10 Weeks of Gyaru Blogging: My Story🌺

Hello Cuties~

     It's time for another entry of "10 Weeks of Gyaru Blogging"!

☆ Why did you start Gyaru? ☆

     I've done a few posts like this, in which, I talk about where it all began for me.  But this is a bit of a different approach.  Not how I started, but rather, why ?

     So you may already know that I came across gyaru while researching visual kei bands and makeup tutorials.  Someone had introduced me to jrock in high school, and I was fascinated with the sound as much as the visuals.  Their clothing, makeup, and hair were so different to me.  Nothing like I had ever seen before.  I wanted to find out more.  And that's when a gyaru makeup tutorial popped up in my search!

     Being that I was already a makeup enthusiast, it caught my attention immediately.  Again, I had that "I've never seen anything like it" feeling.  Whenever I find something that's new and intriguing to me, I go ALL IN.  I become obsessed and it's all I think of in my free time.  From the time I got home from school, to the time I went to bed, I'd try to find more about Gyaru.

     I've also mentioned this in my story, but in the beginning I didn't even know the term Gyaru.  My frequent search terms would be "Japanese fashion" and "Japanese makeup".  But once I finally acquired that missing link, the real fun began!  That was about the time I created my Tumblr blog.  And found quite the Gyaru community there too.

     To my surprise a lot of blogs were dedicated to Gyaru.  I found out so many things; so many substyles, magazines, and models!  I read somewhere how Gyaru began and why the style was so extreme to some people.  It was a rebellion against the beauty standards in Japan, and that surprised me.  I recalled the typical image of "beauty" in Japan: fair skin, dark hair, minimal makeup.  And Gyaru was the exact opposite.

     Now I realize others might not connect in the same way that I did, but in that moment, I realized Gals found beauty in dark skin.  It was different for me to see dark or tan skin glorified.  It was common for black girls to grow up in a space of "lighter is better".  Light complexions were desired and I didn't grow up loving the skin I was in.  Things are definitely different today!  But for me, Gyaru was the first step for me in loving myself and growing self confidence.

     With Gyaru, I felt like I could transform myself.  It was my chance to have my Cinderella moment, except I can do it whenever I want! (lol)  Another thing that got me into Gyaru was knowing there was a huge group of people who felt the same way about Gyaru.

     The utmost important factor was finding representation.  It was encouraging seeing people of color in the Gaijin Gyaru community.  To see it with my own eyes gave me that push to say "well if they can do it, they I can do it too"!  Dare I say it, with Gyaru I was capable of feeling cute, chic, tough, exquisite, or sexy.  Before Gyaru I could never voice such things.  It took me years, but I'm proud of how far I've come.

So what's your story?  Why did you start Gyaru?

~ Love you x Amiman ~