
Two Kogal girls.
Kogal (コギャル) is a subculture mainly present among young women in urban Japan Is is one of several types of gyaru.
While the term can be used to refer to any teenage Gyaru, it is mainly used when referring to people who fit into the particular kogal ‘look’.
Kogal are characterized by their distinctive tastes in fashion and music, as well as their outgoing personalities. The typical kogal look roughly approximates a sun-tanned California Valley Girl. There are even some linguistic similarities between these Western groups and Kogal. Both subcultures have derived entire sets of slang terms such as "Kogalese" コギャル語.
Kogals are not to be confused with the ganguro subculture, although they are similar.
Kogals are known for wearing platform boots, miniskirts, heavy make-up, colored hair(usually blonde or brown), medium or dark tans, and statement and designer accessories. When wearing a school uniform, the look typically includes skirts and loose socks. Kogals spend much of their free time shopping, and their culture centers on the Shibuya, Tokyo district of Tokyo, in particular the Shibuya 109 building, although major Japanese cities are sure to have a small population.
Critics of the Kogal subculture decry its materialism as reflecting a larger psychological or spiritual emptiness in modern Japanese life. The nonconformist and anti-conservative views typical within gyaru subculture as a whole have also been the subject of criticism.
The kogal phenomenon emerged in the mid-1990s and its effects can still be seen today in its numerous off-shoots of sub-categories.
The term's etymology is disputed. The most common theory is that it was derived from the Japanese word for "high school", kōtō gakkō (高等学校), or kōkō (高校) for short, although others claim that it comes from ko (子), the Japanese word for "girl" or "child". The "gal" originates from English language.[1]. See Types of Gyaru.
Media[]
The Ribon manga Gals! featured kogals as main characters during its 1999-2002 run, and also spawned an 52-episode Japanese/ English Dub anime series of the name "Super GALS! Ran Kotobuki".
Episode six in the third season of BBC's Japanorama documentary series covers kogal, ganguro and yamanba "bad girl" culture.
A Japanese drama titled Gal Circle prominently features gals.
Further reading[]
- Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno - Tokyo Teen Fashion Subculture Handbook
- Complete list of Gyaru GAL styles with photos.
- "Those Naughty Teenage Girls: Japanese Kogals, Slang, and Media Assessments", by Laura Miller. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology: Volume 14: Number 2 (2004).
- Metropolis – Feature – "No heels, no life"
- Discussion of Japanese High School Girls and the poetry they inspire
- ↑ Macias & Evers. Page 49.