Hey there, Doll Face...

I remember my first visit to the dermatologist - there I was, a spotty, acne-riddled teen, bored and nervous in equal measures. Doctors in general make me want to skip the border, but I needed a cure for my apocalyptic skin. 

That's when I picked up a copy of Marie Claire, agitatedly flipping through the pages. And then, it caught my eye, a feature on GANGURO GALS.

Petite Japanese girls, sporting a deep tan, pastel or white lips and big, bleached hair, looking other worldly and well... bizarre? It was apparently a big deal in Japan, especially the fashion capital, Harajuku.

Malibu Barbie gone wrong?

Recently, I searched for ganguro gals, to see what became of this trend - it was pretty much a late 90's, early 2000's thing and has since evolve into...

This!

Manba - like ganguro on steroids

These girls follow the manba trend. Tanner & darker skin, bigger hair, neon everywhere, whiter & more pastel make-up... This is the country that gave us Pokémon after all - imagination has no limit!

Actually, ganguro and manba are a sub-category that falls under a trend called GYARU, which is roughly the Japanese equivalent of "gal". Gyaru's or "gals" aim to look as feminine, girly, or as perfectly doll-like as possible.

Tsubasa Masuwaka is a former model for gyaru magazines-turned-singer/entrepreneur who has perfected the art of being gyaru. In fact, thousands of gyaru look up to her as THE gyaru beauty queen to emulate. She really does look like a doll! Or maybe an anime character...

Tsubasa's look is pretty much the typical gyaru & more popular

Remember how we wanted to be princesses when we were little girls? Hime gyaru is a way for Japanese women to act out all their princess fantasies... in real life! Even Marie Antoinette would be jealous!  Blond curls, bouffant hair, lace, pearls, princess dresses and stockings, impeccable manners and behaviour - you'd swear hime gyarus are real royalty.

Beside ganguro, manba and hime gyaru, there are many sub-genres of gyaru (I won't mention all, or else this post would go on for days!) 

What does it take to become gyaru?

♥  It's all about the make up! Gyarus use circle lens which are contact lens designed to make their iris appear larger &  doll-like.

♥ Fake lashes. This is a must, for the wide awake dolly look. Also, eyelid tape is used to make eyes bigger.
♥  Winged liner
♥  Porcelain skin
♥ Sweet pink blush, milky pink or nude lips
♥ Blond, light brown or even black curled hair (wigs and extensions are expected!) A cute dolly fringe.
♥ Cute, glitzy nail art.
♥ Even cuter clothes - gyarus are seriously on trend and impeccably dressed! Don't forget about accessories.
♥ Well behaved, don't smoke, sweet demeanour, very lady-like or child-like and cutesy.
♥ I think the keyword here is cute. Everything just has to be CUTE CUTE CUTE!

There are even non-Japanese gyaru, or gaijin gyaru which is a term used to describe Westerners involved in the gyaru trends.  

There are even hundreds of tutorials on gyaru inspired makeup! I toyed with the idea of becoming gyaru, but then realised that I'd end up looking like a cabbage patch rag doll... I'll leave it to the enthusiasts! :)

Fascinating, don't you think? =^_^= 

Miss. Q. ♥