Yes hi, hello. Remember when I said that Shibuya literally creates as much as it destroys? Should it surprise anyone by now that Shibuya109 has their own development and research team literally dedicated to these types of trends and studies? Alright, now let me set the scene for you: It’s 2019, which is not only the 40th anniversary of Shibuya109 but also EGG ‘brilliantly’ came back through the 10,000 RT to bring it back + rewarding 100 eggs to 100 people. This brief resurgence into Heisei Gyaru at the time needed some sort of explanation, and as such, Shibuya109’s research department’s director (Nagata from here onwards) gave a lot of insight into this in an interview with NewR25.
Nagata: Recently, I think there are two main reasons why it is said to be a “Gyaru revival.” One is that the reader generation of the NewR25 (aged 20’s to early 30’s) saw the movie “SUNNY Strong Feelings / Strong Love” and sympathized with the nostalgic elements of the movie on SNS, which created a trending topic. Second, about two years ago , opinion leaders of around ages 15 to 24, such as Kiko Mizuhara and Kemio, began to disseminate Gyaru culture. As a result, I think that Gyaru culture has gotten to the younger generation who did not know or get to experience the Gal boom back in the 90’s.
Why did Kiko Mizuhara & Kemio pay attention to Gyaru culture?
Nagata: It’s just a guess, but I think they’ve always longed for Gyaru. I think that both Kiko and Kemio were in the heyday of the gal boom when they were in grade school. From an early age, they must have had a strong admiration for gals: “I want to wear Gal makeup when I grow up” and “I want to wear flashy clothes”, but when they were finally the same age as the gals at the time, the Gal boom was already over.
Are Gyaru fashion and makeup spreading among current youth along with this “Gyaru Resurrection” movement?
Nagata: No, I don’t think so. The younger generation doesn’t want to imitate, but the impression is “fresh!” & “cute!”. They don’t wear this kind of clothes, but it’s kind of like “just looking at it is cute”. For example, egg model Momo Ito is very popular among high school girls, but I wonder if there is usually one of these girls who wears that kind of makeup. It’s sometimes called a “revival” in the real world, but in reality, I think it is a transient movement combined with the context of the conclusion of Heisei.
[Translator Note: the reason that they’re referring to Gyaru as an Otaku is because Nagata observes that the makeup, hairstyles, fashions, and every other element that makes one a Gal, is a passing trend rather than a “requirement” which is what was originally thought of.]
For those new to Gyaru: The word Gal is a borrowed word derived from the slang word “gal” in American English, which refers to a young woman in English. It is also used especially when fashion and lifestyle are considered outlandish, but they refer to young women who are shared as a culture to some extent by their generation (Gyaru). The word gal has been popular since the release of women’s jeans called Gals by Wrangler in 1972. Also, in Tokyo, Shibuya PARCO opened in 1973, and there was a change that Shibuya became the cutting edge of fashion as a youth town instead of Shinjuku. At that time, Gal was referring to women dressed in new fashion.
Gal was defined as a woman dressed in new fashion when the word was born, but nowadays, people who are doing “Gal fashion” are no longer seen …
Nagata: Actually, Gals haven’t completely disappeared to begin with.
But I don’t see Gal fashion with this younger generation.
Nagata: It’s true that few girls do that kind of fashion. However, in the first place, the clothes of gals at that time are associated with words that refer to one of the fashion styles, so it’s natural that they’ll disappear with the fashion. Thinking more essentially about “What is the definition of a Gal” and “What is common to young fashion-loving youth who come to SHIBUYA109 for a long time”, I think there is a key to the Gal mind and spirit, not the appearance.
That’s the “Otaku Heart” – I think this is the only unchanging mindset among the youth who come to SHIBUYA109 both now and in the past.
Oh… I don’t feel like I’m both Gal AND a nerd though.
Nagata: Past youth had a strong quest for false eyelash length, eyeshadow color, hair color, and how to be cute. In short, it was “my otaku”, wasn’t it? On the other hand, today’s youth have a great love for content such as K-POP and YouTubers. It is self-expression that the “otaku mind” that was once directed toward “me (inner)” turns outward and spends time and money on what they like.
I interview 100 youth who come to SHIBUYA109 once a month, but the percentage of youth who have an object that can be called “otaku” exceeds 70%. The word “otaku” is used as a matter of course among 20 year olds.