Hi everyone!
I was snooping around Danielle Rianna's blog and remembered she did a post about how she got into gyaru (please read it here).
Since I was sick for the past few weeks (fuck COVID tbh) I have no new content nor I have been able to do any makeup.... so, I decided to walk along my gyaru timeline and how I got to this. I am also going to roast myself and the J-fashion com a little.
Buckle up, cuz this is going to be a ride.
As a teenager, I used to be into otaku stuff, like I would read all the Shoujo Beat magazines I could. Amongst all those numbers there would always be ads about creeper shoes and lolita articles. I was also highly attracted by Ai Yazawa's work. Eventually, I came to know about J-fashion and visual kei thru J-Music (Nana Kitade, Ali Project, the Gazette, SuG, Tommy, etc).
Around the time I was 16, I started wearing decora and a mixture of oshare-kei or whatever I could find that suited my "nyappy" ass. I made a lot of my clothing and accessories back then. I had a lot of time, energy, imagination, and a nonexistent budget. I was basically, like many kids in the scene a low-budget Harajuku kid from Mexico. I even participated in my local Harajuku meets and organized my own.
The J-fashion community back home was as sweet and toxic as it could be. However, I found my place and many many friendships that I keep to this very day.
By the time I was 18 I already knew what gyaru was. I remember vividly the first time I saw Ageha magazine scans and that reddish-brown hair tone pretty much everyone wore back in the day. I fell for Jesus Diamante and what I considered myself in love with himegyaru. I was an avid researcher for j-fashion. I learned all the styles and trends as well as all the brands I could memorize. However, I attempted the look for a short while and gave up.
Me and my sister in a Harajuku Day Walk circa 2011-2012. Her outfit was totally handmade by me and my mom. I of course thrifted almost everything.
OG McDonald's meet. Like 50 of us would fill the restaurant right after every J-fashion meeting in Mexico City.
I totally love everyone's craftiness and creativity back then♥
It was 2011 and my transition phase had begun, it was hard to let go of my decora self. So I suffered a period of visual kei inspired looks and whatever I managed to put together. To me, it was easier to not label myself anymore since I was scared to be called a poser. So I slapped on the term "Aomoji-kei" cuz it was safer to do so back then.
Dress made with literally a cheap leftover fabric for less than a dollar (e_e) and I did not own a sewing machine atm so it's hand-sewn. I remember getting a lot of hate for this look by the International com for it being so trashy. Now I understand that some people were spoiled and did not live in a developing country like myself.
Back then there were a lot of activities and challenges too. For this one, everyone tried to gender-bend or some shit like that XD So meet Kiyo, my alter ego.
One of my first official and serious attempts. I believe it wasn't that bad.
My first wig I ever styled. I will give myself an A for effort.
By then the Latinx Gyaru com started with a collab YouTube channel by the name of Gal TV. To me, it was amazing to see so many gyaru who also spoke my language. I felt starstruck and I wanted to dive in. They had a mentorship for baby gals so I took all the help from Danyy and the back then community leaders. As a baby gal I felt really scared about what others had to say about how gal I was. It is not a secret that a lot of us faced this situation and the drama that came with it. I think that this era made me learn how to take everything with a grain of salt and also work really really hard to polish my looks.
I felt a little nervous at first, my first attempts were there. I practiced my makeup religiously and wanted it to be clearly "gyaru". To me, since I lacked the budget to get brand and physically it was complicated to fit into a Japanese size, I focused all my energy on having a polished make.
I went thru a lot of trials and errors until I found rokku. To me, it had the best of both worlds. My love for visual kei, dark fashion, and the over-the-top sexy feel of gyaru. Another great thing about Rokku is that it could be done with American brands that could fit my size. I did another nose dive into Hot Topic, Dolls Kill, and whatever I could find in my local thrift store.
This was me trying to grab onto rokku and try to mix the "larme" trend that started back then. Also, I have lipstick on my teeth and I just realized it after years, lol.
I reaaaaaaaally loved Chipopo's look back then. Like the pouty lips, soft bangs and fresh face look were my go to.
It was 2016 and I kept the rokku look, but also dabbled into a more romantic style. I started to lean towards large and that "Femme Fatale" look worn by Risa Nakamura. I was also collaborating with the first numbers of GyaruGo! Magazine next to the Spanish-speaking community.
I took a semi-hiatus (2017-2019) for the lack of motivation and because it was time to focus on my degree. I kept the cutesy-alternative looks toned down. I got a lot of influence from larme, Korean beauty, and my own ideas of fashion thru thrifting.
However, I had sort of a revival by the end of 2019 because of my new job as a product designer for a makeup company. Also, TikTok and many gals encouraged me to get back. I tried my best to provide a safe and fun environment for the Spanish-speaking community. I feel like 2020 was a good year for us, and we were able to reconnect as a whole. I am really happy and thankful for all my gal friends who I got closer to. The Gyaru Go! com, as well as the international gals from Papillon and other projects, have been such inspo!
I recognize that there are a lot of things that are not 100% perf yet because we have different perspectives and life experiences.... but I am happy that I connected with many responsible incredible people who are doing everything they can to change for the better♥ Even with the ups and downs, I can still feel in love with gyaru!
Thank you all for staying this far, I know it was a lot and most people find this kind of post boring. I just had to let it out and share my experience.
Please comment below a bit about your story too! I love to know♥
