Gyaru

Gyaru (Japanese: ギャル, pronounced [ɡʲaꜜɾɯ]) is a Japanese fashion subculture for young women, often associated with gaudy fashion styles and dyed hair. The term gyaru is a Japanese transliteration of the English slang word gal. In Japan, it is used to refer to young women who are cheerful, sociable, and adopt trendy fashions, serving as a stereotype of culture as well as fashion.

The fashion subculture was considered to be nonconformist and rebelling against Japanese social and aesthetic standards during a time when women were expected to be housewives and fit Asian beauty standards of pale skin and dark hair. Early in its rise, gyaru subculture was considered racy, and associated with juvenile delinquency and frivolousness among teenage girls. The term is also associated with dance culture and clubbing. Its popularity peaked in the 1990s and early 2000s.

A popular gyaru subculture specific to the Heisei era (1989–2019) is "kogal (kogyaru) culture" or "kogal fashion,”(子ギャル文化 or コギャル文化) and has been commercialized by Japanese companies such as Sanrio, and even introduced and supported as a Japanese brand by the Japanese government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with “Lolita fashion.”

An equivalent term also exists for men, gyaruo (ギャル男).