Why Japanese hate blondes: who are Ganguro, and how they break the foundations of Japan

Ganguro began to appear on the streets of Japan in the late 90s. The representatives of the subculture looked very unusual against the background of dark-haired, pale Japanese women: they used dark self-tanning and bleached their hair. Very quickly, they became one of those social groups that other Japanese hated. This is not surprising; a country built on traditions and respecting its culture did not want to accept bright and wayward girls who were very different from their general background.

Ganguro girls appeared in the late 90s, but their heyday began in the noughties. Their subculture was formed within another community, “gyaru,” which comes from the English “gal-girl. The Gyaru were girls who were not afraid to violate the established norms, looked bright, and behaved defiantly.

Who were the Ganguro

They stood out greatly in the crowd because they had very dark skin. Due to climatic conditions, it is difficult for Japanese residents to achieve tanning, so Ganguro used self-tanning or went to the solarium. To be real, Ganguro girls have been saving money for a long time because visiting a solarium is not cheap.

Ganguro also changed their hair color. They all dyed their hair in shades of blonde, from metallic ash to honey and pale red. Platinum curls were the most desirable and challenging to achieve colors.

Ganguro’s makeup was flashy. They highlighted their eyes with light shadows, the effect of which is called “panda eyes.” They also made their lips light, choosing light pink and even white lipsticks.

They bought bright contact lenses and decorated their faces with rhinestones and stickers. They wore exotic flowers in their hair. The girls chose bright and massive accessories for themselves. Another striking feature of the Ganguro style was high-platform boots; skirts and shorts were always short.

Rejection in society

It is not typical for the Japanese to attract attention and stand out, but Ganguro has become a symbol of protest against the principles. Their elders rejected them, and their peers looked askance. The main stumbling block was precisely at once. Because the clothes could be taken off, but you can’t change the color of your skin in a couple of minutes, Ganguro began to be accused of encroaching on the whiteness of the skin. And this is very important for the Japanese.

White skin is recognized as the standard of beauty in Japan. It has long been believed that only aristocrats who rarely leave home can boast of this. Visit. A F RF I N I K . C O M .For the full article. However, the peasants’ dark color characterized them, which seemed to the aristocrats to be bad. Whiteness was a symbol of privilege and status.

White skin is still appreciated in Japan, and most girls look alike. Many cosmetic products on the modern market promise a whitening effect. Therefore, Ganguro, who, in their desire to have dark skin, go against long-standing traditions, became outcasts. The challenge they decided to throw at society could not be ignored.

The black face

Ganguro has received a barrage of criticism not only from fans of traditional Japanese beauty. The word “ganguro” has an ordinary meaning: guro – black, gan – face. However, the representatives of this subculture disagree with this interpretation. They say that it is worth reading the name of this community as an abbreviation of the words “gang guro,” which translates as “very black.”

It was essential for the girls that society accept their interpretation of the name because the generally accepted meaning translates literally as “black face,” which is a racist practice when black people are caricatured using black theatrical makeup.

Being a ganguro is the lot of the brave

Being a ganguro in today’s Japan means being visible. Many such girls were back in the noughties, but only a few people want to stand out today. Girls want to do whatever they want, whenever they want.

And although life in the ganguro style has been on the decline for a long time, there are still girls who remain faithful to this subculture. Japanese women, who are unafraid of increased attention and are ready to invest in their appearance constantly, do a lot to match their chosen style.

They spend a lot of money to get their skin perfectly tanned, bleach their dark hair, wear flashy makeup, and get extravagant manicures. Ganguro doesn’t care what people think of them. By the way, many guys don’t like this style of girls. They may even say they are ashamed to appear with a girl publicly and are embarrassed to appear with a girl in public if she chooses this style.