We’ve seen some crazy trends in fashion come out of Japan, but this is definitely one of the most unusual yet.
ganguro
In Asian countries where many women are on a never-ending conquest to attain smoother and fairer complexion, hardboiled eggs are often used as an analogy for the most ideal skin condition because of their flawlessly smooth texture, lustre, and even, fair tone.
But while hardboiled eggs have been linked to the image of perfect skin for years, a recent post on Twitter opened up a whole new dimension to hardboiled eggs that cannot be unseen. Braise those eggs in soy sauce and they’ll look like the well-oiled shapely bottoms of kuro-gyaru (ganguro) girls! Take the test and see if you can tell them apart!
Japan’s ganguro fashion started among Japanese girls in the mid-90s. Ganguro fashionistas are difficult to miss with their deep-tanned (or darkly made-up) faces contrasted by seemingly sporadically-placed white makeup, wildly-voluminous hair, and brightly colored clothing and accessories.
While ganguro are a dwindling breed, specimens can still be found, like this Twitter user who has decided to take her manicures to the next level as well, leaving us wondering how she goes about her daily activities with those impressive talons.
As you probably know, our ace reporter Mr. Sato has his own special way of doing things. Rather than just going to check out a popular speedy steak-cooking restaurant, he instead cooks the steak himself and shoves it in people’s faces. Rather than just buying some butter, he straps a bottle of cream to a helmet and goes around a track in a racecar, getting the g-forces to churn it for him.
So when he heard about the ganguro dress-up and makeup cafe Black Diamond in Shibuya, he couldn’t just write a quick review of the place and be done with it; he had to become one with the cafe and its staff. This is the story of how Mr. Sato became a fashionable gyaru for a day, and we have the glorious pictures to prove it.
Once a common sight on the streets of Tokyo’s Shibuya youth district, women decked out in the alternative ganguro style are now rare…which makes it all the more strange that an online video of five ganguro girls dancing in a classroom has recently popped up!
Apart from its randomness, the video is actually pretty fun and infectious, and makes us nostalgic for other wacky Japanese street fashions. After seeing their moves, you might even want to get up and dance, too!