Gyaru
is a Japanese fashion subculture for all ages, often associated with gaudy fashion styles, an extreme makeup style and dyed hair. The term is a Japanese transliteration of the English slang word wikt:gal#Etymology 2. In Japan, it is used to refer to young women who are cheerful, sociable, and adopt trendy fashions, serving as a stereotype of culture as well as fashion.
The fashion subculture was considered to be nonconformist and rebelling against Japanese social and aesthetic standards during a time when women were expected to be housewives and fit Asian beauty standards of pale skin and dark hair. Early in its rise, subculture was considered racy, and associated with juvenile delinquency and frivolousness among teenage girls.
A popular subculture specific to the Heisei era is "kogal culture" or "kogal fashion,”2=子ギャル文化 or コギャル文化 and has been commercialized by Japanese companies such as Sanrio, and even introduced and supported as a Japanese brand by the Japanese government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with “Lolita fashion.” Its popularity peaked in the 1990s and early 2000s during the Heisei era in Japan but is currently having a revival in the last couple of years in Japan during the Reiwa era.
An equivalent term also exists for men, 2=ギャル男.
History
before culture
1970s
The word is a Japanese loanword based on the English slang word "gal". Although it has not been fully confirmed, some people say that the term gal also became popular when Wrangler released women's jeans called "Gals" in 1972. When the word first began to be used in Japan in the 1970s, it referred to energetic, youthful women.In 1978, a Japanese fashion information magazine for girls called "GAL'S LIFE" was first published. This magazine introduced the culture of women in the West Coast of the United States, and included punk rock music, along with other genres like new wave and indie. However, the magazine had nothing to do with Japan's culture. Later, this magazine gained controversy due to its extreme expression of sexuality..
In 1979, Kenji Sawad's song "OH! Gal
1980s
At the height of the bubble economy of Japan in the late 1980s, inspired by European fashion trends seen earlier in the decade, women began wearing tight bodycon dresses and suits that emphasized their body lines. This style was mostly worn by female college students and office ladies, and the word "gal" was used to refer to women of the younger generation. The phrases "" and "" also appeared in the early 1980s.Around this time, Shibuya saw the construction of several fashion and department stores, leading to the city becoming more youth-friendly.
On the other hand, in Harajuku, there was a huge boom in street dance culture called Takenokozoku in the early 1980s. Even in the late 1980s when Takenokozoku was on the decline, facets of youth culture such as live street performances remained popular in Harajuku.
Heisei/Reiwa Gal
Kogal and amuraa
From 1992 to 1993, just after the Japanese bubble burst, high school girls with short skirts, loose socks, and wearing uniforms appeared, which began to attract attention from the mass media.During the same time period, Namie Amuro of Super Monkey's, had influenced many young girls with her style. Those who imitated the way she dressed called the style "Amuraa". Along with amuraa, other styles, such as 1970s style surfer fashion and LA fashion had become popular among teenage girls. One particularly significant change in fashion was the rise of brown dyed hair, which is theorized to have become popular because of the rise of Amuro.
By 1993, the office lady/female college student boom that had been going on since the 1980s had completely ended due to the collapse of the bubble economy, and the "high school girl boom" was in full swing. From around 1995, this symbolized that even the entertainment of young people was changing to a culture centered around younger high school and junior high school girls.
There are various theories about the origin of the word Kogal, but the most popular theory is that the term was originally used as a slang term to distinguish high school girls who were not allowed to enter night clubs from adult women. There is also a theory that the word "" was derived as an abbreviation of "High school girl" in Japanese.
Another derivative word that was created through the initiative of the mass media was "", which refers to a junior high school girl.
During this period, Kogal was popular to the degree there was also a " boom" in the media, including shows and weekly magazines, featuring specials about kogals on a regular basis. However, in the shadow of this, various issues such as the lack of a concept of chastity and moral values among young people were also brought up at the same time. In particular, with regard to "Enjo kōsai
While Kogal was popular in the 1990s, it was rarely seen in the mass media anymore in the 2000s. However, in foreign countries such as the United States, Kogal is also often used as a general term to describe Japanese high school girls. In some places, Kogal is also used as a form of fetish category.
1990s
Even into the 1990s, the word gal continued to be used. In particular, the "" that appears in the manga Sweet Spot, drawn by Yutsuko Chusonji gained so much recognition that it won the Buzzword Award. This term is usually used for young women who act like old men. Although this term has little to do with fashion itself, it can be said that it was one of the first indicators that were "cutting-edge in appearance, but somehow lacked order and manners in their speech and behavior". Later on, modern was compared with.Around this time, Shibuya's shop tenants such as 109 and PARCO gradually shifted to catering to teenagers, establishing the area as a cutting-edge district for teen fashion.
[Reiwa era]
Unlike, is characterized by greater diversity, reduced emphasis on strict aesthetic rules, and a focus on individual expression rather than standardized appearance..In contrast to -era, which was often associated with heavy makeup, deep tanning, bleached hair, and clearly defined substyles, Reiwa encompasses a wide range of fashion and makeup approaches. These may include both bold and minimal looks, as well as the blending of gyaru elements with other styles such as street fashion, onee-kei, jirai-kei, Y2K, and minimalist aesthetics.
The concept of “ mind”—emphasizing confidence, independence, and resistance to social conformity—has become more prominent than specific visual markers. As a result, Reiwa is often described as less prescriptive and more inclusive than earlier iterations of the subculture..
Print magazines, which played a central role in gyaru culture during the 1990s and 2000s, have largely been replaced by social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and X, where individuals share styling, makeup, and interpretations of identity.
Overall, Reiwa-era gyaru represents an evolution of the subculture that prioritizes personal identity, flexibility, and digital community over fixed visual conventions.
Appearance
By the early 2010s, fashion was typically characterized by a face with matte foundation, silver or golden eye shadow, dark lash line with false eyelashes for both upper and lower eyelid, pale or cool colored lips, colored contacts and tanned skin as it is considered a must in some substyles. Though other sub-styles do not demand tanned skin but rather fair skin. They were also most often seen with highly elongated and decorated artificial nails especially with 3D charms or varying nail art.The dramatic nature of makeup is considered essential to the subculture, with deviations depending on which substyle one partakes in. Makeup typically consists of black or brown eye shadow on the lower lash line to close but also enlarge the eyes, black eye liner which is drawn as a downward curved line to make the eyes appear rounder, known as puppy liner or in Japanese as 2=たる目 or in English as "droopy eyes". There is also a makeup technique known as the droop in. By connecting the upper eyelid eye liner and eye liner at the lower eyelid and even below the eye, this space is known as the droop. Fake eyelashes should also be of spiky or anime style due to the false eyelash having a cluster-like look and not a wispy-like look; though this notion is mostly brought through the 2000s and 2010s popularity of which had a greater use of the spiky fake eyelashes. Later with Western influences would any fake eyelashes of dramatic nature be considered.
Sometimes to increase the size and appearance of the eyes, a white, silver, or highlighted colored eye shadow would be applied to the inner or outer corners and the lower lashline of the eye. This is to make the eyes appear larger or to contour them to elongate the sclera of the eye. Conversely, it is sometimes said in online communities that white eyeshadow applied to the extremities of the lower lash line can be frowned upon, as it creates a cosplay-like appearance. It is also seen in the makeup application of that a touch or a small triangle is applied with black eyeliner in the inner corner of the eyes.
File:Contact Grain.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Colored contact lenses or more probable circle lenses on the eyes, with zoom-in to show the grain or printed dots on the lenses. Also an older version of lenses now and even at the time.
Contouring different parts of the face to change facial features and highlighting the nose for a straight and slimming but also heightening effect is often done. This highlight should be done by a line going straight down the nose with concealer or white color; this technique is known as the nose strip in groups. Button nose contour is often done by some overseas especially in Chinese communities where these looks are prevalent, but looked down upon in other or Western spaces. This application of contouring, especially in a more button shape, is not a conventional look. Lips are almost never seen of a darker color or dark shade, though there are some exception such as in - and/or -style looks. Most of the time lips are often colored using concealer, white, or a lighter pink color. Blush should not be applied all over the face such as with 2=いがり or "drunken blush". It should also never be applied on the nose, but should be applied closer to the middle of the cheeks and closer to the eyes, such as the apples of the cheeks.
Eyebrows should be thin and arched, sometimes in a triangular shape, trimmed and color-blocked with concealer or foundation, with barely any loose strands of eyebrow hair to be seen; some even forgo regularly maintaining them through plucking their eyebrows, and ultimately decide to shave them. The eyebrows are drawn with eyebrow pencil or powder in an arched brow, or most often a triangular flick; they are then lightened with eyebrow mascara. Neither a thick full bushy eyebrow nor a unibrow is seen as a part of the appearance.
Colored contacts, often circle lenses, are used to change eye color and make the eyes appear larger due to the extreme diameter of circle lenses. In addition to enhancing eye diameter, will use eyelid tape or glue to create the appearance of double eyelids instead of monolids. Some even decide to undergo eyelid surgery. In the later years of this style, with the popularity of South Korea through its soft power, the Korean wave brought an evolution in the makeup of.
The makeup would see the use of the technique of creating a larger appearance of the undereye, such as by highlighting the undereye and contouring the eye crease to make the eye bag appear prominent; or by using makeup to distinguish the orbicularis oculi muscle, especially the inferior tarsus and to make it appear larger. This is known as. In Japanese this is known as 2=涙袋 or 2=なみだぶくろ; it is important to know that these can be translated into English as "tear bag". This should not be mistaken for the tear trough of the eyes, as this makeup application is near the undereye, not on the skin which is even lower than the undereye or even below that on the cheek. Increasing the appearance of the undereye can be also done through the procedure of applying botox or filler.
Hairstyling often differs between substyles. Heavily bleached or dyed hair is most often seen; shades may range from dark brown, to lighter shades of brown, to multiple shades of red, or multiple shades of blonde. Black hair can also be seen in, but most Japanese participants commonly have dyed hair. Alternative hair colors or vivid hair colors are also seen such as neon red, green, and even blue. Though these colors are seen on more extreme styles worn by, more alternatively-leaning will dye their hair with even more extreme colors.
Hair is mostly styled either by curling it with a curling iron or straightening it with a hair straightener. Hair may also be teased to create extra volume. In Japanese, this hair styling is called 2=スジ盛り; in English, it means "assorted streaks". This styling is named so, not only because of its enormous volume of hair, the usage of hair extension to achieve this look, or even because of its use of an assortment of wigs to create this hairstyle. Instead, this name comes from these streaks of hair that are made apparent by being held by gel. Since after the curling and crimping; the gel would be used to keep hair streaks visible and present throughout the day. Also it is common that will go to a hairsalon, so that hairstylist can create this hairstyle for them. While it can be done on one's own, it will often take a lot of time and practice to accomplish correctly. This hair-styling technique also has a Japanese Wikipedia article; see 2=盛り髪.
Apparel for fashion also varies by substyle and retail store; this choice of brands can denote which substyle one participates in. Japanese street fashion brands or western fast fashion brands with general aesthetics indicate one's substyle depending on their appearance in an outfit. Although some have bought western luxury brands or even haute couture brands, most have gravitated toward Japanese brands, depending on their style. Most of the apparel originated from Shibuya 109. A full outfit of only designer brands is not considered completely unless one tries for a specific substyle. Yet, even those who participate in the substyle of wearing designer items have different brands, regardless of whether the brands are Western or Japanese. They would generally mix different brands to create a look.
File:Y2k nails by nailsbyvicxyy.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Other Heisei era or McBling styled and 3D charmed nails known as Y2K nails made by nailsbyvicxyy
As for physical appearance, s are presented as having an East Asian thin or underweight physique to those overseas; though this body is proliferated by magazines that have on tail or back part of the magazine a quantity of advertisements for dieting products, procedures, supplements, companies or methods to lose weight. Incorrectly starting or opening of these magazines could contribute to a Eating Disorder and a negative body image of oneself; as depending if the reader is using the Western principle of book orientation to open the magazine could possibly continually be presented to those adverts. These advertisements are also presented with underweight models next to their previous weight or most likely photoshopped bodies with a denominator of low body weight. Also apart from the fashion magazines there were also magazine such as popteen that had magazines, books or mooks dedicated to dieting alone. Though in reality not all participants of Japanese origin were underweight and some and even most overseas s are of an average or overweight body type.