People who want to become Dokumo were working hard by writing 1-3 blogs every day about their clothes, makeup, purikura, things they bought, etc.
Around 2010, with the rise of the pop singer "Kana Nishino," a Amagyaru style emerged featuring small floral print dresses and straw hats, inspired by her girlish style.
In gal fashion magazines, many popular gal models who had been leading the trends graduated, ushering in an era of new-generation gal models.
Magazines that had mostly featured Kurogyaru () started to include more gals with a soft and sweet style.
.Kurogyaru・・・Gals who tan their skin in tanning salons. It's used as the opposite of "Shirogyaru," who do not tan their skin.
Kana-yan style girly fashion became popular.
"Kana Nishino (commonly known as Kana-yan)," beloved by the mobile phone generation's teens as a diva of love songs, greatly influenced fashion trends around 2010.
Due to her impact, "girly style" and "sweet and spicy mix" fashion became trendy!
Especially, the "boater hat ()" often worn by Kana-yan at that time was so popular that it's no exaggeration to say every Amagyaru had one.
Many Amagyarus adopted styles combining small floral or white dresses with dungaree shirt or western vests.
.Boater hat・・・Boater hat: A straw hat characterized by its flat top crown (the top part of the hat) and brim. It became hugely popular around 2010 during the Kana-yan (Kana Nishino) boom.
Next-generation gal models emerge.
Around 2010, gals' aspirations shifted from "celebrities" to more relatable figures, like "models in gal magazines."
In gal magazines such as "Popteen," "egg," and "Ranzuki," the so-called representative model who had been leading each magazine since the early 2000s graduated, paving the way for the next generation of ace models to shine.
Popteen
In Popteen, following the graduation of Tsubasa Masuwaka (Tsu-chan), dubbed the charisma of gals, Kumiko Funayama (Kumicky) quickly rose to popularity!
She graced the cover continuously from the March 2009 issue to the July 2010 issue for 17 months, making a significant impact as the next-generation ace.
"Popteen" March 2009 issue (released on 2009/01/31)
Publisher: Kadokawa Haruki Corporation
Cover: Kumiko Funayama
From around this time, Popteen became for its focus on soft and Amagyaru, with popular models predominantly being Shirogyaru (non-tanned gals).
Egg
In "egg," following the graduation of Kaoru Watanabe, who had captivated many gals with her unique fashion, the "RomiKana Combo" of Hiromi Hosoi (Romihi) and Kanako Kawabata (Kanako) exploded in popularity!
Until the summer of 2012, until Romihi-chan transferred to another magazine, she was the magazine's leading model and made the magazine more popular.
Special issue of egg "egg 120% RomiKana" (released on 2010/07/12)
Publisher: Taiyo Tosho
Cover: Kanako Kawabata (left), Hiromi Hosoi (right)
The "RomiKana" duo, even during the Amagyaru trend, remained true to the classic Kurogyaru (tanned gal) style, captivating many gals.
Subsequently, Yayoi Nemoto (Nemoyayo) also gained popularity and, along with the RomiKana combo, became a leading model for "egg."
"egg" February 2012 issue (released on 2011/12/28)
Publisher: Taiyo Tosho
Cover: Yayoi Nemoto
Ranzuki
In Ranzuki, "Aya Suzuki (affectionately known as Suzu)" featured on the cover for 19 consecutive issues starting from the January 2008 issue, leading the magazine as Ranzuki's marquee model.
The author strongly associates "Ranzuki = Suzu," and it's believed that Suzu might have been the most popular among all the models in Ranzuki's history.
"Ranzuki" November 2009 issue (released on 2009/09/23)
Publisher: Bunkasha
Cover: Aya Suzuki
Koakuma ageha.
In "Koakuma ageha," while other gal magazines were introducing a succession of next-generation models, "Sakurina," also known as Rina Sakurai, maintained unwavering popularity, starring as the leading model of the magazine.
"Koakuma ageha" April 2012 issue (released on 2012/03/01)
Publisher: Inforest
Cover: Rina Sakurai
Reader Models as Bloggers – Has it Become the Norm!?
Being featured in a gal magazine was a dream for many gals！
The first step to becoming a Dokumo was to get featured in the snap() section of the magazine.
Every gal magazine had a monthly snap corner, where stylish gals caught the editorial staff's eye, potentially leading to invitations for various magazine features.
As a result, it was common for aspiring gal models to join an agency, dress up, go to Shibuya, and get featured in Snap.
However, by this time, being a "blogger" became one of the criteria for becoming a dokumo. Those with a higher number of blog subscribers were more likely to be featured in various gal magazines.
.Snap・・・A section in the magazine featuring photos of fashionable and cute gals found in Shibuya. Some magazines also had regional snap sections, showcasing gals from all over Japan.
The Birth of Blo-girls (Blogger Girls).
In 2009, a blogging service called CROOZblog became hugely popular among high school and junior high school girls, including those in the gal community.
Among them, popular gal bloggers like "Yunkoro (Yuka obara)," "Okarie (Rie Matsuoka)," and "Ainyan (Airi Suzuki)" became the founding members of a blogger collective known as "Blo-girls(Blogger Girls)".
They were active in gal magazines such as Popteen and egg, and they were also involved in the production of cosmetics and beauty products.
They were a group of gal bloggers who were active in the same way as today's Instagrammers.
As an influencer, she sent out a lot of information about gals! !
The birth of a magazine for gal bloggers.
It was a time when high school and junior high school students, mainly gals, were writing blogs on CROOZblog.
In line with these times, "Nicky", a specialized magazine for gal bloggers, was born, featuring gal bloggers as exclusive models.
"Nicky" November 2010 issue (released on 2010/09/29)
Publisher: Takeshobo
Cover: Tenka Hashimoto
In this magazine, everyone featured, from exclusive models to reader models (dokumo), were all "bloggers."
Since the models were bloggers, who could be considered more relatable and accessible compared to other magazines, readers would often subscribe to the blogs of the girls they found interesting in the magazine. It was not uncommon for people to read multiple blogs a day.
What the gals were like back then.
What gals used to do at the time
- Writing on CROOZblog
- Drinking tapioca at SBY
- Taking Purikura
- Going to Karaoke
- Joining gal circles (Gal-sar)
- Attending events to meet gal models
Writing on CROOZblog
For gals, writing a blog was a regular activity!
- Coordination (Co-de)
- Makeup
- What I bought
- Diary
They updated their blog every day with such themes.
Just like modern people frequently update Instagram and Twitter, many gals updated their blogs daily.
Drinking tapioca at SBY
A sacred place for gals, SBY (Esu-Bii-Wai), located on the top floor of Shibuya 109.
It was a treasure trove of the latest cosmetics, colored contact lenses, and fashion accessories.
In a particular corner of SBY, straight ahead from the top of the escalator, there was a tapioca shop. This spot was a popular hangout for many gals who came to shop at Shibuya 109, where they would often buy tapioca drinks and take a break.
Taking Purikura
In this era, there were many photo booth machines that allowed you to take cute pictures that made you look like someone else.
Posting "Today's Purikura" on their blogs was a common practice among gals, It was observed that such posts tended to increase page views (PVs) and the number of blog subscribers. Consequently, whenever friends gathered for a day out, taking purikura without fail became an essential part of their routine.
Going to Karaoke
"Karaoke" was one of the gals' pastimes.
- Ayumi Hamasaki (Ayu)
- Kumi Koda (Kuu-chan)
- Kana Nishino (Kana-yan)
- Miliyah Kato
- Juliet
Everyone had a blast singing songs by their favorite artists.
Joining gal circles (Gal-sar)
Even though the heyday of gal circles had passed, there were still gals who were members of these groups.
They spent their time in Center-Gai having meet-ups and taking Purikura.
Additionally, events like "Love-Sun () ," "D-1 () ," and "Can-Sami () " which featured many gal circles, were held in the summer and winter.Many gals participated in these events and enjoyed their youth.
.Love-Sunshine…An event created by the cooperation of Shibuya's gal circles, 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 gal circles 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 gal circles, 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.
Attending events to meet gal models
Gals at the time eagerly attended events where they could meet popular gal models. These included events like "Ageru! Popteen Festival," organized by the popular gal magazine Popteen, and "Can- Sami (Campus Summit)," featuring models from egg and men's egg.
Back then, in the summer, there were events held that made gals happy.
These events offered a rare opportunity to see their admired models in person, attracting many gals.
It wasn't an event, but every summer, gal models used to visit beach houses in Shonan, so if you went to Shonan, you could interact with the gal models🥰
There was a time when they were more familiar than celebrities, such as exclusive models for magazines and reader models (popular bloggers).
Gal, who gained popularity as a blogger, was engaged in various activities as an influencer, including producing cosmetics and appearing in music videos for artists.
As time progressed, changes began to emerge in the gal culture…!?
Around 2014, gals became more and more neat, and the number of gals with flashy, heavy make-up gradually decreased.
