Essay Example on Gyaru: Japan's Wild Fashion Subculture for Two Decades

Gyaru is the parasol term referring to a fashion subdivision in Japan that lasted for dualistic decades. The subdivision is divided into several subcategories, such as hime grayu, yamaba, ganguro, kogyaru, and banba. However, the main style orientation for credentials remain stable, and they include sexy clothing, wild attitude, hair dyed in a bright color such as blond or brown, and heavy make-up. Some students considered the gyaru's birth as a result of the unstable economic condition of Japan after the bubble period of Japanese in which the market price of the stock was massively inflated (Goodman and Chinami 591). Nevertheless, the subcultural of gyaru is a social class interactions' reflection through the style of fashion. The paper discusses the importance of gyaru, which makes it accessible in Japan, as well as the essential cultural information relating to it.

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One thing that made gyaru important in japan is that it influenced the fashion of Japan. Many people believe that the fashion statement of gyaru came totally out of nowhere. However, it was indubitably at the beginning of the 1990s that people were more cognizant of the high school girls' droves with shortened uniform skirts, lightened hair, as well as tanned skin, carrying around luxurious brand-name bags whereas wearing expensive clothes with brand-name (Lieber-Milo and Hiroshi 26). These girls would lastly be known as Kogyaru, which is the gyaru's version that is most extensively known today. As with most related fashion, subculture groups of youth-centered, the movement of gyaru was alleged to have begun as a way of rebelling teenagers. However, unlike several of these groups like punk movement, instead of arising from the oppressed voices, it came around more as a rejoinder in contrast with the traditional beauty ideals seen in the more prosperous upper class.

Another thing is the influence of the economy. During the era of the Heisei, the Gyaru subgroup was at the peak. It influences the economy largely with several gyaru brands splitting out before the ultimate decline. In Tokyo, athwart the intersection from the station of Shibuya, a shopping mall was located there called Shibuya 109. It was a popular place for selling gyaru model clothing, and this is where the sub-culture fashion was seen most often. At the beginning of the 2000s, many people considered the shopping mall as the basis of newest as well as trendiest brands or items for gyaru from the prevalent large, recognized brand as "Gal brands" to further independent local designers (Goodman and Chinami 591). Although the shopping mall was initiated as the original gyaru style clothing source, the growth of style in popularity viewed brands succeeding by having available clothing through web shop, providing international shopping.

Both fashion and economic influence have made the gyaru popular in Japan. It has enhanced the economy by opening the shopping mall to ensure sufficient provision of style clothing. The hairstyle, dressing code, as well as other fashionable things, made it well known (Lieber-Milo and Hiroshi 26). Some vital information that is related to gyaru includes the way people used to dye the hair, sexy clothes that were being dressed by people in that era, teenage rebellion, and heavy make-up, among others.

Conclusion

In conclusion, gyaru played an essential role in Japan. The economy sector was enhanced with the purchase of fashionable things for that period. In several cases, people became aware of gyaru due to the opening of the mall. The trendy items that were being sold made it easy for the identification of gyaru.

Works Cited

Goodman, Roger, and Chinami Oka. "The invention, gaming, and persistence of the hensachi ('standardised rank score') in Japanese education." Oxford Review of Education 44.5 (2018): 581-598.

Lieber-Milo, Shiri, and Hiroshi Nittono. "From a Word to a Commercial Power: A Brief Introduction to the Kawaii Aesthetic in Contemporary Japan." Innovative Research in Japanese Studies 3 (2019): 13-32.