Ganguro Fashion, Hot or Not?
I know this does not really relate to anything truly Otaku but after browsing the net and seeing some pictures, this is just something I have to write about. During my last trip to Japan roughly 4 years ago, I think I only ran into maybe 2 ganguro girls at best. As far as I assumed, this fashion was dead however due to information from other people, it seems they still exist in large abundance.
These pictures of the ganguro fashion on the internet actually reminds me of oompa loompas… Now of course I am sure not every ganguro fashion looks like this, this most likely has been taken to the extreme but nonetheless the resemblance to the oompa loompas is uncanny.
This is taken directly from Wikipedia:
Ganguro (é¡â€Ã©Â»â€™, Ganguro? face-black) is an alternative fashion trend among young Japanese women which peaked in popularity around the year 2000, but remains evident today. The Shibuya and Ikebukuro districts of Tokyo are the center of ganguro fashion. Ganguro appeared as a new fashion style in Japan in the early 1990s and is prevalent mostly among teenage girls and girls in their early 20s to this date. In ganguro fashion, a deep tan is combined with hair dyed in shades of orange to blonde, or a silver gray known as “high bleached”. Black ink is used as eyeliner and white concealer is used as lipstick and eyeshadow. False eyelashes, plastic facial gems, and pearl powder are often added to this.
Now I will not lie to you guys, this particular type of fashion creeps me out a little. It just seems a little too unnatural. Although I am not saying it is wrong for anyone can wear anything they like and whatever fashion they want. However, this still freaks me out despite my understanding…
My question to you readers would be, “Do you find the ganguro fashion hot or not?” Have you seen any ganguro girls actually look cute or were they all a little too unusual for your tastes? And for those living in Japan, “Is this fashion still abundant or has it relatively died?”
What got me curious about this particular story was after reading a particular posting over at Oranges-Mimi, where I saw some curious pictures of orange colored girls (although those were more normal than the ones pictured above). I suggest everyone to head over there for there are always interesting postings there. Albeit some of them are sarcastically bashful (but funny), and uh beware of her rantings of Code Geass, it happens from time to time (I think she really likes that Anime).
We need to have it for males, call it GARguro.
I’ve seen males in that fashion in videos on youtube. Oompa loompa doompity doo, I got another riddle for you…. I can’t say I like this fashion though. Goth lolita ftw.
Haha you mean like this? http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/moreorangefail.jpg
Yeah I would prefer goth lolita also. I don’t understand why people are even into this fad to be perfectly honest.
Sorry but not hot. Looks like something from Ringling Bros. circus.
Yeah I totally agree with you.
Yep… It’s no hot at all..
And hey… In my country, Everyone wants their skins bleached white, but not dark… :D
i did make a post on ganguro sometime ago and her are ugly
not hot at all. they’re worse than oompa loompas…like sunburnt ones who also got fake tans! -_- it’s almost like the japanese version of scene kids, but instead of being as pale as possible, you make yourself as orange/brown as possible. (yucky)
and truely it looks offensive to me. the browner ones look like they’re making fun of black people and the orange ones look like they’re making fun of mexicans. =/
There’s even a magazine that combines magna and ganguro called Cho!
http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/japanese-ganguro-babes-promote-cho-very-good-comic/
it is somewhat creepy/ espicially the very dark ones. :D HAHA! this is what i am going to be for holloween ! YAY
I LOVE IT!!!!! i live in canada and i do ganguro ya i get some weird looks but i love the look its amasing
i think it super cool i see it as an inspration for young girls who dont want to fit in with boring girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sorry i am a black girl its just a fashion like hip hop rocker …. if you now the history after there make up you will now they copy ut by a tv show lat 80 90 it just fashion not al af dam look nice but some of dam look good
I don’t find them hot at all… in fact I find them quite creepy. I live in America, so I know a lot of people who tan and I find that it makes them look a lot older than they really are. I have a 21 year old friend who has wrinkles already. Tanning is really horrible for your skin.
I love people with pale skin. It looks so healthy and beautiful… so therefore I love the traditional pale-skinned Japanese girls. That makes the ganguros all the more horrible in my opinion. The Japanese have such naturally pale skin and these girls are covering it up with that nasty orange spray on tan or even worse real tans.
i think they look rather cute. bashing them is just as bad as bashing any other style. I find Goth lolita to be a lil over the top sometimes (cute some times too), but i dont dis it. i’m really kinda sick of every one hating ganguro right of the back, you know?
i think EVERYTHING you said was offensive….. they are trying to express them selves, and your putting them down.
They all look like cheap porn stars. Jodie marsh and katie price wannabes
Hot ! Why would you bleach your skin? Why would you tan?What wants it looks so bad to you? I think they look great and have lots a coinfedence to wear that type of style with pride.
Apparently the commentary on culture and the aesthetics of beauty went over your heads. The preference for pale skin expressed here speaks to a prejudice I’ve always found interesting and dangerous when it is politically or economically manifested.
i think it looks hot. i think generally for most guys and girls, a tanner complexion is more attractive.the image in my mind of a japanese girl becomes similar to what im used to at home (los angeles, ca). A white girl who dies her hair blond and works on her tan.
i think that the ganguro style is adorable i hope that it comes to canada or at least ppl in canada learn about it.