Ganguro (ガングロ, Ganguro^?) is an alternative fashion trend among young Japanese women which peaked in popularity around the year 2000, but remains evident today. The Shibuya and Ikebukuro districts of Tokyo are the center of ganguro fashion. For other uses, see Fashion (disambiguation). ... Categories: Wards of Tokyo | Japan geography stubs ... Ikebukuro Ikebukuro at night Ikebukuro at night Ikebukuro (池袋), a part of Toshima ward, is a large commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo, Japan. ... For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ...

Characteristics

In ganguro fashion, a deep tan is combined with hair dyed in shades of orange to blonde, or a silver gray known as "high bleached". Black ink is used as eyeliner and white concealer is used as lipstick and eyeshadow. False eyelashes, plastic facial gems, and pearl powder are often added to this. Platform shoes and brightly-colored outfits complete the ganguro look. Also typical of ganguro fashion are tie-dyed sarongs, miniskirts, and lots of bracelets, rings and necklaces. Platform sandals with wooden sole Platform court shoes with open toes Platform trainer Platform boot, ankle length Platform shoes are shoes, boots, or sandals with thick soles, often made of cork, plastic, rubber, or wood (wooden-soled platform shoes are technically also clogs), generally worn strictly for fashion, and/or... Tie-dye is typically brightly colored, patterned textile or clothing which is made from ordinary cloth, usually cotton, through a resist dyeing process known as tie-dyeing. ... A sarong or sarung is a large sheet of fabric, often wrapped around the waist and worn as a skirt by men and women throughout much of south Asia and southeast Asia, parts of Africa, and on many Pacific islands. ... A woman modelling a miniskirt The miniskirt (often hyphenated as mini-skirt) is a skirt with a hemline well above the knees (generally 20 cm - about 8 inches - or more above knee level). ...

The deep ganguro tan is in direct conflict with traditional Japanese ideas of feminine beauty. Due to this, as well as their use of slang, unconventional fashion sense, and perceived lack of hygiene, ganguro gals are almost always portrayed negatively by the Japanese media. Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ... Gyaru (ギャル) is a Japanese transliteration of the English word gal. ... The communications media of Japan include numerous television and radio networks as well as newspapers and magazines. ...

Fashion magazines like Egg and Cawaii have had a direct influence on the ganguro. Other popular ganguro magazines include Popteen and Ego System. The ganguro culture has evolved its own synchronized dances, called Para Para. Participants do predetermined moves at the same time, usually as accompaniment to J-pop music. Para Para events are held by ganguro circles, and involve either going to clubs to perform Para Para or gathering to learn new dances. Egg magazine (EGG) is a photo periodical distributed in Japan. ... Popteen (ポップティーン) is a monthly teenage fashion magazine published by the Kadokawa Haruki Corporation in Japan. ... Para Para (Japanese: パラパラ; also Para-Para or ParaPara) is a popular Japanese solo dance. ...

People generally associate the ganguro look with the old style. The newer style consists of a mid- tan, natural makeup, long white to brown hair styles with curls or straightened and backcombed. Current clothing trends include mini shorts, knee socks, tanktops, etc.

One of the most famous early ganguro girls was known as Buriteri, nicknamed after the black soy sauce used to flavor yellowtail fish in teriyaki cooking. Egg made her a star by frequently featuring her in its pages during the height of the ganguro craze. After modeling and advertising for the Shibuya tanning salon "Blacky", social pressure and negative press convinced Buriteri to retire from the ganguro lifestyle.^[1]

Yamanba

Yamanba (ヤマンバ, Yamanba^?), is a newer term often used to describe extreme practitioners of ganguro fashion. Yamanba feature darker tans and add white lipstick, pastel eye makeup, tiny metallic or glittery adhesives below the eyes, brightly-colored contact lenses, plastic dayglo-colored clothing, and incongruous accessories to the ganguro look. Some yamanba wear stuffed animals as decorations. The male equivalent is called a "center guy" (センター街, Sentaagai^?, Center Street), a pun on the name of a pedestrian shopping street near Shibuya Station in Tokyo where yamanba and center guys are often seen. A soft contact lens A contact lens (also known as contact, for short) is a corrective or cosmetic lens placed on the cornea of the eye atop the iris. ... Blacklight paint or blacklight-reactive paint is paint that glows under a blacklight (a source of light whose wavelengths are primarily in the ultraviolet range). ... Shibuya station platform The statue of Hachiko is a famous meeting place. ... For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ...

Etymology

The etymology of the word "ganguro" is disputed. Some academics claim that the name derives from the word ganguro (顔黒, ganguro^? blackface), but ganguro practitioners invariably say it derives from the phrase gangankuro (ガンガン黒, gangankuro^? exceptionally dark). The term yamanba derives from Yama-uba, the name of a mountain hag in Japanese folklore whom the fashion is thought to resemble. It is sometimes shortened to manba in Japanese slang. Not to be confused with Entomology, the scientific study of insects. ... This reproduction of a 1900 minstrel show poster, originally published by the Strobridge Litho Co. ... Yama-uba (mountain crone) is a monster found in Japanese folklore. ... Japanese folklore is the folklore of Japan. ...

References

• "Blackfaces, Witches, and Racism Against Girls", by Sharon Kinsella, in Bad Girls of Japan, Laura Miller and Jan Bardsley eds., Palgrave, 2005.
• Klippensteen, Kate, and Everett Kennedy Brown (photographer). Ganguro Girls: The Japanese "Black Face". Cologne: Koenemann, 2001. ISBN 3-8290-7926-5.

External links

• A detailed reference of all the Gyaru GAL Styles with photos.
• Japanorama Video of Japanese Female Subcultures including Ganguro