(, ) is a Japanese fashion subculture for all ages, often associated with gaudy fashion styles, an extreme makeup style and dyed hair. The term is a Japanese transliteration of the English slang word . In Japan, it is used to refer to young women who are cheerful, sociable, and adopt trendy fashions, serving as a stereotype of culture as well as fashion. The fashion subculture was considered to be nonconformist and rebelling against Japanese social and aesthetic standards during a time when women were expected to be housewives and to fit the East Asian, or specifically Japanese beauty standards of pale skin and dark hair. Early in its rise, the subculture was considered racy, and associated with juvenile delinquency and frivolousness among teenage girls. The term is also associated with 1990s and early 2000s dance and clubbing culture in Japan.
A popular subculture specific to the Heisei era (1989–2019) is "kogal () culture" or "kogal fashion,” and has been commercialized by Japanese companies such as Sanrio, and even introduced and supported as a Japanese brand by the Japanese government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with “Lolita fashion.” Its popularity peaked in the 1990s and early 2000s during the Heisei era in Japan but is currently having a revival in the last couple of years in Japan during the Reiwa era.
There is also a male equivalent of the subculture, known as .
History before culture 1970s The word is a Japanese loanword based on the English slang word "gal". Although it has not been fully confirmed, some people say that the term gal also became popular when Wrangler released women's jeans called "Gals" in 1972. When the word first began to be used in Japan in the 1970s, it referred to energetic, youthful women.
In 1978, a Japanese fashion information magazine for girls called "GAL'S LIFE" was first published. This magazine introduced the culture of women in the West Coast of the United States, and included punk rock music, along with other genres like new wave and indie. However, the magazine had nothing to do with Japan's culture. A few years later, GAL'S LIFE gained controversy due to its extreme expression of sexuality. (see Harmful books Progress in the regulation of harmful books).
In 1979, Kenji Sawada's song "OH! Gal'' became a hit.
1980s At the height of the bubble economy of Japan in the late 1980s, inspired by European fashion trends seen earlier in the decade, women began wearing tight bodycon dresses and suits that emphasized their body lines. This style was mostly worn by female college students and office ladies, and the word "gal" was used to refer to women of the younger generation. The phrases "" (lively attractive gal) and "" (cool gal) also appeared in the early 1980s.
Around this time, Shibuya saw the construction of several fashion and department stores, leading to the city becoming more youth-friendly.
On the other hand, in Harajuku, there was a huge boom in street dance culture called Takenokozoku in the early 1980s. Even in the late 1980s when Takenokozoku was on the decline, facets of youth culture such as live street performances remained popular in Harajuku.
Gal
Kogal and
From 1992 to 1993, just after the Japanese bubble burst, high school girls with short skirts, loose socks, and wearing uniforms appeared, which began to attract attention from the mass media. This pivotal movement marked the definitive rise of modern Gyaru lifestyle trends across Tokyo's youth districts.
During the same time period, Namie Amuro of Super Monkey's, had influenced many young girls with her style. Those who imitated the way she dressed called the style "Amuraa". Along with amuraa, other styles, such as 1970s style surfer fashion and LA fashion had become popular among teenage girls. One particularly significant change in fashion was the rise of brown dyed hair, which is theorized to have become popular because of the rise of Amuro.
By 1993, the office lady/female college student boom that had been going on since the 1980s had completely ended due to the collapse of the bubble economy, and the "high school girl boom" was in full swing. From around 1995, this symbolized that even the entertainment of young people was changing to a culture centered around younger high school and junior high school girls.
There are various theories about the origin of the word Kogal, but the most popular theory is that the term was originally used as a slang term to distinguish high school girls who were not allowed to enter night clubs from adult women. There is also a theory that the word "" was derived as an abbreviation of "High school girl" in Japanese.
Another derivative word that was created through the initiative of the mass media was "", which refers to a junior high school girl.
During this period, Kogal was popular to the degree there was also a " boom" in the media, including shows and weekly magazines, featuring specials about kogals on a regular basis. However, in the shadow of this, various issues such as the lack of a concept of chastity and moral values among young people were also brought up at the same time. In particular, with regard to "Enjo kōsai'' (compensated dating), there were concerns that laws prohibiting child prostitution and child pornography had not yet been established, and this was strongly viewed as a problem. It has also been noted that for many gals, it was only through these sources of funds that they could dress up in the extremely expensive fashions of the culture.
While Kogal was popular in the 1990s, it was rarely seen in the mass media anymore in the 2000s. However, in foreign countries such as the United States, Kogal is also often used as a general term to describe Japanese high school girls. In some places, Kogal is also used as a form of fetish category.
1990s
Even into the 1990s, the word gal continued to be used. In particular, the "" that appears in the manga Sweet Spot, drawn by Yutsuko Chusonji gained so much recognition that it won the Buzzword Award. This term is usually used for young women who act like old men. Although this term has little to do with fashion itself, it can be said that it was one of the first indicators that were "cutting-edge in appearance, but somehow lacked order and manners in their speech and behavior". Later on, modern was compared with .
Around this time, Shibuya's shop tenants such as 109 and PARCO gradually shifted to catering to teenagers, establishing the area as a cutting-edge district for teen fashion.
Meanwhile, since around 1993 in Harajuku, street fashion has flourished, as tenant rents were relatively low. From around 1998, Gothic Lolita fashion began to emerge, which later became connected to as its opposer of ideals to , forming an even more diverse youth culture.
Reiwa era
Unlike , is characterized by greater diversity, reduced emphasis on strict aesthetic rules, and a focus on individual expression rather than standardized appearance..
In contrast to -era , which was often associated with heavy makeup, deep tanning, bleached hair, and clearly defined substyles, Reiwa encompasses a wide range of fashion and makeup approaches. These may include both bold and minimal looks, as well as the blending of gyaru elements with other styles such as street fashion, , , Y2K, and minimalist aesthetics.
The concept of “ mind”—emphasizing confidence, independence, and resistance to social conformity—has become more prominent than specific visual markers. As a result, Reiwa is often described as less prescriptive and more inclusive than earlier iterations of the subculture..
Print magazines, which played a central role in gyaru culture during the 1990s and 2000s, have largely been replaced by social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter), where individuals share styling, makeup, and interpretations of identity.
Overall, Reiwa-era gyaru represents an evolution of the subculture that prioritizes personal identity, flexibility, and digital community over fixed visual conventions.
Appearance
Gyaru fashion is strongly associated with strongly tanned skin and voluminous bleached or colorful hair, plus dramatic eye makeup and large lashes. Many wear flashy, Western-inspired clothing, particularly inspired by Y2K aesthetics.
Fashion varies widely between substyles; for example, Amura gyaru featured brown hair, tanned skin, miniskirts and boots. Later on Shiro gyaru style emphasized pale skin, bleached blonde hair, elaborate eyelashes, and nail art. School uniforms were also common.
By the early 2010s, fashion was typically characterized by a face with matte foundation, silver or golden eye shadow, dark lash line with false eyelashes for both upper and lower eyelid, pale or cool colored lips, colored contacts and tanned skin as it is considered a must in some substyles. Though other sub-styles do not demand tanned skin but rather fair skin. They were also most often seen with highly elongated and decorated artificial nails especially with 3D charms or varying nail art. s also generally wear their hair in varying extreme voluminous hairstyles and different arrangement of hairstyles such as ponytails. Dyed hair such as blonde is seen although this may change from person to person.
The dramatic nature of makeup is considered essential to the subculture, with deviations depending on which substyle one partakes in. Makeup typically consists of black or brown eye shadow on the lower lash line to close but also enlarge the eyes, black eye liner which is drawn as a downward curved line to make the eyes appear rounder, known as puppy liner, , or "droopy eyes" in English. There is also a makeup technique known as the droop in . By connecting the upper eyelid eye liner and eye liner at the lower eyelid and even below the eye, this space is known as the droop. Fake eyelashes should also be spiky or anime style due to the false eyelash having a cluster-like look and not a wispy-like look; though this notion is mostly brought through the 2000s and 2010s popularity of which had a greater use of the spiky fake eyelashes. Later with Western influences would any fake eyelashes of dramatic nature be considered .
Sometimes to increase the size and appearance of the eyes, a white, silver, or highlighted colored eye shadow would be applied to the inner or outer corners and the lower lashline of the eye. This is to make the eyes appear larger or to contour them to elongate the sclera of the eye. Conversely, it is sometimes said in online communities that white eyeshadow applied to the extremities of the lower lash line can be frowned upon, as it creates a cosplay-like appearance. It is also seen in the makeup application of that a touch or a small triangle is applied with black eyeliner in the inner corner of the eyes.
Contouring different parts of the face to change facial features and highlighting the nose for a straight and slimming but also heightening effect is often done. This highlight should be done by a line going straight down the nose with concealer or white color; this technique is known as the nose strip in groups. Button nose contour is often done by some overseas especially in Chinese communities where these looks are prevalent, but looked down upon in other or Western spaces. This application of contouring, especially in a more button shape, is not a conventional look. Lips are almost never seen of a darker color or dark (black) shade, though there are some exception such as in - and/or -style looks. Most of the time lips are often colored using concealer, white, or a lighter pink color. Blush should not be applied all over the face such as with or "drunken blush". It should also never be applied on the nose, but should be applied closer to the middle of the cheeks and closer to the eyes, such as the apples of the cheeks.