パギャル cont..
hi family, since joining twitter and seeing and becoming friends with other girls who're serious about fashion, I've learned about the gyaru subreddit.. I think some of what's posted there is fun, and it's cool to see people progress, but some of it makes me think a lot.
For the overall topic, one thing I see talked about a lot on there is the rules/specifics in gyaru that are (supposedly) heavily enforced, especially in the foreign gal community. Now if I can be completely honest (and don't bite my head off!) I don't really think that's true.. I think a lot of you guys just have lame outfits and are bad at makeup.
Now to keep it real! When I first started getting money to buy my own clothes, it took me awhile to actually have 'good' or 'fashionable' outfits. I think even today, some of what I wear isn't at the standard I'm wanting and I think it looks lame.. but fashion and cool girls have always taken up part of my mind. So I want to keep doing more so that I can look cool too. So when I see people make these posts, or post themselves, it makes me wonder if they also have always aspired to look cool.
Another thing worth mentioning, even still today, there's quite a few of these supposed rules that I actively don't follow. I don't wear color-con, I wear my hair straight (and unstyled (-ᄒᴥᄒ-)), and (it upsets me but 😔) more often than not I can't be assed to keep my nails designed. Yet to everyone internationally, including the Japanese girls, I am very easily recognizable gyaru.
I want to break down parts of the post as well but I'm not very good at this type of thing, so please bear with me..
"anytime someone posts themselves and it isn't extreme, people attack saying it isn't 'real gyaru' " The only instances I can think of and have seen where the makeup, wigs/hair styling, and/or coordination isn't bad and these comments are being made, is if the original poster is black. A lot of people pushing their way into these online spaces are just plain racist, and this is a real problem that black creators regularly speak out about.
With that being said, if you are calling yourself gal, and you're receiving these comments from other gals, you more than likely just look like shit.
Saying that, I feel it important to mention something that I really like about gal that I think isn't really thought about all that much. I like that you don't have to be 'pretty' to do it. Which sounds kind of awful to say, but it's the truth. I'll be showing my mom models from my magazines, and she'll say, "oh that girl's kinda weird looking" and I'll say, "yeah, but like, she's cute" and then I think she understands my point of view a little bit more. I like gyaru because anyone can be cute, the flashy clothes are like a sign. To me, gyaru is about expressing your feelings with fashion and makeup, not words or attitudes. I don't really know how to express myself, so to be able to do it through appearance and find other girls like me is something I don't take for granted.
I don't think there are actual 'rules' to being gal, if your heart is in it, people can tell. But if you don't give it your all, you don't have these aspirations (even though they're trivial), and you're not committed to being understood this way, you'll always feel left out. Gyaru is being fashionable with friends!
It makes me think of one frequent comment I'd get on tiktok, "how do I be gyaru?" you either are or you're not! And I think that's the problem these people frequently run into. Just because you like it doesn't mean that it's you.
Yeah no I definitely agree and feel like people are just whinny sometimes, and I don’t wanna sound like those conservative fuckwads, but people are truly sensitive if you don’t coddle them. Like I’m pretty sure the “gatekeepers” they’re talking about are non-existent/they’re exaggerating. For instance, you’d see a shit load of “white droops r valid fuck gatekeepers” posts but I ain’t seen a single person outright say “no white droops EVER,” everyone I see says “no white droops unless u knowing what ur doing.” And what I find funny is when some people are called out for butchering gyaru or literally any other subculture, the response is “well it’s anti-conformist aint it??” … yes but that’s not the only criteria. If we just applied this logic for every subculture, then no subcultures would exist distinctively and are just labels. There would be no “alt” community at all. Im copy & pasting what I saw someone else say cuz they worded it perfectly, “Just because something is "counter-culture" doesn't mean that it doesn't have its own trends and expectations that you abide by those trends. There is a reason you can identify groups by both looks and behaviors and/or speech patterns.” And I don’t like how “oh but babygals” are the common counter argument, cuz… you can just learn… heck even look at you Cindy!! I was surprised when u posted ur 2nd galanni cuz ur dedication made me think u were a vet. You just gotta have your heart in the right place to be dedicated towards a subculture, otherwise byee~ ✌️Many rules are just unspoken or very subjective/case-to-case, which isn’t exclusive to gal, like how (East Asian comm, not Western comm) lolita doesn’t have a strict definition and is mostly frilly vibes. (For instance a lot of Chinese lolita tends to show skin, which is frowned upon in the west unless if its Ero-lolita.) A lot of Jesus Diamante staff broke the “rules” in make, but read as gal thanks to their co*de and hair, really just vibes… I think my sayings are a lil redundant tho as you’ve touch on pretty good points already.
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