gyaru

Gyaru is a Japanese fashion subculture known for dyed or bleached hair, dramatic eye makeup and false lashes, often a deep tan, and flashy, glamorous clothes. The word is the Japanese pronunciation of the English “gal.”

What gyaru looks like

• Hair dyed light brown, blonde or bleached
• Heavy eye makeup and big false lashes
• Often a tan, which some substyles require
• Flashy, glamorous clothes and accessories

There isn’t one gyaru look. Substyles range from the schoolgirl-inspired kogyaru to the extreme tans and bleached hair of ganguro, which is a type of gyaru rather than another word for it.

Examples

• “Her old photos from Shibuya are full gyaru: tan, blonde hair, lashes for days.”
• “Her makeup looks straight out of a 2003 issue of Egg.”
• “She’s been studying gyaru eye looks for weeks.”

Where it came from

Gyaru took shape in Tokyo in the 1990s, and Tokyo Weekender describes it as a form of rebellion against traditional ideas of Japanese femininity. The first wave, kogyaru, came from high school girls who shortened their uniform skirts. The Shibuya 109 shopping center became its fashion hub, and singer Namie Amuro is often credited with popularizing the tanned look.

The magazine Egg, founded in 1995, became the subculture’s bible. Gyaru peaked from the 1990s into the early 2000s, and Egg printed its last issue in 2014. It returned online in 2018, and Wikipedia notes a broader gyaru revival in recent years.

Gyaru vs. Harajuku styles

Gyaru is centered on Shibuya and a glamorous, tanned, “party girl” image. Harajuku styles like decora or Lolita are a different scene, more about cute or elaborate costume-like looks.

Related terms

• decora: colourful, accessory-heavy Harajuku style
• kawaii: the Japanese culture of cuteness
• yami kawaii: “sick cute” fashion
• baddie: a confident, glamorous woman
• kidcore: childhood-nostalgia style

See more terms like this in our internet aesthetics guide.