By the way, exclusive models for Ageha were called "Age-Mo," and reader models were referred to as "Agejou."
History
Since 2006, the popularity of Agejou and Himegyaru styles has diversified the types of gals!?
The 2000s saw a diversification in the styles of gals.
Until then, the quintessential gals style was the tanned "Kurogyaru," but with the breakout of Ayumi Hamasaki in 2000, a new trend of untanned, beautiful "Shirogyaru" emerged.
Broadly, gals styles diverged into two main categories: "Kurogyaru" and "Shirogyaru."
Then, in 2006, the publication of the gal-style fashion magazine "Koakuma Ageha" further boosted the popularity of "Shirogyaru."
The "Agejou-style gals," known for their voluminous hairdos, surged in popularity
With the 2006 launch of "Koakuma Ageha," influenced by then-exclusive models like Sakurai Rina (Sakurina), Momoka Eri (Momoeri), and Araki Sayaka, a trend emerged for Agejou-style gals (also known as Ageha-style gals). This style is characterized by curly hair and voluminous hairstyles created.
Features of Agejou-style gals
.Suji-Mori…A hairstyle where spray-type hair wax is used to create many fine strands of hair, styled to stand out like 'streaks'. This volume hairstyle, popular among hostess club workers and hosts, is known for its glamour.
In a nutshell, Agejou-style gals resemble the appearance of hostess club workers.
This is because "Koakuma Ageha" was a gal magazine formed by exclusive models who also worked as hostess club workers. The magazine often featured pages on dresses used in night work, makeup processes, and volume hairstyles. Therefore, it's understandable that Agejou-style gals, influenced by the magazine, became an appearance similar to that of hostess club workers.
Contrary to the modern preference for natural looks, the hair and makeup of that era were all about being "flashy and Volume" – a status symbol for gals.
Moreover, the possibilities for these voluminous hairstyles were arrangement of endless! Hairstylists specializing in these elaborate styles, known as "Mori-master," were also prominent.
At that time, many young people aspired to be like hostess club workers, likely influenced by "Koakuma Ageha."
The Doll-like "Himegyaru" Emerges!
Popular alongside Agejou-style gals were "Himegyaru," whose popularity spread due to the influence of models from "Koakuma Ageha" and the gals charisma Tsubasa Masuwaka (commonly known as Tsu-chan).
Features of Himegyaru
- Tightly curled hair and extravagantly voluminous hair and makeup.
- Sweet fashion styles, like those from LIZ LISA () and MA*RS ().
- Gals style with a Lolita-like ambiance.
.LIZ LISA is a brand Shibuya 109 (), known for its designs incorporating sweet elements like flowers, ribbons, and lace, primarily in white and pink. It was popular neat and clean high school girls, dolly-style gals, and Himegyaru.
.MARS is another 109 brand, featuring designs in black or vivid pink with sweet elements like flowers, ribbons, and frills. It was popular among Agejou-style gals (readers of Koakuma Ageha).
.109...Brand: Brands with shops in Shibuya 109.
Himegyaru are complete by wearing sweet frilled clothes with floral patterns, ribbons, and lace such as "LIZ LISA" and "MA*RS." The makeup is typically with droopy eyes for a sweeter look, and the hairstyle is voluminous with large ribbons or floral corsages.
While LIZ LISA is often associated with Shirogyaru, Tsubasa Masuwaka's (Tsu-chan) influence, who styled the brand's clothing beautifully even with her tanned skin, made it popular among Kurogyaru as well.
At that time, many of the LIZ LISA store staff were tanned Kurogyaru, likely influenced by Tsu-chan. The contrast of tanned skin with extremely sweet clothing created an irresistible appeal!
The Emergence of the Sweat-Zoku and Jersey(Tracksuit)-Zoku Styles
Among gals and many middle and high school students, it became fashionable to wear "PLAYBOY" () or "UNIQLO" sweats, adidas or Nike tracksuits, paired with "Kitty-San(sandals)" ().
.PLAYBOY…PLAYBOY is an apparel brand known for its trademark sideways-facing rabbit logo.
.Kitty-San...A colloquial term for Hello Kitty health sandals.
How to Wear Them.
- Wear as a set.
- Pair a long-sleeve T-shirt with sweatpants or tracksuits.
- Taking lots of Purikura (Japanese photo booth pictures).
- Wear sweatpants under a school uniform skirt.
Sweatpants and tracksuits were the standard attire when hanging out with local friends.
Among the various sweatpants, the black PLAYBOY ones were so popular that they were hard to find. This trend was not just limited to gals but was also popular among other middle and high school students. 😊✨
What the gals were like at the time
What the gals were doing back then
- Joining a "Gal-sar(Gal's circle)".
- Regular visits to Hisaro(Tanning salons).
- Taking lots of Purikura (Japanese photo booth pictures).
- Creating a "Purikura notepad" (photo sticker album).
- Interacting through "Zenryaku Profile" (a type of social networking profile).
- Becoming "My Miku" (friends) on Mixi (a Japanese social networking service).
- Writing on Croozblog (a blogging platform).
- "Gazyou" images as cellphone wallpapers.
- Reading mobile novels on "Mahou-No-i-land" (a platform for cellphone novels).
Joining a Gal-Sar (Gals circle)
A gals circle is primarily a circle of high school gals and Gal-O.
They would gather weekly in Shibuya's Center Street and discuss upcoming adolescent events for gals, known as "Love-Sunshine" (), "D-1" (), and "Canpus-Summit" (), or take Purikura.
Being part of a circle increased one's social connections, so on days without gatherings, going to Center Street in Shibuya almost guaranteed meeting someone you knew. This was a status for gals.
.Love-Sunshine…An event created by the cooperation of Shibuya's gals circle, specifically for gals and gal-O, and it's the biggest summer event. Main events at Love-Sunshine include:
- "Party People Contest" to determine Japan's number one party person.
- Fashion shows by popular gal models.
- Live performances by artists popular among gals.
- Love-Sunshine staff performing para-para and hip-hop dances.
Artists like "Ayaman JAPAN" and "Juliet," who were immensely popular at the time, also appeared.
.D-1… The official name is "D-1 DREAM PROJECT," organized by the same group as "Love Sunshine."
Similar to Love-Sunshine, D-1 is a winter event specifically for gals and gal-O, created by the agency of galsers and Shibuya-based models. The main contents of D-1 include:
- "Kanto High School Miss Contest" to find the cutest high school girl in Kanto. ・Live performances by artists popular among gals.
- Fashion shows by popular gal models.
- D-1 staf performing para-para and hip-hop dances.
The highlight is the "Kanto High School Miss Contest."
Past winners include popular figures like Kumiko Funayama (Kumicky) and Hikari Shiina (Pikarin) from the fashion magazine Popteen, and Riko Nagai (Ricopin) from Terrace House, making it a gateway to the gal modeling world.
.Canpus-Summit… Campus Summit, also known as "Can-Sami", is an annual summer festival for gals held at 'Shibuya O-EAST'.
The main contents of Canpus-Summit include:
- Fashion shows by models from gal fashion magazines egg & men's egg.
- Live performances by gal artists (mainly affiliated with the event's organizing agency).
- Para-para shows by Canpus-Summit staff.
Like "Love Sunshine" and "D-1," it was an event created by agencies with Shibuya-based models and gals circle, but with slightly different content as the organizer was different.
A major highlight was the "fashion show by egg & men's egg models." The fashion show featuring popular models of the time was the event's biggest draw.
Egg's Natsuki Yoshida and Popteen's Eri Aoki are also from gals circle. Joining a gals circle opened opportunities to meet and even perform with admired models at events.
Regular visits to Hisaro(Tanning Salons)
Even though the popularity of Shirogyaru (pale-skinned gals) was on the rise, there were still many Kurogyaru (tanned gals), especially among the popular models from magazines like Popteen and egg.
Tanning salons in Shibuya, such as "Blacky" and "SOLE," were frequented not only by these popular models but also attracted a large number of gals due to their popularity.
Taking lots of Purikura (Japanese photo booth pictures)
Purikura were a popular activity among high school girls and gals.
Common features like "Isshou-Nakako(Friends Forever,)" "Warera-Yuujou-Eikyuu-Fumetsu-nari(Our Friendship is Eternal)," or "○○-Doumei(○○ Alliance)" doodles were a staple among gals.
Popular Purikura machines of the time included "Kachou Fuugetsu" and "Hime to Koakuma" (Princess and Little Devil).
Kachou Fuugetsu was particularly favored by Shirogyaru (pale-skinned gals) for its ability to enhance appearances in photos.
Hime to Koakuma offered a choice between the soft, cute "Otome-Pastel" style and the vivid, striking "Little Devil" style, making it popular among both Shiro and Kurogyaru.
Hime to Koakuma was especially popular because it featured Tsubasa Masuwaka, Maiko Hashino, and Jun Komori, who were immensely popular in Popteen magazine at the time, as its image models and It was a craze to take lots of these Purikura 🥰.
Creating a "Purikura notepad" (photo sticker album)
During a time when decorating notepad with Purikura (photo booth stickers) was all the rage among middle and high school students, creating a "Purikura notepad" was a common activity.
It was typical for gals to own a Purikura notepad!
They used color pens and POSCA(marker pen) to decorate it with stickers and magazine cutouts.
Another popular style is to paste them tightly in a photo album instead of on a notepad!
It was customary to update this purikura memopad frequently and share it with friends.
Interacting through "Zenryaku Profile" (a type of social networking profile)
Zenryaku Profile is a web page for creating personal introductions.
The guestbook feature (commonly known as "GesuBu") enabled interactions with students from other schools and facilitated making new friends, which made it popular among many middle and high school students, including gals.
They decorated each item with Gal-Moji(Gals letter), added links to "Real Time" and "Album," and arranged the pages in their own way.
Becoming "My Miku" (friends) on Mixi (a Japanese social networking service)
Mixi was a social networking service (similar to what Twitter or Instagram) that facilitated communication among friends and acquaintances.
Many middle and high school students, including gals, used it to become "My Miku" (friends within mixi) with their friends, create diaries and albums, and join communities of interest.
Writing on Croozblog (a blogging platform)
Croozblog was a popular blogging service among teenage and young adult women.
Each person was able to post about their daily life, "today's makeup," "today's outfit," etc. Many people who later became famous bloggers (now known as influencers or YouTubers) used to post on Croozblog.
"Gazyou" images as cellphone wallpapers
"Gazyou" refers to decorated images or poem images used as cell phone wallpapers.
"Pane-e images" have words starting with "pane-e" such as "I love you as much as pane-e" written in white letters on a black background.
Pane-e images.
"Poem images" and "lyrics images" that contain the lyrics of poems and artists.
Poem images.
"Pair images" were also popular among couples. Many gals used these various types of images as their cell phone wallpapers.
Pair images (split into two images, one for the girlfriend and one for the boyfriend).
Reading mobile novels on "Mahou-No-i-land" (a platform for cellphone novels)
Mobile novels such as "Deep Love," "Koi Zora" and "Teddy Bear" became popular and resonated with the younger generation, mainly high school girls.
Many spent nights reading these novels on "Mahou no i-land," often going to school sleep-deprived as a result.
This trend was not limited to gals but was widespread among many middle and high school students.
Around 2006, when Agejou-style gals and Himegyaru began to emerge, and Shirogyaru were gaining popularity, models from gal magazines like Popteen, egg, and Ranzuki were still predominantly Kurogyaru. Therefore, Shibuya was filled with both Shirogyaru and Kurogyaru in abundance.
