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Gaijin Kogal - a new phenomenon
April 25, 2004
So much is being talked about the kogals (or kogyaru) from Japan, that the
world is ignoring the emergence of the global phenomenon inspired by Japanese
teenage girls. These girls that are spread out all over the world from Taiwan,
Malaysia, Singapore, to Spain to Mexico to the United States are now drawing
attention of their parents and friends who do not what these girls are up to.
While these gaijin kogals are a very small number, it would not be surprising
to see their numbers multiply exponentially. After all, Hello Kitty is as
popular outside Japan as it is in Japan. Isn’t she cute and wild? Well so are
the kogals? Can girls all over the world eventually connect with the kogal
style? Well some of them are definitely attracted to elements of it while
others have completely transformed their styles to match with that of the
kogals. We recently spoke to some of these girls.
Look what Chelsea is doing somewhere in the Bible belt in the United States, “I
have absolutely no Japanese heritage, but I am quite fond of Japanese culture.
In fact, it has influenced my clothing style that I feel expresses who I am
today, as well as my preference in music. Unique nylons or thigh-highs of all
colors and designs; little pleated skirts coupled with cute tops; jumpers and
gothic or Lolita-style dresses. I'm also known to wear tiny angel-wings on my
back, or a cute backpack with blue-feathered wings attached. One of my
trademarks of several years has been a cat-ears headband. I took a liking to
anime characters with catlike features, and people have always told me I act
like a feline, so it seemed to fit."
"Even these small gimmicks earn me the treatment awarded a circus freak. By no
means do I wear revealing outfits that would liken me to a prostitute, but I've
been treated as if I AM one. Somehow a pair of knee-high, flat-soled black
leather boots accompanied by fishnet tights, a schoolgirl skirt and a normal
schoolgirl skirt makes me a slut. I get no respect in public for dressing the
way I do. Indeed, proprietors of most shops or restaurants eye me like a hawk,
as if I'm a thief or an alien.
"People mistaking me as a hooker have never actually accosted me, but I know
they've thought about it, and some of them mutter crudely to me in passing. It
doesn't help that (for some foolish reason) people mistake me as being
partially or wholly Japanese. The fact that I like the clothes, the gimmicks,
the language and culture means I'm FROM there? Well, gee, I do have smaller
breasts than most American women. Does THAT count? I am seriously concerned
that something WOULD happen to me especially since I've taken a liking to
platform shoes, and I often wear colored hair extensions similar to the
hairstyles "Japanese street fashion" has made so popular.”
Of course this type of treatment given to teenagers is unforgivable. Of course,
it makes sense that parents control how provocatively teenagers can dress but
merely critiquing a style because it is not the norm is against the rights of
young. Girls all over the world are fascinated by the freedom that Japanese
girls have in how they dress. Plus they are impressed by the creativity of
these girls – after all many of them create their own unique styles and are not
afraid to prepare their own dresses. Isn’t true that major brands now rush to
Japan for inspiration?
Michelle, a young American girl, also admires the kogal and ganguro styles. She
tells us, “I love to see people who have their own style and do something
different. Certainly as a group, kogals all share similarities--trying to be as
*cute* as humanly possible, and the ganguro girls with their distinctive
suntans, hair-colors, and wild makeup all have some things in common, but each
girl creates the look a little differently. I have developed a personal style
similar to the kogal look. I love very bright colors, unusual combinations of
patterns, short skirts, and complicated hairstyles inspired by anime
characters. Most other women living in the Mid-west wear very sensible, muted
colors, very basic styles, and simple haircuts. Lots of GAP clothing. I love
knowing that no one else will show up at a party wearing the same outfit I have
on. I don't think it is entirely out of malice or intent to annoy that kogals
dress oddly. I know I get a lot of fun out of wearing very strange clothes. It
is like playing dress-up every day! I am sure many kogals get extra fun out of
knowing that their outfits are shocking. I sometimes truly enjoy when I get
confused looks from conservative people--but I don't put on a pink, pleated
miniskirt because it will bother some people. I put it on because I think it
looks cute.”
If this is the attitude that gaijin kogals have then it is clearly telling us
that what wild teenagers in Shibuya or Harajuku do has a global appeal to their
peers.
Cristina Redondo, a Spanish girl, is surprised why everybody is talking about
only Japanese kogals so much. She has spent a lot of time looking at a lot of
pictures of kogals and thinks that their way of dressing isn’t so different
from her own. She has every item that her sisters in Japan do except that no
one thinks of her as a kogal. In fact no one even thinks that she is imitating
the style from Japan. She theorizes that this is a bigger issue in Japan
because Japanese people are so similar. She complains, “While I dress exactly
like a Japanese kogal, because I’m not Japanese, I’m not a kogal. I’m sure if I
were Japanese I will be a kogal.”
In Spain the kogal style has really taken off. Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, the
Spanish fashion designer, has launched a complete line that is inspired by the
kogal look. While she admits that she is inspired by Japan, she has not clearly
specified which one. Anyone who knows the kogal look knows where she got her
ideas from – not from the kimono-clad women in Kyoto! And she is targeting the
teenage girls in Spain by pricing them so that they are affordable. Cristina
has another complaint though. Apart from not being called a kogal, she also
gets into trouble at school. Recently her high school teacher called her mother
to make sure that she removes her four earrings in the left ear.
Nicole Pivaro, a teenager in Mexico, is so drawn to the Japanese kogal style
that she now wishes she were born a Japanese. “ I've always loved the Japanese
culture and I'm obsessed with all their cute Sanrio things. Almost all Asian
girls I have seen are pretty. By the way, I can't understand why the girls in
Japan would want to look "western". I'm afraid to tell my Asian friends about
all this because they'll think I'm weird. My cousin goes through the same thing
too. If the majority of people at my school were Mexican I would have
absolutely no problem dressing Asian or showing off my Hello Kitty stuff. But,
the majority of people at my school ARE Asians. And I'm telling you; they DO
NOT want to become "western" over here. A few people my boyfriend knows (my
boyfriend is Filipino) won't even talk to other students who are not Asian. I
know I should be grateful for what God gave me but, I just can't sometimes.”
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Kogal
fashion and lifestyle: A primer
8-11-2004
She's
only a little schoolgirl
12-30-2003
‘Enjo
Kosai’ – Sex, Schoolgirls and Consumerism in Japan
7-9-2003
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