Are the girls above escaped mental patients? Are they protesting some breach of their civil liberties with a distasteful attempt at blackface? Do they suffer from some form of mental retardation? No. Unfortunately for the proud nation of Japan, these photos portray two formerly popular trends in Japanese fashion, “Ganguro” and “Yamanba.” … and my little brother is too embarrassed to be seen wearing matching Harry Potter costumes to the theater. Shhhesh!
Ganguro, literally “face-black,” is a fashion trend among Japanese girls, which has evolved from the earlier trend of “Chapatsu,” or hair dyeing. Chapatsu, which literally means “brown hair” was a trend which involved bleaching (or dyeing) the hair. While the style itself showed up in Tokyo in the in the early 90s, the word did not appear in Kojien (the Japanese equivalent of the Cambridge dictionary) until 1998. The style first gained popularity among teenage girls, who were seeking to accentuate their tanned skin (which in itself rebelled against traditional Japanese definitions of beauty), but quickly grew to be accepted in the mainstream.
Having become accepted by the mainstream, Chapatsu girls upped the ante. From Chapatsu, came “Kogals,” (an amalgam of either the Japanese word for “high school”, kōkō, or the Japanese word for “girl,” ko, and the English word “gal”), a subculture of girls and young women in urban Japan, whose look and behavior roughly approximates sun-tanned California Valley girls. Kogals are known for wearing platform boots, miniskirts, copious amounts of makeup, hair coloring (usually blond), artificial suntans, and designer accessories. Many vocal critics have decried the materialism that goes hand-in-hand with the Kogal subculture. Indeed, many Westerners mistake the term Kogal for “prostitute” due to the widespread practice of enjo kōsai, or “compensated dating,” that many times bankrolls such high priced fashion trends.
Ganguro girls are the next step in the spiraling insanity, and don’t confuse them with others. Evidently each step of this fashion evolution has a distinct subculture and each group is extremely sensitive about the distinctions. (Interestingly, some have described the Gothic Lolita fashion movement a reaction to all the Kogal craziness. Sort of like anti-kogals.)
The Ganguro look consists of: expensive bleach blond perms, hair dyed pink, blue, white, or yellow, deep tans, heavy black and white eyeliner, false eyelashes, platform shoes, brightly-colored outfits, and cellphones covered with purikura stickers, tie-dyed sarongs, mini-skirts, flower hairpins, and lots of jewelry. In school, Ganguro is abbreviated to pinned up skirts and “rusu-sokusu” (loose socks).
Extreme trend followers further bleach their hair to a bright platinum blond shade, get even deeper tans, wear white lipstick, brightly colored contacts, plastic or neon-colored clothing, and tiny metallic or glittery adhesives below their eyes. They also surround their eyes with multicolored pastel eyeshadow, to resemble a panda or raccoon. This is a fashion trend known as Yamanba, because, evidently, “Super Ganguro” just didn’t catch on. The term Yamanba comes the mythological Yama-uba, or mountain hag, whom the fashion is thought to resemble. In addition to their visual affectations, they also talk with a slurred speech and a loud, gregarious way of laughing.
… And that is officially more than you ever wanted to know about Japanese fashion …
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liz said
am April 25 2007 @ 6:27 pm
wow… that is aboslutely crazy! and i thought american girls were extreme with the hair dye and fake tans lol well thanks for the info!
tami said
am May 3 2007 @ 11:29 pm
NO, it’s true! Well, it was a few years ago. Last time I went to Japan (last summer) I didn’t see any of them, but somewhere in Japan, they exist!
jg said
am May 21 2007 @ 6:17 pm
Is there another level beyond Yamanba? What’s the latest trend?
jg
Lici said
am November 26 2007 @ 1:41 am
I was researching fashion and such…but this is a bit much. And I thought my little country town was evil with sunbathing, tanning booth “beauties”! I’ve never really seen anyhting this extreme since the “Goth/Emo” kids started popping up.
JOSE said
am December 31 2007 @ 12:16 am
DAMN THOSE BITCHES ARE UGLY, WHO THE FUCK WOULD WANT TO LOOK LIKE THAT EMO IS A BETTER FUCKING LOOK!!!
JOSE said
am December 31 2007 @ 12:16 am
DAMN THOSE BITCHES ARE UGLY, WHO THE FUCK WOULD WANT TO LOOK LIKE THAT EMO IS A BETTER FUCKING LOOK!!!
AnonymousGirl said
am January 20 2008 @ 1:11 am
I’ve known about this style for awhile now, and while at first I didn’t find it too appealing, I kinda caught up with it. Though I think with the tans and stuff being unhealthy, they pretty much know what they want to do. So if it involves their hair coming out with that dye and bleach, that’s fine with them. they’ll find a crazy blond, pink, orange, etc. wig and keep going.
I’d like to see how long it’ll last.
Blythe said
am January 24 2008 @ 4:49 pm
This is an awesome fashion! I know quite a bit on Japanese fashions and Yamanba has to be in with the extreme ones.
Maria said
am February 29 2008 @ 1:19 pm
Interesting…Y’know, I read about this fashion as part of a school project.
Aya said
am March 11 2008 @ 2:49 pm
pretty.. only wish that my stupid school let me wear like that.
Sonny said
am March 14 2008 @ 5:49 am
…They look like clowns.
I mean, seriously?
They look horrible.
Think about what theyre gonna look like when they start getting old.
The horror..
Eri said
am March 15 2008 @ 8:47 pm
I’m Japanese, and I personally think this as an Asian Disgrace… I mean, they look horrible, they seriously look like they had just lethal sunglass tan lines, and just UUGHHH!!! soo gross. Fortunately, it’s not that all Japanese fashion is like this, cuz most fashion is actually really cute and modern… and its a lot trendier than america (no offense)
Lithium said
am March 19 2008 @ 1:48 pm
Yo. If those chicks want to look like a freak then let them isn’t being differnt all aprat of acting and looking like you wanna? I mean hell Gothic lolita, emoness and goth in general have become popular so why nag on them? They’re just being who the hell they wanna be!!
Lithium said
am March 19 2008 @ 1:48 pm
Yo. If those chicks want to look like a freak then let them isn’t being differnt all apart of acting and looking like you wanna? I mean hell Gothic lolita, emoness and goth in general have become popular so why nag on them? They’re just being who the hell they wanna be!!
ok said
am March 21 2008 @ 5:41 am
ya…I don’t care if they are trying to be different or not…they look like fucking idiots. THEY SHOULD NOT TAN!
Do-Ka said
am March 26 2008 @ 11:19 am
I had a dream that they were children orphans in denial of race and boundaries. And after their vivid image did at first scar a permanent mental picture into my mind, I did sort of pity them as only fashion extremist.
Alex said
am April 11 2008 @ 5:11 pm
that macup is oful looking she needs to go and get the fashen polece to come and get her and take her away because she is making everyong blind wow hahaha
Jenna said
am April 16 2008 @ 10:43 pm
i think that there style is wicked.
Sort of like Kandi kid ravers, its hot!
KIMIKO said
am June 5 2008 @ 4:45 pm
WOW this is strange i don’t
think that is pretty at all
i don’t mind crazy fashions
(im a lolita) but i don’t think
anyone should call it HOT … maybe
individual but not hot
Rocío said
am November 18 2008 @ 5:02 am
I am working on an article about Ganguros, could you please contact me, I need some pictures!
Lala said
am April 1 2009 @ 5:33 am
so pathetic…lived in Japan for a couple of years- thought it was ridiculous and the whole “compensated dating thing ” to fund their fashion….disqusting…so glad to be home!!!!!!!