Welcome to part 3 of this doom-like series! The influence of Gyaru/Kogal on Japanese pop culture has been long-lasting and widely discussed (and honestly, this is a whole other monster I’m due to pick apart at some point). The rise and fall of this phenomenon are what we’ll discuss today, as well as its effect on Shibuya’s fashion culture and society in general.
If you’re new here, you may wonder why I’m talking about Kogals first. Well, if you don’t know what a Kogal is, let me explain: they were the girls who started the Gyaru boom back in the 1990s (also check out the Kogal boom article for more info).
During this time, women still didn’t have much say in fashion trends (circa 1996) until Kogals made their voice known. As such, they practically dictated trends such as the use of pagers, photo booths, and so much more. This led to the Namie Amuro boom; a craze over Amura/Amure style which was popularized by Namie Amuro and her group Super Monkeys during their heyday (B-Gal was also super popular at this point, but we won’t get into that in this post).
As with all fads, once Namie Amuro’s era and the consequent craze over the Amurer/Amura style were gone, the princess era began through Ayumi Hamasaki’s rise in popularity. The princess era was a style that emphasized cute and gimmicky accessories, naturally reflecting the current generation’s obsession with Hello Kitty in the nineties. This era also saw the rise of Serebu fashion before heavily delving into what we know of Agejo and Hime fashion. Essentially, this is known to be the most important part of Gyaru history because it was what really made Gyaru popular (and subsequently led to its demise). This was mainly due to the fact that the idea that each new and rising star brought along many Gyaru substyles with it: Amuro made way for OG styles such as Ganguro, Amurer, and B-Gal. Even before that, Kogals had rebelled and created styles like Yamanba and Manba. The princess era by Hamasaki brought the rise of Shiro-gyaru (white/pale Gyaru) through substyles like Serebu, Agejo, and Hime. Koda Kumi’s reign brought an emphasis on the stronger styles like Tsuyome, Rokku, and early OraOra, and Kana Nishino’s was the proverbial nail in the coffin by showcasing softer, more adaptable styles like Himekaji.
(Darla covers this in her guest writing articles and soooo much more! If you haven’t gotten a chance to read this mini-series from here, you can do so here How J-Celebrity Culture Contributes to Gyaru Fashion: Avex, Popteen, and the Future, by Toxic Tsukino )
Pop culture isn’t entirely to blame though; because the end of the 2000s also saw an era of what is known as “influencer” culture which would swiftly replace charismas; a culture that’s been around as long as the mid-’80s. Influencer culture was fueled by social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to start, now encompassing platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, where users can post their daily lives and activities for others to see, while also interacting with other users through direct messaging or comments. This type of online communication opened up new doors for people to express themselves in ways that were previously impossible: from posting photos taken at parties or on vacations, to simply expressing opinions about certain brands or companies – all this could be done through one’s personal account on these platforms.
The third part of this downfall is marked by the rise of SNS. The reason why this has led to the decline of Gyaru culture is that it became too mainstream and overdone like that gothic girl who used to wear all black eyeliner everywhere in high school and now lives in New York City and wears only pastels. Nowadays, the younger generations would dress like they’re Gyaru but nobody knows what it means anymore! But that’s the thing, we have one part of a younger generation that flat out REFUSES to learn and research, and the other part that doesn’t have all of the resources we had back then and only gets bits and pieces (which typically tends to be the same recycled information on a very basic level [think onions and layers]).
Also during this time period was when K-Pop started taking over Japan (which it still is today). This era was called the “idol boom” because idols were everything back then. There were idol girl groups such as AKB48, SKE48 & NMB48 competing against each other while they sang songs about love or friendship or whatever it was they wanted you to feel from their music videos because at least 1 out of every 5 songs has some sort of theme behind it nowadays.
But let’s discuss the newer generation for a sec…
Now, quick disclaimer, I’m fully aware that this does not apply to some of the newer generation. As I mentioned above, there’s a bit of half and half going on with not WANTING to learn, and not BEING ABLE to or only getting bare bones (which is kind of honestly why I even bother with this blog instead of being casual she says, even though she can’t bloody well write a casual post to save her life). But let’s set that aside for a sec and really take a look at the big picture:|
So, unfortunately, and depending on how you look at it, also rather, fortunately, young generations are being forced to adhere to these trends or be shunned by society. This of course doesn’t include the younger generations that are literally scalping the discontinued Gyaru brands, destroying them through alterations, or discarding them after the next fad comes along (that’s a completely separate bone I’ll pick with the ones that do this because obviously not all of the younger generation does this).
Let’s get back to the point, yeah?
Unfortunately, young generations are being forced to adhere to these trends or be shunned by society because of social media and influencers. These influencers create the illusion of living a glamorous life and push their followers in order to make money off them. They also use words like “it’s just clothes” or “it’s all about self-expression.” But it isn’t just clothing; it’s a way of life that keeps us afraid of standing out. And the thing is that it’s not even random influencers that are strictly doing this – we can observe this with mature/grown-up/evolved Galmos that deck themselves in nothing but luxury brands, but that’s also slightly beside the point.
Fast fashion has also influenced younger generations on how they should dress: cheaper and faster! The clothing industry has been moving away from slow, high-quality production methods toward mass-produced cheap goods with low-cost materials so they can make more profit (and have less inventory). A lot of fast fashion companies have been using sweatshops overseas where workers receive lower wages than normal employees would get paid here at home, sometimes not even minimum wage is paid…
This of course opens up a whole other can of worms because 1) yes, there are a few former Gal models that actually own sustainable fashion brands, not counting the sustainable brands that already exist overseas 2) we’re absolutely not the right demographic for this shit considering we’re all up in Buyee’s grill getting second-hand everything rather than paying the retail price with existing brands. The facts are that Gyaru have never actually been ideal consumers for anything other than fast fashion or mid-range fashion (the equivalent of a JP gal paying retail for CocoLulu and the gaijin gal paying retail for Guess).
I spoke about the effect that SNS and overall technology had on the decline of Gyaru, if you need a refresher head on over to that post (The Day That Gyaru Died) before continuing.