circus may be.” This couldn't be further from the truth now, as Marukyu resembles more of a NewJeans music video than a circus. Given K-pop’s stronghold on Japanese fashion over the last decade, I assume it’s intentional.

As I take minced steps—I’m wearing my tallest Ganguro platforms—around the second floor, a strange feeling strikes me that is too complex to be sadness. I feel like I missed out on something significant. It’s painful, but it’s tender. It's nostalgia for a time I never experienced. But I'm old enough to check myself and this false notion of cultural (or subcultural, as it were) excellence. That which seemed golden and mythic was not without its shortcomings. And yet the feeling persists. I’ve been to 109 with Japanese friends who, like me, are nearing the end of their 20s. They lament how different this Marukyu looks from the Marukyu of their teens. It’s all a little surreal.

At the height of ganguro, the fashion emporium was brimming with vibrant and coveted labels like Egoist, Alba Rosa, Kapalua, Cecil McBee, Pinky Girls, Coco Bongo, Sneep Dip, Love Pets, and Jassie. Only Egoist remains, although it is nearly unrecognizable from the Egoist of the 1990s.

From the sheer amount of content I’ve consumed on Marukyu at its peak, it’s easy to imagine what it must’ve looked like in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. It’s the circus of Kilppensteen’s memory. Flashy vinyl shopping bags bear the names of sought-after brands, making just as much of a fashion statement as the garments they contain. The girls have tan faces and white-painted lips surrounded by a stiff tangle of blonde, silver, or orange hair, their eyes powdered in blacks and blues like a bruise—but it’s cool. It’s sexy. White highlights their aegyo sal (the pocket of fat directly under the eye) and brow bones. They purchase wooden platform sandals from Idol (stylized with a red heart for an 'O') for a reasonable 7,600 yen. It’s a hangout spot and a place to spend birthday money all in one. The stores are a museum of plastic bangles, neon-colored capris, lemon yellow bra and panty sets, floppy hats and denim jackets, 60s style baby doll dresses, and knee-length skirts with tropical, silk-printed motifs. In the words of Penny Lane, “It’s all happening,” and it’s happening here.

It’s the present day, and I'm making my way up 109’s eight-floor spiral in silent contemplation. I'm oscillating between two time periods. Then and now. Now: there’s a campaign going on, which is par for the course for the department store. It’s the Kawaii Omiyage promotion. I grab one of the fliers. The advertising features two bronzed and toned models styled as gyaru, a tribute to Marukyu's past clientele—a clientele they no longer serve.

I've come to Marukyu several times in a short period in preparation for this article. I'm sure the staff are curious—probably not. They are hard to read because they are true pros of retail, unwilling to allow negativity to mar their perfectly done-up features. They smile; they say “irasshaimase” in practiced, drawn-out tones. Each employee embodies the aesthetic values of the store they work for. They look like they belong on a film set. Beautiful walking mannequins.

As I check out at Moussy (a store produced by former Egoist staffer and gyaru model Morimoto Yoko), where I am purchasing a shirt from the campaign, I notice a QR code at the counter that links to a shop clerk’s Instagram profile. In a way, it reminds me of the カリスマ店員 (or charismatic sales clerk) phenomena of the mid-90s, a contributor to the deification of Marukyu as a place — no, THE place — where gyaru went to worship.

Well, it’s comparable, and yet nothing like it. It’s a time that could never happen again.

Kita Shozo, Marukyu's previous PR manager and editor at Tokyo Street News, most likely coined the term "charismatic sales clerk" sometime before 1999. Kita and his team built the image of the charismatic clerk from the ground up, handpicking girls to appear in magazines and on television. These appearances contributed to the charismatic clerks’ prominence in Japanese pop culture. These young women became icons among gyaru.

Teenage girls would buy whatever clothes the clerks wore, so they were instructed to change outfits several times a day. The teens copied their hairstyles, their preferences in jewelry (gold or silver?), and even the placement of their piercings. If the clerks were seen on the streets of Shibuya, high school girls would squeal with delight as if they were meeting a famous idol. Kita and his colleagues ensured that the clerks provided detailed tutorials on how they style their hair and apply their make-up in the magazines they featured in, most notably a 1999 edition of GalsUp! solely centered on Marukyu's charismatic clerks.

Morimoto Yoko (who appeared in countless fashion serials as an Egoist staff member) was hesitant to receive a 1999 award for her role as a charismatic store clerk due to how much Kita orchestrated the concept's success. She didn't feel responsible. I’d beg to differ. In spite of the significant backstage involvement of Marukyu’s suits’, the young women (the staffers and customers alike) drove fashion and cultural trends. They still do.

I’ve reached the summit. Well, sort of. The eighth floor houses a kimono rental and a hair salon, neither of which I need. So, for me, the seventh is the pinnacle. A store called Spinns sells tan, Ganguro-looking Hello Kitty merchandise and even has some vintage Egg mags on display. While Marukyu is no longer a place for Ganguro, their presence is still felt. There's an echo. I can feel it all around me as I take an extended walk through this historic structure.

In Kubo Yuka's exceptional book, The Last Moments of the Ganguro Tribe: A Study of Gyaru Culture, Kubo speaks to a former Yamanba gyaru (a more garish extension of ganguro that emerged around the same time) and asks her why she believes the trend died out. The former Yamanba, Yuko-san, astutely remarks, “Until then, by putting on nice makeup, wearing expensive clothes, going to Shibuya every day… you could make good connections, get featured in the media, and get work. But since the Internet came along, everyone just thought it was enough to dress interestingly, take good photos, and get compliments from their friends online. Everything became superficial.”

It feels almost gauche to blame everything on the Internet, but there is a link. According to Kubo, ganguro disappeared from Shibuya in 2008. The first iPhone debuted in 2007.

The ganguro may be gone, but gyaru remains, largely thanks to the resurgence of interest in Y2K and Heisei-era aesthetics. It’s not uncommon to scroll through Instagram’s gyaru tag and see young people imitating the appearance of old-school gals. It’s virtually impossible to tell who’s wearing it as a costume and who is an “actual” gyaru. I’m not sure if it matters. Around 2022, coinciding with the release of softboiledegg's song, "Gal is Mind," the term「マインドギャル」 (or mind gal) became a popular concept. It denotes the idea that one can be gyaru even if they lack the look, which is a contentious idea and hotly debated within the gaijin (foreigner) gyaru community.

Egg magazine still exists, though it’s decidedly less cool and reverent. The models are “gyaru talent” and take Shein sponsorships. It’s a new age, but the past is ever-present. As I look at the latest crop of gyaru influencers, I recall a quote Morimoto Yoko gave to the online news publication Yomiuri in 2023. When her workday at Egoist was over, she would take off her wig and platform boots, sneak out the back, and go home discretely. “I was a ‘business gyaru,’ I guess,” she said.

Perhaps it was always about business. Shibuya 109 is, first and foremost, a business operated by a subsidiary of the Tokyu Corporation.

Despite its origins in rebellion, gyaru, like most popular subcultures, includes elements of mass production. Kate Klippensteen nailed it when she described gyaru as a "conformist society within the conformist society at large," followed by an even truer statement: “[And yet,] they have made the choice not to follow the pack.”

make: my super easy daily ganguro eye look

These days, I've been doing my make like a mid-to-late 90s ganguro. I love it. I think the blue shadow compliments my orange hair, and it makes me feel super gyaru. Even more gyaru than I did when I used to do a tarume (droop).  

I wear this look almost every day, altering it slightly depending on the occasion. Sometimes I don't wear lashes. Sometimes I buff the shadow out for a more "subtle" look. But this is, more or less, my most recent daily gyaru eye make.  

I am pretty amateur at makeup application (even after about 25 years of doing it...), so I'm sure there are more efficient methods of accomplishing this, but this is how I do it.

行こう〜!─=≡Σ((( つ•̀ω•́)つ

What I use:


  • Lashes
  • Blue cream eyeshadow stick 
  • Eyeshadow palette with blue shadows
  • White shadow
  • Mascara
  • Eyelash curler
  • White cream liner (I use the Kryolan TV paintstick in white) 
  • Liquid eyeliner
  • Creamy pencil liner 

Step one: do your usual base.


Step two: put your desired blue shade on the lid. I try to keep it restricted to just the lid as much as possible. I try to do a more rounded shape, without pulling it outwards. 



Step three: I like to "set" the cream shadow with a powder, and in this case, I used a blue eyeshadow that's a bit darker than the original stick. I have a couple of blue shadows, and I'll alternate which I use depending on my mood or if I want to color-match with my coordinate. 



Step four: Do a reverse raccoon eye with white! I know this looks a little crazy, but come along with me on this journey. I've noticed that many ganguro girlies have a preference as to where they place the white shadow (although the white on your aegyo sal is a must), but this is how I've been doing it lately. 


Step five: Buff out and "set" the cream white with a white powdered shadow. This is where the most blending takes place. However, try not to mix the blue and white too much lest it look muddled and grey. 


Step six: Line your eyes! I personally use brown, as I think it suits me better, but black is also a great option. I tight line with a creamy brown pencil liner and then do the top liner with a liquid. 


Step seven: Mascara. I won't lie to you: I use a lot of mascara. A lot. At the end of the day, when I take all of it off, my eyes are basically big black holes. 



Sexy, ね?


Step eight: Lashes! These are my favorite lashes. I used to use them religiously when I did more 2010s-era gyaru eye looks, but nowadays, I switch between these spikey ones and some more fluffy ones from Diamond Lash. 






Finished!


With a white lip...


I actually don't usually do a white lip. This is just for funsies. (I'm not sure it suits me?) Typically, I'll just add a lip balm or do a frosted or nude lipstick. 

(˶  >   ₃  < ˶)♡ 

dear dairy: 10/8/24

4:53 PM 

It's raining today. I visited a friend in the hospital this afternoon, so I can't think of a more suitable weather for the occasion. Anything less than grey and gloomy would be sort of... mocking. 

A 90s J-drama called Beach Boys was playing on the TV in the hospital room. And in the most Valley Girl (or Valley gal?) tone possible: the lead characters are, like..... totally hot. 

My friend and I decided to have a Beach Boys marathon when she gets discharged. 

I left her to rest and am currently writing this from a nearby cafe. I had to travel about an hour to get to the hospital, which isn't that long in the grand Tokyo scheme, but I thought I ought to check out some of the local sites. I'd never been to this part of the city before. 

By local sites, I almost exclusively mean the ginza and whatever cafe I wander into. Today, it's a cafe with a black cat as its logo. Oh! I also went to one of those gachapon halls and got some Tamagotchi rings. 

I'm feeling a little worn down. I recently decided to stop using birth control after 13 years of taking it. Every day since has felt a bit like a scene from a body horror film. Speaking of: I'm excited to see the Substance. It doesn't come out until May in Japan, and at that rate, I might watch it on streaming with my sister when I go back to America for the holidays. I do miss going to the cinema. I haven't done it much since moving to Tokyo. 

I thought I'd sit here at this cafe for a while, but I'm already itching to go home. I want to have a long bath, curl up in bed, and dream up some new content for this blog. I'm really happy with the direction it's taken. I want to write more. Do more. 

I'll finish my iced coffee and head out. I'll check in later. 

7:38 PM

I'm home now. Ate some soup. 


8:23 PM

I just made the collage for this post. That's all I want to do these days: collage. I wish there was some kind of profession for that, but instead I've got to get back into English teaching. It's not ideal, but it keeps me in Japan. I'm going to keep looking for something else. Something better.

I'm going to have a bath now. I recently purchased these bath salts from a nearby Life スーパー, and they are so lush. 

(That King Dedede came out of a Kirby-themed bath bomb, and now he eternally sits on the edge of my tub, watching me bathe... like a creep.)

They make me feel like one of those capybaras in the hot springs of Shizuoka. Maybe next time I'll throw in some oranges for the full capy experience. 

@arcade_q on Twitter

Monday Playlist: Agepoyo

This was inspired by Rookie Magazine's (rest in peace) Friday Playlist, which I listened to religiously as a depressed high schooler. I used to burn CDs for all of my friends, and I wish my stupid MacBook still had the capacity to burn CDs, but it doesn't even have a USB port anymore. (ꐦ¬_¬)

Anyway.

I loved how homespun the Rookie playlists were, with the curator's hand-drawn tracklist and personal blurb. It was warm. This is my homage to that.



Agepoyo is old gyaru-go. 

"Age" means to raise, whereas "poyo" means... well, nothing really. It just sounds cute (and isn't that enough?) Combined, it's used as an expression of enthusiasm, a la exclaiming, "I'm pumped up!" or "I'm so excited!" That's the mood I wanted to capture in today's inaugural Monday Playlist. The songs featured are either explicitly about or convey (through melody or rhythm) a sense of pure excitement. The sort that bubbles up inside you, and when it reaches its peak, you can't help but say, "Agepoyo!"


unpacking the concept of マインドギャル / mind gyaru and subculture in the new age

When I first heard softboiledegg's cheeky rap number, "Gal is Mind" I was stoked. I was new to gal and hungry for everything gyaru, and the song was a sort of salve for my many newbie insecurities that I wasn't gyaru enough. It didn't matter because gal is mind. 

While predrinking at a friend's flat before Pride, I added the song to the Spotify queue. Quite a few people at the party knew it. Some even sang along (well, to the English bits). I no longer use TikTok, so I had no idea the song had a bit of a viral moment a few months before, breaking out of the gyaru subculture bubble and reaching a new audience of Y2K devotees and McBling aficionados.  

Later. I went to a gyaru para para event in Tokyo. 

My make and coord for the event.

I hadn't gone inside yet. My friend and I lingered on the street opposite the venue like a pair of gutter rats in the dirty alleyways of Kabukicho, gossiping and smoking. We were having an idle conversation with some people my friend knew. I made a passing remark that I wasn't seeing many gyaru at this gyaru event, and one of the girls said, "Well, gal is mind." The way I felt upon hearing this was almost the exact opposite of when I first heard the song of the same name. The sentiment tasted bad. It tasted like an excuse. 

We went inside. There was no para para at this para para event and even fewer gyaru. I got the distinct impression that those who attended did so because it was The Thing to do that night. I can't blame them for that. 

Gyaru, as a fashion and makeup-based subculture, has come a long way since its boom in the 1990s. Despite the fact that I sometimes use language that sounds a bit gatekeep-y (like saying that you can't be a gal if you don't wear makeup, which is a hill I'm willing to die on), I have no qualms about gals' evolution and its natural branching out into new substyles and variations. I think it's necessary to keep the culture alive. Adapt or die. 

Old subcultures (if they are still to be practiced and engaged with by young people) will inevitably start to reflect the sentiments of the modern era. It's 2024, and everything cool on the Internet is a hyper-niche aesthetic. Don't get me wrong: these aesthetics can be fun and harmless, but at the same time, it all feels a little... corporate. It's the kind of terminology you'd find in a Brand Bible or concocted by shady fashion mag execs in an attempt to sell us expensive skin goop or flash-in-the-pan trendy apparel that nobody will be wearing in a few months. 

When it comes down to it, TikTok's hunger to commodify every fashion trend is par for the course for the teenage experience (TikTok's primary user base), which is defined by defining: oneself, the world, and our place within it. Joining a cultural subgroup is one way to tackle all those tricky questions without having to think too hard about their answers. These subcultures provided solutions for what to wear, what music to listen to, and where to hang out. That being said, I don't think this was the traditional method by which people engaged with subcultures. It was the reverse. People dressed in a certain manner, listened to certain music, and hung out in certain locations. The labels were imposed later.

It's gauche to blame everything on the Internet, but it would be irresponsible not to note its impact on subcultures and their formation. What once was counterculture is now mainstream. Grime, drag, goth, skater, emo, greaser, lolita. Elements from all these groups have been adopted by "normies" and commercialized in one way or another. The internet homogenizes. It's a gateway to a world of previously inaccessible information (which is beautiful), but that also means things are quick to get hollowed out. Co-opted. This cycle wasn't something that didn't happen pre-internet, but the Internet has sped it up to an almost dizzying rate. 

It'd be easy to throw in the towel and melodramatically say, "Internet killed the subculture," but I'm not sure that's true. Perhaps subculture just looks different now. There isn't much to complain about regarding subcultures birthed post-Internet (well, that's not true. There's always something to complain about), but for groups born pre-Internet, readjusting to a digital world was bound to be awkward. Gyaru is no exception.

In Dylan Clark's The Death and Life of Punk, The Last Subculture, Clark argues that "classic subcultures" disappeared due to increased social examination, nostalgia, and commercialization. "Marketers long ago awakened to the fact that subcultures are expedient vehicles for selling music, cars, clothing, cosmetics, and everything else under the sun" (pg 2 of the pdf). The aesthetic components of subculture are especially easy to exploit and commodify. For a group like gyaru, whose subcultural core is based on fashion and make-up, it's no surprise that it's been disassembled for parts. 

The attire, the tan, the bleached and teased hairstyles, and the flashy makeup of gyaru are all part of a living narrative. The heart of the gal. They represent character and the gal's dedication to having fun and speaking her mind (which is where the mind gyaru fad rests). Gyaru (and its associated visuals) has been used in all manner of advertising in Japan, most recently in a flier for the Kawaii Omiyage campaign at Shibuya 109. 

In many respects, the gyaru mien has become shorthand for Japanese teenage whimsy (or vapidity) and encapsulates the nostalgia many have for the early Heisei era. What was once a legitimate fashion trend with apparel sold at Shibuya 109 is now a costume. That's not to suggest there aren't present practitioners. As someone who dresses like an old-school ganguro in this year of our lord 2024, I can testify to this. And I've haunted enough gyaru internet forums to see others like me, dressed in himekaji, yamanba, or any number of the various other gyaru substyles with a genuine sincerity that equals the "original" gals of the mid-1990s. It'd be incorrect to claim that gyaru is some dead relic of a distant past when many of us still exist, albeit reduced in numbers. 

In 2022, the concept of the mind gyaru became popular. What is a mind gyaru? It is, most simply, a gyaru of the mind. It's someone who adheres to the behavioral features of gyaru but none of the aesthetic ones. It's not strange that someone would want to think like a gyaru when its behavioral associations revolve around having fun and doing whatever you want. While gyaru did emerge as a sort of "fuck you" to Japanese society at large, it isn't exactly a political movement. They weren't associated with any political party, didn't have an agenda to overthrow the government (although that would be cool as hell), and the gals didn't have much ambition outside of being themselves and looking cute. 

The real contention lies in these mind gyaru labeling themselves "gyaru." Unlike a subculture like punk, whose members generally disliked labels of any kind, calling oneself a gyaru is a badge of honor. The visual components of gal are a craft (it's been compared to drag on a few occasions) that many invest a significant amount of money and time to develop. When someone rocks up wearing none of gyaru's deeply important aesthetic markers and insists that they are a gyaru "just like you!" well... it's insulting. It's also clear they have no fundamental understanding of gyaru history, because if they did, they'd see how silly the assertion is. The subculture is dependent upon makeup and fashion as its primary mode of expression. 

Perhaps this will upset some gyaru in the community, but I believe that gyaru is not a subculture with enough political principles or unique behaviors for those things to exist on their own while remaining recognizably "gyaru." Gal's verve has always been its makeup. When these elements are removed, you are left with an attitude comparable to that of many other subcultures or even confident "normies." It's no longer gyaru.

The mind gyaru as a concept has ostensibly neutralized the gal, reducing its ability as a counterculture to generate meaning and subvert through appearance. So leveled, you are left with something that isn't gyaru at all, but a nebulous concept that can be packaged and sold. Something you can put in your TikTok bio.

By all means, think like a gyaru. It's a fun and frequently rewarding way to conduct your life. But in this case, I believe it is better to forego the impulse to hyper-classify oneself and simply exist as the multidimensional creature that you are.

gal blogging: one gyaru's relationship with the internet

Before Instagram and Twitter (I'm not calling it X) became the social media titans they are today, there was blogging. Jorn Barger coined the term "weblog" in 1997, and Peter Morholz abridged it to "blog" two years later. The platform Blogger (on which this post is hosted! Hi, queen!) was founded in 1999, and Livejournal and Xanga followed. The rest is history. From mommy bloggers to Lord of the Rings slash fic, there's a blog on just about every topic. Gyaru is no exception. 

In the 2000s, there was a gyaru blogging boom; by 2010, being a popular gal blogger had become a status symbol. Yunokoro and Okarie were two of the most well-known gal bloggers, focusing on beauty and fashion with themselves as the main subjects. They considered themselves "ordinary girls" who rose to prominence through blogging, turning their dreams into reality with just a camera phone. They likened it to a Cinderella story. 

But how'd they do it? Honestly, gyaru blogging doesn't differ much from other lifestyle blogging. It's essentially a digital diary. Well, one that anyone can read. Of course, blogging is a legitimate career these days. If you Google "how to be a lifestyle blogger," you'll find a plethora of step-by-step tutorials that teach you how to make money and "maximize SEO." During the heyday of gyaru bloggers, no one imagined that blogging might lead to prominence. It began as a hobby.

At the risk of sounding very "old-man-yells-at-cloud," I miss the earnestness of creating for the pure love of it rather than as a "side hustle." Don't get me wrong: I don't think there's anything immoral in making money from your work, but it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I come across a blogger whose primary purpose is to profit, and the actual content is just a means to that end. It's a capitalist nightmare. I've even stumbled upon blogs on gyaru and J-fashion loaded with obnoxious banner ads, affiliate links for over-priced dropshipping stores, and posts that read suspiciously like they were authored by A.I. 

Let's get back to the subject at hand. What is gyaru (gal) blogging? Just as a 'girl blogger' is a girl who blogs about being a girl, a gyaru blogger is a blogger who blogs about being a gyaru. In the 2020s, gal blogging looks different than it did at its Y2K peak. A significant part of this is due to the fact that our relationships with blogging have evolved, as have the platforms and methods we use to communicate online.

My Room by Michelle on Flickr, taken 2008

Back in Yunokoro and Okarie's zenith, the ideal gyaru blogger was thin, doe-eyed with dolly circle lenses that made her look like a living Purikura filter, had thick and immaculately groomed hair, wore Liz Lisa, and read Popteen. They blogged about fashion and beauty, posted charmingly low-quality selfies courtesy of their flip phone or Gen 1 iPhone cameras, offered product suggestions to brighten skin, and showcased their latest manicure.

There are fewer gyarus now and fewer bloggers. As a consequence, there are fewer gyaru bloggers. I'd venture a guess that many gal bloggers nowadays do it because it's so closely tied to 2010's gyaru culture, rather than because they genuinely believe it's the superior form of digital communication. It's a combination of nostalgia and feeling like it's something you "ought to do" to be a practicing gyaru, not dissimilar from Para Para or coveting the iconic Alba Rosa blanket coat or DIA chain belt. This isn't a judgment. I love blogging as a gyaru. I own a DIA belt. I want an Alba Rosa blanket coat. (Edit: I got an Alba Rosa coat.) 

That said, I don't think I'm good at blogging. I, too, wanted to follow in the footsteps of my gyaru foremothers and maintain a daily blog. (You can see proof of this in my failed 2024 gyaru goals post). While I love reading a post about the simple niceties of someone's everyday life, I don't find any fulfillment in sharing the simple niceties of mine. I can't pinpoint why. 

And yet...

I occasionally have these fleeting thoughts about becoming a gyaru influencer despite the fact that influencing hasn't ever been anything I was remotely interested in. I'm obsessed with beauty (sometimes it feels like it's against my will), albeit via the hyper-specified lens of gyaru. I'm sure this is true for other gyaru. Why else would we all be spending so much time blogging about it? 

A still from The Substance trailer, a film about the obsession with youth and beauty, 2024

The gaijin gal community is run on the exchange of advice on how to appear more gyaru and the reprising of the same questions (can I be [this] and still be gyaru? Can I do [this] and still be gyaru?) Perhaps it's in a genuine bid to feel part of the coterie or to have the answers spoon-fed to the askers in easy-to-digest chunks. We police each other and ourselves. That's sort of par for the course in any subculture where, whether we like it or not, some level of gatekeeping is required. Unlike the inexcusable gatekeeping of information (information wants to be free), it's an attempt to preserve the uniqueness of a subculture and ensure it remains founded on its core principles. For example, you cannot be a fascist and a punk. They are diametrically opposed. 

Do we blog because we want to be watched and admired? It would be naive to suggest that this wasn't at least some part of why we do it. Without looking very hard at all, you'll see modern-day gyaru posting makeup tutorials and OOTD's to no public reception or "likes." I post these essays without knowing if anyone will read them. When you think about it, it's hard to claim that we blog just to be adored, but the potential for adoration is a potent motivator. It keeps us going. And so we blog like we have an audience... even when we don't. 

Art critic John Berger said, "women are always watching themselves being watched." Author Margaret Atwood said, "You are your own voyeur." In the case of the gal blogger, we shape our lives into a sort of historical fiction, repackaging them to fit our aesthetics and substyles, thereby producing a personal simulacrum. We vie to exist in a world where people genuinely want to hear about what we're wearing or what eyeshadow we use to shade our droops. As a gal blogger, it's not that we want "people" to be captivated by our content; we want other gyaru. We want acceptance from our chosen in-group. 

During the late 2000s and early 2010s, the most popular YouTubers were those that we all considered "relatable." Relatable, relatable, relatable—it was a word thrown around a lot at the time. It was frequently used in conjunction with the term "authentic," though I doubt anyone who used it to describe a YouTuber knew what they actually wanted to say, which was that this individual seemed like someone they'd be friends with in 'real life.' Emphasis on seemed. This was before the term "parasocial relationship" entered the public consciousness and well before the concept of an Internet celebrity was established. What we saw was a girl posting makeup tutorials from her bedroom. It was much easier for us to envision being or knowing her than it was, say, Vanessa Hudgens or Paris Hilton, whose "barriers to entry" (that is, imagining what it would be like to be them) were far higher. 

From Jon Rafman's series 'You Are Standing In An Open Field,' 2019

But now, anyone can be a star. Many internet-born celebrities have surpassed their "famous-by-traditional-means" contemporaries in fame and recognizability. Even the everyday person has been conditioned to sell themselves on their private platforms, meticulously curating their Instagram feeds and considering (with all the seriousness of a professional marketing consultant) what their personal "brand" is. The superficiality was there from the beginning, rewarded and reinforced by the algorithms that decide whether your post will be seen. Or not. It's no surprise that we ended up here. It was by design. The Internet loves to wash us out. 

There's apparently another resurgence of the "relatable" influencer or at least our desire for it. It's being called the 'genuinfluencer.' (That word gave me the ick.) According to Evy Lyons, VP of marketing at Tracckr, "Genuinflencers are less interested in promoting products and more interested in spreading ideas and truth." I'll believe it when I see it.

One thing's for sure: shit's weird. I remember a time when having 1 million followers meant you had hit it big, but now that's nothing. It's confetti. It almost feels like if everyone's famous, then no one's famous. The market is oversaturated. 

If it wasn't already obvious, I don't believe it's possible to be truly relatable or authentic or a genui-whatever-the-fuck-fluencer online. Whenever we post something, there's always an element of performance. Of copyediting and revision and intention and bias and agenda. I don't think that's inherently bad, so long as there's transparency involved. 

So, at the end of it all... What does it mean to be a gal blogger? Well, it's when a gal blogs. And that's that on that. 

Cute Hello Kitty Kaoani