Japan can be a very stylish place, especially in the cities, and whenever I take a trip down to Tokyo I’m amazed at the exotic styles I see there. Not only do all manner of females exhibit an incredible sense of fashion in clothing as well as “hair & make” (as they say here), but it’s common for men to also be quite up on the latest trends, checking men’s fashion magazines to learn how to sculpt their hair just so with that awesome Gatsby hair wax. (My personal idea of men’s fashion is owning a comb.) The other day I was in Tokyo riding the train, and a stylish girl got on the train, pushing a “baby car” (a baby stroller) which contained an extremely cute baby girl, dolled up just like her mother. This was a gyaru mama (gal mama), a member of the fashionable generation that used to be called kogals, and Amullers before that (the whole trend was started by Okinawan singer Amuro Namie) who had gotten pregnant at some point yet doesn’t want to let go of her love of fashion just because she’s a mother now. I’ve always though that the phenomenon of gal/kogal/gal mama was not unlike the boso zoku biker gang culture, in that both groups seem desperately looking for a way to rebel against society at large and be part of something original and unique. Of course, J-List has an extensive selection of Japanese fashion magazines and other fun products including magazines by monthly subscription (some of which give you cool free stuff).
Gal Mamas are an interesting side of Japanese fashion.
