Halloween: Shibuya109 Style

Happy Halloween!

At this time of the year it's not unusual to see spooks, ghouls and other horrifying, terrible creatures prowling the floor of Shibuya109. Well, to be honest, most of them aren't terrifying.

The brands of Shibuya109 released their 2014 Halloween collection and what better date to post it than Halloween itself?









My picks are:

⋆ Swankiss
⋆ MA*RS
⋆ one*spo
⋆ Fig & Viper
⋆ Liz Lisa
⋆ SPIGA
⋆ GARULA
⋆ tutuHA
⋆ Cocolulu
⋆ SLY

The accessories from Ruby Rose are really cute too!

My question to you girls is if you had to wear something from one of these brands, which one would it be? I think I'd have to go with MA*RS because it looks like typical MA*RS whilst also being a bunny. ♥

Stay spooky! ♥

Long Live Gyaru

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding gyaru recently. "I hear that gyaru is dying out," is whispered behind false fingernails. Egg, the original gyaru bible, has shut their doors for the second time and with the demise of In Forest, Ageha, Happie Nuts and other magazines have all stopped filling the shelves. For one of the first times since it's incarnation, gyaru has begun to follow Western trends.

Gyaru is dead!


I highly disagree.

The style has simply decreased in popularity and become more merged with the mainstream trends we'd usually be seeing stocked in H&M, Zara and the stores that we've all grown accustomed to filling up Western shopping centres. As always, things cycle in and out of fashion. Gyaru fashion is on the decline but it most certainly can't be called dead. There's no need to mourn for something that hasn't fully died. This is the second decline of gyaru since the 90s and after the first decline things exploded even more.

B A C K ★ T O ★ B A S I C S

Looking back at gyaru, the style began to grow in popularity as Japanese girls began to rebel against the expectations society had on them. Society could expect them to act a certain way but they couldn't control how the girls chose to do their make-up or what clothes they wore. With fashion leaders such as Namie Amuro in 1996 with her tanned skin, short skirts and platform boots to Buriteri and her unique and controversial ganguro style, the spark for other girls to rebel was lit. The streets of Shibuya began and Center Gai began to fill up with manba.

The economic situation at the time was similar to what it is now and that didn't stop the gyaru from tearing up a storm and cherishing their beloved Alba Rosa. It didn't stop them from using tanning booths to achieve the perfect skin colour and it didn't stop them from caring about their appearance. The state of the economy has never, ever been able to keep a good gyaru down. It might have been enough to force the doors of 'Egg' to shut it's doors one time but even then the gyaru were able to survive without their precious magazines.


E V O L U T I O N

Gyaru is a style that is always evolving; how else would we see the various substyles we see now? Without kogal there would have never been ganguro. Without ganguro there would have never been manba. A girl who may have been a manba may have looked upon the arrival of the current gyaru sweetheart Tsubasa Masuwaka in horror and proclaimed, "That isn't gyaru!"

By the mid-00s the more extreme styles such as manba were beginning to die down in popularity and were seen less and less on the streets of Shibuya. But that didn't mean gyaru, which was initially about rebelling, had disappeared. They were still rebelling against what society had told them to be. They still had their tans, their blonde hair, their noticeable (yet still turned down from the extremes of manba) make-up. They still rebelled what society considered acceptable by wearing clothes that showed their shoulders (which is considered to be the equivalent of Western girls wearing short skirts) and by hiking their skirts even shorter.

Para Para Clubs were still somewhat popular after the initial rise of them and it wouldn't be surprising to see models releasing their own music. Tsubasa Masuwaka's 'Magic to Love' with accompanying para para routine just shows how popular it still was.


It's around this time more gyaru substyles began to be more prominent. Agejo, rokku, oraora kei, etc. were all on the rise and as such magazines began to pop up everywhere to serve them. Whilst the styles were all different one style in particular began to rise in popularity more than any other and it appealed to a more mainstream audience which is where gyaru began to really change and begin to be more socially acceptable.

Hime-kaji, sweet styles, etc.

Whilst stores like Liz Lisa had always been around it's more popular than ever. Whether intentionally or not, Tsubasa Masuwaka headed the shift of gyaru that made it more accessible to normal girls and it became less about rebelling and more about looking fashionable. Whilst there is still an element of rebellion in there most girls get into the styles these days because they 'look nice' or 'want to be seen as cute'. Liz Lisa, Ank Rouge, Swankiss, Rosebullet, etc. all provide the sweet look that's currently reigning above all else in terms of popularity.

These styles brought along the shiro gyaru or pale skinned girls that we're more accustomed to seeing. Gyaru make-up trends went towards false eyelashes and circle lenses; something other styles such as those you would see in Kera magazine would begin to embrace. Other gyaru styles still exist of course, but that isn't stopping the wave of sweet styles that are flooding magazines and stores. Some magazines that had been considered for catering to gyaru such as Popteen branched off; looking at Popteen as it currently stands, it cannot be called a gyaru magazine. Dark hair or straightened hair was something that would normally not be seen in gyaru yet it's acceptable for these styles to be incorporated.


The hime-kaji styles appealed to girls who weren't gyaru or who were scared of being seen as rebelling against society. The clothes were cute and looked pretty; who could be worried about being seen as dirty or rebellious by having a floral dress? It wasn't going to stand out in the crowd. Some of the brands began incorporating these looks; MA*RS is definitely agejo but it has some elements that would appeal to hime-kaji styled girls for example.

In addition, Harajuku fashion and gyaru began to mix more and more. People claim Kyarypamyupamyu is gyaru based off her false eyelashes and circle lenses; however that's not gyaru. In addition gyaru make-up began to borrow elements from Harajuku fashions such as the under eye blush, the current trend of replacing lower eye liner with eye shadow, etc. Tsubasa and Kyarypamyupamyu, the two biggest icons of these scenes, have both released their own eyelashes, music, clothes, etc. They both wear wigs and are constantly changing their hairstyles as a result.

The two styles are still recognisably different of course but they both borrow elements from each other. The dramatic gyaru make-up has gone for now and has been replaced with a more toned down, natural look that has been influenced by the fashions that would most likely be seen in Harajuku than Shibuya 109.


T A K I N G★ G Y A R U ★ B A C K

Since the arrival of NeoGal which is taking Japanese magazines such as ViVi and Jelly by storm, there's been a backlash especially from gaijin gyaru about how this isn't gyaru. You'd be forgiven for thinking this style was intended to be gyaru, especially with the figurehead of this new and quirky trend is Alisa Ueno who is a Blenda model and former gyaru herself. Fig &Viper, the brand which Alisa produces herself, occupies a space in gyaru haven Shibuya 109. With the heavy influence from Western fashion it's understandable why some people might think that this is the future of gyaru.

Is it? Who knows.

NeoGal is definitely an odd mix of Western fashion meets Shibuhara culture. The influences of H&M, Zara, BOY London and all of the other Western brands that have began creeping into Japanese fashion with their cheaper prices has definitely played an influence but it's still not completely there. The make-up of NeoGal is more Harajuku than it is gyaru. Whether or not gyaru can 'take it back' is another matter but the arrival of NeoGal has definitely forced girls to remember where gyaru came from and what it means.

It means more than to fit in and look fashionable. It's used to rebel against society.

Is gyaru dead? No, of course not. It's evolving. With the most popular styles turning the look down into something that isn't what it quite used to be when it first reared it's head and the style turning back into a more underground movement as it was when it originally appeared, gyaru is definitely in an interesting place right now. Whether or not older styles make a comeback or something totally new and unexpected appears is undecided. Gyaru isn't dead.

Long live gyaru.

"Ideal Height to Weight Ratios"

I've approached this subject before and due to recent events in my own life I thought it would be interesting to go back to.

If you've ever flicked through the pages of any gal magazine whilst they were on the market, you're bound to have seen the adverts where an already tiny girl has gotten even tinier. Whilst Photoshop would have played a part in making these girls look waif as possible there's no smoke without fire; it would be insanely difficult to photoshop rib cages sticking out, right?

The below were from a particularly infamous ad in Ageha due to the Photoshop used making them seem ridiculous.


38, 37, 39kg... these girls are all such a scarily low weight, with or without Photoshop aiding them. I recently came across a blog post by Sincerely, Dolly talking about Shizuka Takeda's "Ideal Height to Weight Ratio". For those unfamiliar, Shizuka Takeda was one of the Happie Nuts models before the publisher went into bankruptcy. Therefore her "Ideal Height to Weight Ratio" is an interest insight into the world of gyaru modelling and what is expected of the girls who model for magazines, brands, etc.

Granted her opinion is based of those of Japanese girls. As a Westerner I am used to girls being slightly 'heavier' so whilst it might be shocking to Westerners that these numbers are being idealised, for these girls they are able to carry such little weight with little health risks. The numbers that Shizuka recommends are as follows:

♥ 155 cm → 38 kg
♥ 156 cm → 38.5 kg
♥ 157 cm → 39 kg
♥ 158 cm → 39 kg
♥ 159 cm → 39 kg
♥ 160 cm → 40 kg
♥ 161 cm → 41 kg
♥ 162 cm → 42 kg
♥ 163 cm → 42.5 kg
♥ 164 cm → 43 kg
♥ 165 cm → 43.5 kg

I personally stand at 162cm and at 42kg (and have actually dropped below this weight). My BMI is 16. In order to have a healthy weight my healthcare provider recommends I put on an additional 15kg. If a hospital is recommending that I should put on that much weight then surely this can't be healthy even for Asian girls with smaller frames and possible smaller bone density than myself. I wear a UK size 4, or a US Size 0

To put it into perspective, here's a lazy day picture of myself trying on a MA*RS skirt (I was wondering if it was too short to be honest and was asking a friend for an opinion but I digress):


Not healthy. I'm pretty much flat everywhere, if you get what I'm trying to say.

Alternatively, the Korean "Ideal Height to Weight Ratios" are as follows:

♥ 150 cm → 40 kg
♥ 152 cm → 41.6 kg
♥ 154 cm → 43.2 kg
♥ 156 cm → 44.8 kg
♥ 158 cm → 46.4 kg
♥ 160 cm → 48 kg
♥ 162 cm → 49.6 kg
♥ 164 cm → 51.2 kg
♥ 166 cm → 52.8 kg
♥ 168 cm → 54.4 kg
♥ 170 cm → 46 kg

These are somewhat better and would put a girl of my size into a BMI of 18.8 which is considered healthy. These numbers are a lot easier to read and not as shocking as the ratios that Shizuka suggests following. Of course, the modelling world is vicious with new girls lining up to replace the established faces we all know and love so the pressure to remain thin is high but I can't help but worry about the advice that is being given off, especially if you're a Westerner such as myself who are reading these numbers and thinking how?

What do you guys think of the "Ideal Height to Weight Ratios"? Would you guys aspire to fit this?

If you or someone you know is suffering from a eating disorder, please seek medical advice. These images are not healthy. If you do wish to achieve such numbers do this by eating healthily and excercising.

Cosplay In Gyaru

Do you ever wonder if there's room for gyaru in cosplay? I do.

At the core I would say that no, there isn't. I highly doubt you would see a gyaru in Japan also cosplaying. The two just don't go hand in hand! Most gyaru wouldn't express a interest in this hobby; the only gyaru I have seen ever expressing an interest are gaijin gyaru!

Whilst flicking through this month's Ageha, I was surprised to see some brief cosplay tutorials for the Vocaloids: Miku Hatsune, Luka Megurine and Rin Kagamine.

For those if you who haven't heard of Vocaloid, it's a music program. It contains pre-recorded voices from different people (singer Gackt has even loaned his voice towards one named Gakupo) and you can use them to sing different songs. The characters are the faces of different voices and it has actually spiralled into out of control popularity. There's a weekly ranking, merchendise and the Vocaloids even hold concerts!

The tutorials are brief. VERY brief.


Miku Hatsune


Luke Megurine


Rin Kagamine

I'm not sure how to react to these to be honest!

I don't think the make-up they did for Rin works well; she's supposed to be a fairly young girl and I can't imagine a young girl wearing that much eye make-up! It just looks very heavy. In addition she's also wearing the wrong contact lenses...

My favourite out of the three is the Luka as her make-up definitely doesn't look quite as heavy as the other two girls! She looks almost naturally flawless, and I'd definitely love to see that sort of make-up used in more gyaru co-ordinates!

Which is your favourite? Is there room for cosplay in gyaru?

9 Essential Gyaru Magazines

As with any fashion culture, gyaru have their very own magazines to follow. Whilst some magazines try to cover as much of gyaru culture as they can there are some which cater to particular sub-styles. Magazines contain tutorials, tips and tricks and the latest fashion trends. Lots of magazines also use the same models issue after issue which can propel some of the models into the spotlight across Japan!

Edge Style

Edge Style is almost a one-of-a-kind magazine when it comes to gyaru. The target audience is the onee-gyaru; or to be more specific older gyaru. Girls younger than 25 need not apply. Whilst it does focus on the fashion side of gyaru it also highlights gyaru who have started their own business. It's a really positive thing to see! Unfortunately because of this it does make it quite wordy so if you're using gyaru magazines for inspiration I wouldn't recommmend this.

The magazine contains street snaps of gyaru, snaps of shop staff and even a gyaru-mama section! It focuses less on fashion and make-up than other gyaru magazines which it makes it quite unique.



Egg

Egg (egg) is one of the most notorious gyaru magazines. After propelling Buriteri into the spotlight the magazine left the shelves for awhile only to later return bigger and better than ever. This magazine has stood the test of time and been on the shelves in Japan for ten years now. It tends to focus on the most popular styles of gyaru; when ganguro was at the height of popularity it followed that style but now it has adjusted to suit the current market of gyaru.

The magazine contains street snaps of gyaru on the street and tutorials for both make-up and hair. The magazine also looks into the latest gyaru trends that are hitting the streets. The magazine also almost exclusively uses their own models; some of these models have been with Egg for years now whereas some of them are new. Eventually the older models will leave to make room for new models; some of the current Egg models include Kanako Kawabata and Manami Suzuki.

Interestingly this is one of the only gyaru magazines which has a sister magazine of sorts for gyaru-o; MensEGG.



Happie Nuts

Happie Nuts focuses on onee-gyaru and those gyaru who adore tanning their skin. It focuses on the sexier side of gyaru rather than the 'cute' image most younger gyaru aim for. This magazine is slightly overshadowed by it's wildly popular sister magazine, Koakuma Ageha which is another magazine targeting gyaru.

The magazine contains the standard fare of gyaru magazines; tutorials for both makeup and hair and the latest trends. Of course, this magazine focuses on the trends that will most interest onee-gyaru! Like Egg, this magazine uses it's own models, who are required to be tanned, which are affectionately nicknamed 'Nuts Mates'. Ema Matsumoto (see: Emoda) actually used to model for this magazine!



Jelly

Jelly is the younger sister of Ranzuki and was created after the success of a Ranzuki spin-off magazine. The magazine targets the onee-gyaru and of course, any other gyaru who want to pick it up although it does tend to lean towards older gyaru. One of the main styles it focuses on it mode! Like Popteen this magazine also attracts celebrities to do features: celebrities such as Namie Amuro, Ayumi Hamasaki and Korean girlband KARA have all graced the pages of the magazine. Despite being classed as a 'gyaru' magazine it is also accessible to other fashionable girls who may simply not be interested in the 'gyaru' culture.

As well as including celebrities among it's pages the magazine also has it's own models such as Yuuki Yamamoto. The magazine also features fashion editorials, interviews and how to recreate outfits that the models have worn.



Koakuma Ageha

Koakuma Ageha is the sister magazine of Happie Nuts. First starting as a spin off magazine under the name of Koakuma & Nuts it changed it's name to Koakuma Ageha and began it's own monthly release. This magazine is practically a textbook on how to be a hostess and the agejo sub-style actually claims it's name from this magazine! It's one of the most popular gyaru magazines currently in circulation.

If you're wondering what the name means, it literally stands for Little Devil Swallowtail. It's primary audience is the onee-gyaru but this was picked up by hostesses. The magazine contains street snaps, tutorials and once again this has it's own models; although it does feature some models which appear irregularly. The magazine also has adverts that reach right for the audience.

The magazine has also collaborated with it's sister magazines to produce volumes such as Oneesan Ni Natta.



Popteen

Popteen is one of the most prolific magazines out there in Japan, so prolific it has made it's way onto the shores of other countries. Whilst it may not be a strictly gyaru magazine it does cover a lot of the current gyaru trends so it's definitely worth checking out. Unlike the other magazines I have mentioned so far, the target audience isn't onee-gyaru but actually teenage girls!

As it isn't strictly a gyaru magazine as well as the usual features found in gyaru magazines, it also has a celebrity interviews. Japanese celebrities such as Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi and Namie Amuro (who was credited with starting the very first wave of gyaru!) have all made appearances in the magazine. The magazine has also launched the careers of some of the best known gyaru models such as Tsubasa Masuwaka and Kumicky.

This magazine used to have a sister magazine called PopSister which targeted an older audience. The magazine ended in 2011 after the departure of Tsubasa Masuwaka.



Ranzuki

Ranzuki is a gyaru magazine which targets teenage girls. This magazine is particularly famous as being the older sister to Jelly which is another magazine dedicated to following the gyaru style. The magazine itself is fairly popular among the gyaru of Japan. It's a fairly colourful magazine!

As with all gyaru magazines this contains tutorials for hair and make-up. The magazine also has it's own group of models whom grace it's pages. It focuses on the current trends in gyaru fashion and attempts to predict what trend is up and coming.



Scawaii

Scawaii is one of the only gyaru magazines that makes attempts to branch out into other sub-styles. Onee-gyaru get their features, Mode gyaru get their features and the general trends in gyaru-kei are picked up upon. It's the sister of Cawaii, another magazine which has since ceased publication in Japan although it does remain active in other Asian countries!

Scawaii is unique as it doesn't stick to only one sub-style but it attempts to branch out into all of them. Tutorials are featured in the magazine, as well as sstreet snaps and co-ordinates. Sometimes the magazine will choose to focus on one brand and select their picks for the season. Other times it may highlight the upcoming key trends in gyaru fashion. Whilst it may not quite compete in popular with Ageha, it's still a magazine you should watch out for!

The magazine also sometimes has famous celebrities on the front cover and sometimes an interview may be conducted.



Soul Sister

Soul Sister is a gyaru magazine that is significantly different from the others as it focuses on OraOra Kei. For more information regarding this, please see Universal Doll's post about it by clicking here. As this sub-style is fairly different from other sub-styles you can expect a gyaru magazine with a harder image than your usual gyaru.

The magazine itself is fairly new, having only come into publication in 2009. It features PuriKura snaps and street snaps; it doesn't quite feature tutorials as heavily as other magazines It also follows th latest happenings within OraOra Kei and any significant trend changes.



~x~

Are there any other magazines you consider gyaru? Or do any of these strike you as being non-gyaru? Let me know in the comments!

Other Posts In 'February Gyaru Month'

❥ Let's Talk About Gyaru
❥ Gyaru Sub-Styles
❥ 15 Popular Gyaru Brands

How Far is Too Far?

In both the West and the East, it seems as though being thin is in. In most magazines you can see thin girls pouting and preening and in gyaru, there's really no difference! Gyaru magazines often advertise weight loss programs to encourage people to try their products; I would too if I lived in Japan. The results are simply amazing!

But how thin is too thin?

Recently, whilst reading Ageha, I came across the following girl and automatically winced.



Whilst being thin is a stereotypical asian trait, this thin is not. She doesn't look healthy at all and looks as though she could snap if the wind so much as touched her! Her legs are like sticks and it's almost surprising that she can support herself on those legs. She looks like a skeleton; not sexy at all.

Photoshop does play a factor in these sort of ads but for that to be used to make a girl look this painfully thin, there has to be some sort of truth behind it.

I also spotted the following girl in Ageha:



Once again this girl is painfully thin. I actually winced when I saw her ribs and her legs are also scarily thin lke the previous girl's.

I'm all for being thin but this is taking it a step too far. Neither of these girls look particularly healthy and instead look rather sick. Whilst we don't know what sort of issues these girls have, it's very sad to see supposedly confident gyaru reduced to looking like this. In fact, the Ageha models themselves had more weight on than these girls.

I didn't see any girls this shockingly thin in 'egg' which I am relieved about. Maybe one day the industry will wake up and see that these girls don't need to be this thin. Even the models, who are thin, aren't this thin and it's a shame that girls feel the need to look like this.

If you or anyone else you know suffers from an eating disorder please go seek help. I personally wouldn't want to see you looking like these girls.

Oneesan Ni Natta

Hello gang!

I'm blogging today about Oneesan Ni Natta, how many of you have been reading this? It's a collaboration magazine between Ageha, nuts and I &heart; Mama.



Currently there's only four issues out so it's a relatively new magazine. Naolani at livejournal posted some scans of volume 2 up and so I could introduce you all to this magazine, I thought I'd make a post using some scans! As she says, it is like a more sophisticated version of Ageha, so if Ageha isn't for you I would recommend checking this out!



I really love the code of the girl on the right. It's kinda girly without being too girly and pink, if you understand what I mean?



This is another code I love! The girl at the top is wearing such a cute outfit! I think if I could wear something like this to work I'd be really pleased. It's really nice. Her hair is gorgeous but that's another story!




I really liked this section, actually! It was nice to see how different wigs could be incorporated into gyaru and it just shows how important they can be in achieving those hairstyles! It was nice seeing them put into catergories too.

That's all I'll post but I really recommend trying this magazine out. I hope that more magazine scans will become available soon!