Hello Babydoll: Gyaru Substyles

 



Gyaru Substyles: Backstory, and Information

Hello Babydolls -- in this post I want to briefly speak about the substyles of Gyaru. The weird, the fun, and the cute! Of course, I won't be covering every style known to exist, as that would be very time consuming...and endless. But, I will be talking about 3 substyles as well as their history!

Firstly- What is a substyle?
A substyle is defined as, "When a style is unique or of a different nature than what is considered "normal" for the style it originated from." (J-Fashion Wikia). Also, some styles may not have "substyles", because they don't really exist (yet). In Gyaru's case, that is the complete opposite, with the style branching HUNDREDS of substyles.

For reference, this is just a small look at some of the Gyaru substyles out there.

Chart by Lizzie Bee
Ganguro is the most traditional style of Gyaru, as it was mainly worn during the time Gyaru just started to take off as a style (90's-2000's) 

The first style I want to dive in to is Manba, which is one of the most popular substyle of Gyaru.


This style can be spotted from MILES away, with the excessive tanning, neon hair, and hot clothing! This substyle was inspired by "Westerners", but I think they really mean POC. This substyle emerged around the early 2000's as a branch off of the "classic Gyaru" subculture. Staples like tan skin and large eyes still remain prevalent. These Gyaru have amassed a lot of popularity since their debuts, with black creators on TikTok doing the style.

The next style I want to talk about is the complete opposite of Manba -- Hime Gyaru!


I mean, how could you not love the girly cuteness of these Gyaru? These girls are usually noticed from their "royal" look, as the "Hime" in Hime Gyaru literally means princess. These girls can usually be spotted from their big, curly voluminous blonde or brown hair, as well as their more toned down and "cute" makeup. They also wear a lot of flowers, hearts, big dresses, big bows, and lace. This style was based more on fairytale characters like Cinderella, and dolls like Barbie with their big dresses and long blonde hair. Noticeable changes were made to this style, as these girls don't tan excessively like Manba or Classic Gyaru. They also don't have extreme makeup like the Manba girls have either. This type of Gyaru is my personal favorite!

The last style I want to speak about is Gyaruo -- Gyaru; but for guys! 



These guys are totaallyy cool! They add styles from the Classic Gyaru like tan skin, light hair, and cool clothes. They can be spotted from their "extreme" and more western looking appearance. The Gyaruo were based off of "surfer-guys" and boys in the west. They also can be spotted with teased hair as well as cluttered and more masculine outfits. One noticable feature that these guys have is that they tan, but they don't wear makeup (like Classic Gyaru) to make their eyes appear larger. they usually wear contacts (as other Gyaru do) and that's about it. Their colors are also toned down, with blacks, blues, whites and browns being the opposite of most other gyaru styles which wear bright, and neon colors.

And I hope you enjoyed reading this! It's my third post and writing this blog is super fun! What Gyaru Substyle are you?


- Goodbye, Babydoll ♡

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