See also: Blackface#In Japan

Two ganguro in the subway

Ganguro (顔黒, Ganguro^? face-black) is an alternative fashion trend among young Japanese women which peaked in popularity around the year 2000, but remains evident today. Fashion refers to styles of dress (but can also include cuisine literature art architecture and general comportment that are popular in a culture at any given time The are the dominant Ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent of these approximately 127 million are residents of Japan The Shibuya and Ikebukuro districts of Tokyo are the center of ganguro fashion. is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008 it had an estimated Population of 208371 and a density of 13540 persons a part of Toshima ward is a large commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo, Japan. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū.

Characteristics

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 20's 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. Platform shoes and brightly-colored outfits complete the ganguro look. Platform shoes are Shoes Boots or sandals with thick soles often made of cork plastic rubber or wood (wooden-soled platform shoes are technically also Also typical of ganguro fashion are tie-dyed sarongs, miniskirts, stickers on the face, and lots of bracelets, rings, and necklaces. Tie-dye is typically brightly colored patterned Textile or clothing which is made from knit or woven fabric usually Cotton, through a Resist dyeing A sarong or sarung (ˈsaɾoŋ in Malay, and səˈrɒŋ in English) is a large sheet of fabric, often wrapped around the waist and worn as The miniskirt (often hyphenated as mini-skirt) is a Skirt with

Ganguro falls into the larger subculture of gyaru (from English "gal"), a slang term used for various groups of young women, usually referring to overly childish or rebellious girls. is a Japanese Transliteration of the English word Gal. The name originated from a 1970s brand of Jeans called "gals" with Researchers in the field of Japanese studies believe that ganguro is a form of revenge against traditional Japanese society due to resentment of neglect, isolation, and constraint of Japanese society. This is their attempt at individuality, self-expression, and freedom, in open defiance of school standards and regulations. ^[1] The deep ganguro tan is in direct conflict with traditional Japanese ideas of feminine beauty. Due to this, as well as their use of slang, unconventional fashion sense, and perceived lack of hygiene, ganguro gals are almost always portrayed negatively by the Japanese media. Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language. is a Japanese Transliteration of the English word Gal. The name originated from a 1970s brand of Jeans called "gals" with The communications media of Japan include numerous Television and Radio networks as well as Newspapers and Magazines For the most part television In recent times, a Ganguro could be seen in the TV movie Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, the scene which Beast Boy sings karaoke, a girl with bleached hair, heavy eye makeup, and tanned skin could be seen in the crowd. Teen Titans Trouble in Tokyo is an Animated film adaptation of popular DC Comics Superhero team Teen Titans. Garfield Mark "Gar" Logan, also known as Beast Boy or Changeling, is a Fictional character, a Superhero appearing in Comic

Fashion magazines like Egg and Cawaii magazine have had a direct influence on the ganguro. Egg is a style magazine for Gyaru fashion distributed in Japan Other popular ganguro magazines include Popteen and Ego System. is a monthly teenage fashion magazine published by the Kadokawa Haruki Corporation in Japan The ganguro culture has evolved its own synchronized dances, called Para Para. Para Para (Japanese パラパラ also "Para-Para" or "ParaPara" is a popular Japanese synchronised Group dance. Participants do predetermined moves at the same time, usually as accompaniment to J-pop music. Para Para events are held by ganguro circles, and involve either going to clubs to perform Para Para or gathering to learn new dances.

One of the most famous early ganguro girls was known as Buriteri, nicknamed after the black soy sauce used to flavor yellowtail fish in teriyaki cooking. Egg made her a star by frequently featuring her in its pages during the height of the ganguro craze. After modeling and advertising for the Shibuya tanning salon "Blacky", social pressure and negative press convinced Buriteri to retire from the ganguro lifestyle. ^[2]

Yamanba and manba

Yamanba

Yamanba (ヤマンバ, Yamanba^?) and manba (マンバ, manba^?) are terms often used to describe extreme practitioners of ganguro fashion. They feature darker tans and add white lipstick, pastel eye makeup, tiny metallic or glittery adhesives below the eyes, brightly-colored contact lenses, plastic dayglo-colored clothing, and incongruous accessories to the ganguro look. A contact lens (also known simply as a contact) is a corrective, cosmetic, or therapeutic lens usually placed on the Cornea "Dayglo" redirects here For other meanings see Dayglo (disambiguation. Some wear stuffed animals as decorations. The male equivalent is called a "center guy" (センター街, Sentaagai^?, Center Street), a pun on the name of a pedestrian shopping street near Shibuya Station in Tokyo where yamanba and center guys are often seen. is a Train station located in Shibuya Tokyo, Japan. With 24 million passengers on an average weekday in 2004 it is the third-busiest commuter rail station in Tokyo officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū.

Etymology

The etymology of the word "ganguro" is disputed. Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time Some academics claim that the name derives from the word ganguro (顔黒, ganguro^? blackface), but ganguro practitioners invariably say it derives from the phrase gangankuro (ガンガン黒, gangankuro^? exceptionally dark). Blackface in the narrow sense is a style of theatrical Makeup that originated in the United The term yamanba derives from Yama-uba, the name of a mountain hag in Japanese folklore whom the fashion is thought to resemble. is a Yōkai ("spirit" or "monster" found in Japanese folklore. Japanese folklore is the Folklore of Japan. It is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism, the two primary religions in the country It is now usually shortened to manba in Japanese slang. is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities

References

Footnotes

Notations

• "Blackfaces, Witches, and Racism Against Girls", by Sharon Kinsella, in Bad Girls of Japan, Laura Miller and Jan Bardsley eds. , Palgrave, 2005.
• Klippensteen, Kate, and Everett Kennedy Brown (photographer). Ganguro Girls: The Japanese "Black Face". Cologne: Koenemann, 2001. ISBN 3-8290-7926-5.

External links

• A detailed reference of all the Gyaru GAL Styles with photos.
• Japanorama Video of Japanese Female Subcultures including Ganguro