Beginner's Guide/Sub-Styles

Popular Styles

Agejo

Agejo is very glamourous and feminine, influenced by expressing a high level of sex appeal through the style and attitude. The style is often found more in older Gyaru, and rarely seen on young Gyaru due to the mature status of the style. Whilst Agejo is quite a revealing style at times, it remains very classy.

Agejo gyaru usually have large, often dark, hair; they have thick eyeliner and long lashes. It is common to see black, white, pink and purple clothing, often accompanied by lingerie, stockings and corsets.

Amekaji

Amekaji is bright, colourful and inspired by the fictionized stereotypical idea of America. The style is very comfortable and casual, and has been noted to be particularly forgiving to Gyaru of all shapes and sizes as loose fitting clothing is appropriate.

While the original boom of Amekaji did not last long, the style is still popular amongst Gaijin (foreign) gyaru. Items including jeans, sneakers and beanie hats are often worn, and the main focus is having a fun, casual and colorful look.

Banba

Banba, developed from Manba, is a toned-down style from the popular sub-styles of the 1990s and 2000s. It is not a common style anymore, however it is still worn by a small number of people in the gyaru community.

Hair is often dyed, with Banba having medium tans and often wearing neutral or pastel colors. Black and white are common colors, along with animal print and brown clothing.

Ganguro

Ganguro is a broad style of gyaru. The style has almost completely died out in Japan, but many gaijin gyaru have picked up this style in recent years, ensuring it is not completely dead as a style. The term 'Ganguro' is more often considered a broader term for the styles of gyaru which feature white makeup and dark tans, with the style inspiring several sub-style offshoots, such as Yamanba, Manba and Banba.

The style features bright colours, heavy tanning and heavy makeup, and stickers on the face. Contrasting white makeup is often used on the face.

Gyaruo

The term used for the male counterpart of Gyaru. Just like female gyaru, Gyaruo have just as many substyles which fall under an equivalent of each female style of gyaru.

Similar to gyaru, gyaruo often have dyed hair, and wear fashionable clothing, regardless of their sub-style.

Hime

Hime gyaru, or princess gal style, focuses on being cute and innocent, creating the 'princess' element of the style. Hime gyaru is often incorrectly linked to Lolita, but they are two separate styles.

Hime gyaru features pink or pastel colors, as well as big hair and very decorative nails and accessories. Fake hair pieces are very common to achieve the large hair look, and hair is usually blond or light brown. Common colors for the style include pink, white and beige. Patterned clothing is popular, as well as long nails, bows and lace.

Himekaji

Himekaji is the casual alternative to Hime and a style that requires less upkeep. The style itself is very similar to that of Roma Gyaru but has its own key differences, including more lace and pink being the most consistent colour used in co-ords.

The style is similar in aesthetic to Hime, but does not go to the same extremes: e.g. nails would be long, but not overly decorated, hair would be dyed and curled, but himekaji does not feature hair pieces as often as its style counterpart.

Kogal

Kogal is one of the core gyaru fashion sub-styles and in the origin of many modern gyaru styles. The look of a kogal is inspired by the idea of a sun-tanned California Valley Girl, and due to this Kogal incorporates a solid base tan as well as bleached blonde hair. It is mostly aimed towards young girls and students, however many people still continue to wear this style into their twenties.

Bleached hair, loose fitted white socks, long nails and school uniforms are the standard for this style, with long beige cardigans, V-neck sweaters and pleated skirts being incorporated as part of a uniform.

Kuro

Kuro Gyaru means 'Black-skinned girls' which originates from the dark tans worn by Kuro Gyaru. The style has graduated from the original Ganguro style and is considered one of the more prominent modern gyaru styles. It is a broad term to describe gals with a heavy tan.

Fur clothing, leopard print and bright/bold colors are often seen with this style. Kuro gyaru often have large, bleached hair, accompanied with long, decorative nails and large fur legwarmers.

Manba

Manba, derived from the original Ganguro style, is similar to Yamanba, but features white makeup above and below the eye. The style has mostly declined in popularity, but is still worn by some gyaru today.

Manba features heavy tans, heavy makeup and white makeup along the eyes, nose and mouth. Hair is often bleached or dyed unnatural colors, and large hair and fake hair pieces are common to get the large look. While Ganguro featured many earthy tones with the objective of looking cool and confident, Manba placed a focus on "kawaii culture" and incorporated cat elements and pastel colours to the style.

Onee

Onee is known as a mature, well developed and sexy gyaru style. It has a focus on brands and brand-names, and is a style regarded for gyaru with a lot of disposable income and a passion for flaunting labels.

This style often features blond or dyed hair, which is often curled. Leopard is a popular print, as well as the style having heavy eye makeup and medium length nails. Tans are usually light to medium, but not essential to the style.

Rokku

Rokku, or Rock, incorporates elements from rock and Visual-Kei. The style is heavily influenced by the music scene, but the style is not restrictive and is quite open to interpretation.

This is one of the gyaru styles that does not require a tan, and is noticeably different from the standard styles of gyaru for the dramatic change in colour scheme, opting for blacks and dark colours over loud bright prints. Dark hair and heavy makeup are seen on Rokku gyaru, with chokers and chains being a common accessory.

Roma

Roma, or Romantic, is a casual style of gyaru. It is similar to Himekaji, but is its own style. Roma is still a relatively popular style today, worn by Gaijin gyaru too.

Pink, white, beige and brown are popular colors within the style, with gingham, plaid and polka dots being popular prints. Tans are not as common with Roma, as it has more of a focus on natural looks; nails are often short to medium length with simple decorations, and hair is usually blond or brown with simple styling. Knee-high boots and long socks are often seen with this style.

Shiro

Shiro gyaru, meaning white gyaru, is a term used to describe gals who do not artificially tan. Shiro gyaru can follow any sub-style that they choose, with the need to tan becoming less popular in recent years. Many modern gyaru in Japan describe themselves as Shiro gal as they do not use tanning products.

With this style, many gyaru often still have bleached hair, circle lenses and fake lashes. The term Shiro gyaru, however, does not define how heavy a gal's makeup may be, or what style they follow.

Tsuyome

Tsuyome is a broad term to describe strong makeup; it is sometimes referred to as a toned-down version of Banba, and has a similar clothing style to it. Tsuyome is still popular amongst Japanese and Gaijin gyaru, as it encompasses many styles that feature heavy makeup. This style focuses on having a cool and sexy image.

This style requires bold makeup, often accompanied by bleached or heavily styled hair. Clothing is often similar to Ane, Kuro and Banba styles.

Yamanba

Yamanba is one of the sub-styles derived from Ganguro. It has mostly fallen out of popularity, however there are a small amount of gyaru who still practice the style.

Old school Yamanba featured dark tans and white lipstick, pastel eye make-up, tiny metallic or glittery adhesives below the eyes, brightly colored circle lenses, plastic day glow-colored clothing, and incongruous accessories, such as Hawaiian leis. Modern Yamanba sometimes wear quieter outfits so that their hair and makeup are the focus of their look.

Uncommon/Dead Styles

Ane

Ane is a mature, classy style of gyaru; it is described as the 'rebellious sister' of Onee. This style is often popular with older gyaru; including gals from early twenties to mid thirties.

For Ane gyaru, it is not uncommon to have piercings and tattoos, blond or brown hair and to wear dark colors. Ane are usually seen in black clothing, and leopard print (to a limited extent).

B-Gyaru

B-Gyaru, meaning 'Black Gal', is a style that is no longer prominent in gyaru. B-Gyaru heavily appropriates African-American culture, and is meant to represent the rebellion against Japanese beauty standards.

Clothing varies on RnB and Hip Hop trends at the time, with sneakers, leopard print, and black/while/gold color combinations being common within the style. B-Gyaru usually have medium to heavy tans, and often have coiled or braided hair.

Bohemian

Bohemian gyaru is derived from typical bohemian fashion; it is not typically worn as its own style, rather it is incorporated into a gyaru's look.

The style consists of neutral, earthy and pastel tones, often accompanied with flowers, large prints, and braids. Hair colors can vary from blond to dark brown, and styling is often more natural than other gyaru styles; wigs and wig pieces are not common. Loose-fitting clothing is often worn, along with summer-appropriate styles and wedge/sandal shoes.

Cyber

Cyber gyaru is a new style developed by Japanese model Dede. It has not taken off with the wider gyaru community yet, but the term was coined in 2019. It is developed by Ganguro and Yamanba styles from previous decades.

Clothing features bright pink, neon colors and holographic materials. Hair is dyed pink, and can be large with multiple hair pieces. Cyber gal has long, decorative nails, and the style features Hawaiian influence.

Goshikku

Goshikku, or Gothic, incorporates gothic styles into gyaru. It is separate from Rokku, however it is not as widely worn. A casual gothic style also gained popularity in the mid 2010s.

Hair is often blond, dark brown or black; hair can be styled in various ways with wigs being popular. Popular clothing colors include black, gray and occasionally white.

Haaady

Haaady, meaning flashy, is a short-lived style from around 2006 until 2011; it was inspired by American and British rock music and 1980s culture.

The style featured neon clothing, bright makeup, dyed hair and printed fabrics. Animal, skull and striped prints were all popular with the style. Hair was often dyed blond, and would sometimes have colorful extensions in or be crimped.

Ishoku

Ishoku gal, blue

Ishoku is a uncommon style, easily recognized by it's abnormal skin colours. This style is meant to be a bit alien-like, with eye droops being less prominent, and rhinestones and stickers used as part of the makeup. Ishoku gyaru also goes by the name Ishoku-Hada.

Blue is the most common colour for ishoku gals, but green, pink, and yellow are also used. Hair is also dyed colourfully, and prosthetics are occasionally used to aid in creating an alien appearance. Bright prints are most of the wardrobe, although this style often incorporates kogal and/or manba clothing. Tans are not used in this style.

Mode

Mode is a type of gyaru style, originating from the French word for "high fashion". This style is mature, sleek and classy; it is often worn by older gyaru and worn into their thirties, so the gyaru style can follow them into the workplace.

Pale skin to light tans are common for this look. Hair is sometimes, but not always dyed, and natural hairstyles are popular. Black and white clothing is most common, with bold prints or small amounts of bright color incorporated into the style.

Ora Ora

Ora Ora is a tough and rebellious style of gyaru. It continues the Yankii style and it is not uncommon to see tattoos and piercings with this style too.

Dark or black clothing is often worn, with tracksuits and hoodies being a staple of Ora Ora. Hair varies from bleached to natural colors, with styles also varying between curled and shaven off. Light to medium tans are common, and nails are often simple and at a medium length.

Romanba

Romanba was a short-lived style created by model Ka-Tan, described as a mesh between Hime and Manba. It focused on feminine styles and colors, accompanied with the heavy tanning and makeup of gyaru at the time.

Makeup for Romanba gyaru was often heavy, featured white around the eyes and nose, and hair was bleached blond or pink. The main clothing colors consisted of pastel pink and white, and is often (incorrectly) referred to as 'Lolita Gal' due to the use of lace and accessories.