Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Agejyo : アゲ嬢

the content of this post is really not my style... but just thought i would keep you up-to-date with the happenings in the country in which i consider to be my 2nd home.


for those out there who don't already know, i used to live in tokyo before coming to hong kong.
i'm not gonna start a post about my life there, i wouldn't know where to begin, but one thing i've noticed since moving to hong kong is that there isn't any "taken-to-the-extreme" fashion trends here.

japan, especially tokyo has tonnes of these, some still going strong, others long gone.
a few memorable ones back in the 90s were the
yamanba (ヤマンバ) with their dark tans, white lipstick, pastel eye makeup, glittery eye adhesives, brightly-colored contact lenses, and plastic dayglo-colored clothing. the male equivalent being the gyaruo (ギャル男).

yamanba & gyaruo




the yamanba then evolved into the
ganguro (ガングロ) again keeping their deep tan but dying their hair in shades of orange to blond, or a silver gray. white concealer was used as lipstick and eyeshadow along with false eyelashes and plastic facial gems. platform shoes and brightly-colored outfits with lots of bracelets, rings, and necklaces completed their look.
the
gyaruo also evolved their look too.

ganguro & evolved (?) gyaruo



then on another extreme you have the lolita (ロリータ); influenced by victorian children's clothing. apart from the few remaining gyaruo, the lolita is the only one you can still see in certain parts of tokyo.
oh, and can't forget the himegyaru (姫ギャル) who dress as princesses...

lolita & himegyaru



these are only a few examples of the "extremes".
you still have many sub-groups of styles like the otaku (オタク); or geeks, the yankii (ヤンキー); or gang youth, and the hosts (ホスト); guys who work for japan's many host clubs.

these each in turn have their own fashion style and magazines to keep them up-to-date with the trends.

yankii & host guys



now in the year 2009 come the newest group on the block, the agejyo (アゲ嬢).
with their white skin, big eyes (helped along with makeup), and permed blond hair, they are japan's version of the living barbie doll.
many of the girls who sport this look are so called "butterflies of the night" or in other words work in one of japans many hostess clubs, however this is their day-look.




although such trends in japan come and go, and yes, are pretty superficial, i must admit i did enjoy living in a culture where
such extremes are created.
riding one of tokyo's many rail lines and it often felt like i was in the audience of some carnival-type fashion show! a stop at harajuku station and in would come the often shy lolita's. next stop shibuya and the once quiet carrage would erupt in noise as the ganguro entered, always followed by some eager gyaruo guys.

hong kong is a lot more (way more) conservative when it comes to such trends and the subway to and from work is starting to bore me.
i feel like i need some crazy excitment around me.
maybe i need to plan a trip to japan...


10 comments:

Luuworld said...

fun post- it made me miss living in japan! issho ni ikooka? lol

world of sekimachihato said...

* Luuworld
行こうぜぇ~!
(just in case you can't read japanese..."ikooze~!")

but we have to dress like gyaruo if we go! lol

Luuworld said...

haha, let's go for the lolita style instead! :-p

world of sekimachihato said...

* Luuworld
hope u have a victorian dress?
i'm just missing the hat to top off my outfit...

pascale said...

i wonder what will be next...
but i must admit the energy these young girls put in for their make up and sorts is amazing- heh

world of sekimachihato said...

* pascale
some of my japanese girl-friends literally spend hours getting ready in the morning... and then a few more hours at night wiping it all off again.
but oh to be young huh!

GL said...

NICE

I was watching a jap show on my PC as usual and they were doing this tokushuu about Agejyo's. These chics sleep at 8~9pm and wake up at 3 in the midnight to get those "mori mori"s on them before they go out in the morning.

Totally insane.

I wish HK had more of these also. I actually see quite a bit in the MK area now. Just not enough....My colleagues are starting to misunderstand what I'm doing here (with those pics)so I better get going.

world of sekimachihato said...

* GL
you still using "ニコニコ"?
if you like お笑い have have some new dvds at home i can pass to you.

waking up at 3am is crazy... no wonder they look like dolls though.
MK... i haven't been there for ages! maybe i should go there for a street-snap.

Anonymous said...

Hime Gyaru Jea Jea Jea! SO cute!!! Number 1!
by
*** Prisse.blog.onet.pl ***

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