Heyaa Bunnies!
New blog here.
I was wondering for a long time if I should make a hime blog or not.
I worked on a hime academy for such a long time but I hated absolutely everything about it.
I wanted to break down "tutorials and tips" as much as possible to provide a detailed guide on how to become hime but I felt like I was repeating myself a lot.
Plus because english isn't my native language I had troubles putting my thoughts into words.
I thought taking pictures would help, so I researched a lot of pictures and made drawings to put into these posts as I am camera shy but still I disliked them.
Not to mention, I perceived it as exhausting to create it bcuz I had my own schedule and plan for every point of it.
But I figured Instagram isn't such a great platform to explain either. I would need to make a hundreds stories again to make a single point clear.
But lately I've been seing a lot of gyaru "guides", clearly made by beginners that only makes things worse (I think). So my hands are itching like crazy to write about it to make things clear.
And where is the best place to post about it if not on a blog?
I want this one to be mostly about hime gyaru and this time I try to keep it as casual as possible. No own pressure here anymore. If I post, I post. If not, I won't. And if my post is only containing 3 words, so it be.
I want to post this entry now, so I don't have a pretty blog design or anything...I will do that later.
So sorry for ugly ass blog.
I keep seeing tutorials and guides on how to become gyaru and what is important and what not but most of these tutorials always are so plain basic that it's clear it was made by a beginner as well...or from someone who hasn't studied gyaru for a long time.
So here is me "debunking" these gyaru "myths" as I will call them now.
For most points made by these tutorials I always found myself replying with "sometimes" and "If"...so maybe this post will be a better help.
Myth: As a gyaru you need a tan
I say: false!
Considering a tan is a must for gyaru is like saying everyone needs to look like a kuro gyaru.
As we all know, gyaru have plenty of substyles and it exists for years...and so the tan doesn't play a big role for most of these.
Tanning was an important part of the appearance for gyaru in the early days when it started in the 90s..however with the skin cancer awareness of tanning salons the popularity declined, and so it did for gyaru as well.
I would say around 2004-2006 you see more and more gyaru with pale skin instead of the tan look.
I think around 2008-2009 the tanning craze was off mostly...since also the tanning ads dissappeared in the magazines.
However substyles such as manba, kuro, tsuyome etc. have tanning as a must-have in their looks.
Also egg magazines were into the tan look after 2009 whereas in ageha are sunscreens for facial routines featured.
So you see, wether a tan is a must all relys on the question from what year your look will be and what substyle it is. (And what magazine is your inspo source).
As for tsuyome it is possible to go without a tan unlike most statements. Ever heard of 96gyaru? It's all about the tan and most of the time they wear tsuyome style...now look up the term "46gyaru"...
It's the same...without a tan.
Cute styles like hime, himekaji, amekaji, agejo etc. Do not need a tan at all.
For Manba/Yamanba, Ganguro however the tan is one of the basic "keys" of the looks.
The dark tan/skin makes the white make up look more contrast to it.
It's not possible to do these without tan/dark skin.
One time (I think a year ago maybe) I saw a post of someone claiming that it's possible to make manba without a tan...you "only need to wear a hibiscus necklace and platform boots".
I rarely heard that much bullshit.
If this person actually looked up more into manba they would have seen that the Atsuzoko (platform) look is one of the many ways to wear ganguro (90s gyaru)...but it's not necessary. There are many other ways to wear it. And the hibiscus around your neck? Thats also one of the many looks...I would say it's サーフ (surf kei) but for manba/ganguro. Anything tropical/aloha/summer inspired.
And there is also no tanning rule within gyaru style.
The tanning used to be a way to rebel against japanese beauty standards about the pale white skin.
However nowadays it's mostly about the looks.
Either because gals find it optically pleasant or because it makes their makeup stand out (for example for manba).
Gals from japan are not sensitive about the tanning/blackface topic...they literally don't care.
I used to tan a lot as well, I was obsessed with it because the darker I tanned the less visible were my selfharm scars, they practically dissapeared with tanning. And the marketing of these tanning lotions...the nice scents, the packagings...I def was a victim to it.
However tanning is super dangerous.
It's similiar to when you have an ED.
I got used to my tan and perceived my tanned skin as my normal skin, thus it had to get darker and darker and darker. I did not realise how dark my tan was.
I do now looking back at pictures.
I perceived myself as pale.
This is how tanning addiction works.
If I can suggest anything to anyone, then it is to ditch the tanning. For your own safety.
And become a gyaru with your natural skincolor.
Myth: You need gyaru makeup to be gyaru
I say: Mostly correct, but not completely
Makeup is one of the key elements of a gyaru lifestyle.
Most gyaru from japan would not leave their house without it and I agree on that point.
For a gyaru look to be complete it has to have the makeup.
Well, BUT...
It doesn't mean it's necessary 24/7.
Let's be honest, we are people, with lives...
And there are many reasons not to wear makeup.
I dont wear makeup at home or at work (physical work). It just doesn't make any sense...it's a waste of product after all. That doesn't make me less of a gyaru. If I have to go buy groceries after work I will be wearing no makeup and my work clothes (sweatpants and oversized shirt) of course.
I don't look gyaru. However it doesn't matter to me, because I know I AM Gyaru and I don't need to prove that to anyone? I do it for myself. It's my passion.
If you are going to make a gyaru look, make sure you do it with makeup. And if you only will be able to wear gyaru on weekends, so it be.
If it makes you feel better, you can deco your surroundings and wear chara PJs to make yourself feel more gal without looking gal.
Gyaru makeup consists of the following: colored circle lenses (CL), eyeliner, top lash, bottom lash.
However you can adjust your makeup however you need/like it.
Similiar to the tanning point, the makeup also depends on substyle and year.
For hime gyaru who like natural makeup, I suggest looking up gyaru makeup from 2006/2007.
They barely wore any lashes back then and especially no bottoms. Most of the looks had such natural cl, technically you could do it without.
Natural makeup works best for hime gyaru that wear Jesus Diamante. Their makeup is kept very clean and not to eccentric.
Makeup needs a lot of practice. Practice makes master. Try out different techniques, styles and research a lot about it.
Myth: there is a substyle for every gyaru
I say: substyles are the worst killers for beginners
I agree that it's amazing that gyaru has that many substyles and it's easier to describe a style with one word than with hundreds. However it also narrows someones creativity.
Gyaru is gyaru.
Most styles overlap, are mixed and also changed throughout the years. That's why it's so difficult sometimes to tell wether a look still counts as "XY" style.
As for hime, lots of gyaru also used to wear lolita or wore lolita clothings for hime gyaru.
Naturally it gets confusing...
Also there are so many "basic" coords for gyaru that are easy to recreate for beginners but are often denied by them because it doesn't look "gyaru enough".
You don't have to be a kogal or and agejo gal to be gal. Gyaru used to be trendsetters.
They loved to standout.
Ganguro in the early 00s started wearing kigurumis into town as a joke, created a whole trend for a couple months and then went for something else again...but here we are 20 years later calling it a substyle.
I personally think that's what most of substyles are...trends of a time period. That's it.
I suggest beginners to choose a magazine instead.
Ranzuki serves a different vibe than Ageha or Egg.
Each magazine features many styles but however still you can recognize that they follow a "pattern".
I think it's easier to create looks that way.
Also choosing obviously doesn't mean sticking to it.
I naturally feel myself more drawn to ageha and their looks. No matter wether it's hime, agejo, rokku or something you can't name.
Myth: The best place to shop is AliExpress
I say: AliExpress is a great place to shop cheap items but shouldn't be tip number one
When I started actually becoming gyaru after knowing it for a couple years I used to buy a lot on AliExpress...however I stopped after a couple months and since then very rarely buy from it.
My looks became better afterwards.
AliExpress sells products that will be of interest of many people, not specifically gyaru.
There are items you can use and especially things that are "one-time-use" or just a tiny detail of a look...it is acceptable.
However if you want to really go with a great look...I recommend buying secondhand.
Vinted for example.
Or check out facebook groups..
Buyee is also a great place to buy off mercari.
Most items are way cheaper over there...you can also find rare items.
I recommend buying a bunch then.
At first it's like a gunshot straight to your heart looking at the bill.
But it is WAY CHEAPER than buying each item over time.
As for hime again, depending on the looks you want to create you can buy locally or at non-gyaru shops.
I want to make a post about that sometime.
If you have sincere passion, consider DIY as well.
These are some of the statements I heard a lot right now. Of course there are many many more.
Please comment if there are any other statements you want me to look into.
I am on fire to create content rn🔥
You can also DM me them on instagram if you want to stay anonymously (Ig: bunnies.debunked).
What do you think about it? Agree or disagree?
I probably will change my blogdesign the next few days to spice things up a lil🙈💕
