Gyaru/ Kawaii aesthetic and doll plans

For this project, I am going to go for a kawaii and/or gyaru aesthetic. I want to create some plush dolls, inspired by blind boxes with magnetic faces. The aesthetics I plan on using have been something I have been interested in for a long time. While I frequently incorporate the kawaii aesthetic into my work, I have yet to delve into the gyaru aesthetic and its subgenres. This project will provide an excellent opportunity to explore this fashion subculture and its associated aesthetic. If the dolls dont work out i might also just create some clothes for my build a bear that fit that but also instead of making the heads I will use premade ones. When you look up the definition of kawaii on Google, it says “(in Japanese popular culture) appealing in an endearing way; cute.” And while it may be cute in Japan, the word has its visual aesthetic meaning that differs from the Western concept of cute. The aesthetic itself originated in the 1970s, and a primary marker of that start can be attributed to the manga and anime subculture, along with the introduction and founding of the company Sanrio, whose most famous characters, such as Hello Kitty and My Melody, form the face of the kawaii phenomenon. In character design, this aesthetic emphasizes innocence, resulting in characters that exhibit many childlike features. For example, if you look at character designs for some of the cuter Pokémon, you can see they have very baby-like faces. In a blog post in Zen Pop, it states, “But the commonly seen characteristics include a big head, big eyes, small nose, with a slight expression or no expression at all. Humans, animals, and fictional creatures can be made into kawaii characters.” As explained in the quote, it’s an effortless but also somewhat dramatized style. Similarly, in fashion, the style ranges from a minimalist style using soft colors to a more popular maximalist style, which is more commonly associated with the word and aesthetic. In the Japan House article Beyond Cuteness: Exploring the Layers of Japan’s Kawaii Culture, it states “And in the 1990s, the vibrant scene of Japanese street fashion in hubs like Tokyo’s Harajuku neighborhood became known for its particularly “cute” aesthetics, involving pastel colors, childlike motifs, and maximalist accessories. As captured in magazines like Fruits, kawaii street style became an inspiration for countless Western designers and pop stars, such as Gwen Stefani.” This quote elaborates on the transition from a charming style to a more fashion-forward aesthetic. Which will work as inspiration in the decoration of the dolls.

Along with that transition came the peak of the gyaru aesthetic and culture. When you look up the word gyaru, the wiki definition states, “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.” However, upon closer examination of the culture, it becomes apparent that, like many other fashion aesthetics, it originated from the concept of kawaii, as well as the desire to be both rebellious and cute. The gyaru wiki states, “Gyaru fashion is typically characterized by having heavily bleached or dyed hair (mostly shades from dark brown to blonde), highly decorated nails, and dramatic makeup. The makeup typically consists of dark eyeliner and fake eyelashes used to make the eyes appear larger, as well as facial contouring for a slimming effect. Clothing pieces for gyaru fashion differ depending on which gyaru style the individual chooses.” This itself is something I plan to use heavily on the faces of the dolls for my project. The different subcultures are also interesting to note, such as hime gyaru, which is characterized by softer elements, including pink and frills, compared to manba gyaru, which is bright and colorful, featuring neons and deep tans. For an alternative, maybe something dark and minimalist will work since the route I’m planning to take is heavily focused on the maximalist aspect of both aesthetics.

https://zenpop.jp/en/blog/post/5213/what-makes-a-drawing-kawaii#:~:text=To%20create%20an%20appeal%20of,that%20we’re%20familiar%20with.

https://www.google.com/search?q=about+kawaii&sca_esv=af3c6ec1a5beb072&ei=VjgJaJH9H8u5wN4P9JWUkQE&ved=0ahUKEwiRgJn_6u6MAxXLHNAFHfQKJRIQ4dUDCB

https://candyalpacas.medium.com/brutally-cute-kawaii-as-a-form-of-rebellion-91ba30a8c931

https://www.japanhousela.com/articles/beyond-cuteness-exploring-layers-of-japans-kawaii-culture-sanrio/

https://gyaru-109.fandom.com/wiki/Gyaru

https://korokai.com/blogs/japanese-fashion/gyaru-substyles-and-fashion?srsltid=AfmBOoonwCtZBT0dqmdUI9MVzzOFks_t6BD4tN2N5mjJLQKRp8YknQai

https://www.google.com/search?q=gyaru+subcultures&oq=gyaru+subcultures&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDU4NjhqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8