Ganguro Girls

The book consists of pictures of ganguro girls side-by-side with short surveys. I think the girls that the authors chose could have been much better, since many of them don't look that different from the ordinary, and many aren't good-looking. (Given the nature of the book, this is important, since looks is what the book's all about.) In addition, some of the pictures are repeated. (For example, there's a group photo of 5 girls, accompanied by one of the survey questions answered by one of these girls. Later, there are pictures and surveys of all 5 of them individually, wearing exactly the same clothes, and with exactly the same answer to the question as before.)

The book also provides little information about the girls. I think it would be more effective if the girls were asked to describe themselves in a short paragraph instead, especially since some of the surveys are left blank. The book raises some interesting issues (for example, it pays special attention to how one girl says that she's bright not only on the surface), but, unfortunately, does not follow through with them.

The result is a really pointless, but fun to look through, book. It's bright and shiny, and nicely designed, but after reading it, you'll learn close to nothing. It'll give you little inspiration if you're a fashion designer, especially if you've seen Fruits, but when you consider the bottomline, you'll know that the book is worth getting...


fashion Appropriations   January 2, 2003
I think this book, while arguably not as polished as the comparable "Fruits," is really fascinating. The realistic view of these young women helps to reveal an underlying idealogy in Japanese fashion -- something niave and straightforward that I'm not accustomed to seeing in Western designer fashions. Both cultures recycle past fashions, but with such contrasting aims. These women make Vogue seem tired.
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Cute -- even interesting, but not as good as FRUITS...   March 1, 2002
 8 out of 11 found this review helpful

Perfect for Japanese pop-culture devotees and off-kilter stylists, this slim, strangely sized hardcover is a guide to the enduring trend among Japanese teenage girls for a deep fake tan, day-glo eyeliner and platform sneakers.

Ganguro ("Black Face") Girls were inspired by the adult video actress turned TV host Ai Iijima, who popularized the post-nuclear tan look when mainstream ideas of feminine beauty championed pale skin. Teenagers, delighted by the disdain it caused in their elders, beefed up the look with press-on nails, platinum locks and odd accessories.

The book, while minimal on shopping details, does have a few pages devoted to background information. Each picture is accompanied by a bio which asks a few (boring) questions. There's even a section on how to do the favorite dance of the Ganguros, the "Para Para", which consists basically of arm movements because of the extreme difficulty of dancing in super-high platforms!

Unlike Shoichi Aoki's FRUITS, which showcases mostly "cute to attractive" youths, Ganguro Girls has no problem showing some really UNattractive girls, in some very unflattering poses. FRUITS is a far superior book in just about every respect, so if you have to choose between the two, leave Ganguro Girls on the shelf.


Gets in depth w/o being verbose   January 23, 2002
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Ganuro Girls, basically a picture book, gets as deep as these girls are - a photo book. Not much substance here, except that this is one book packed with photos and questionnaires on these interesting Japanese girls. Some are in HS, some are in college, many answer that they will be ganguro until age 25, some are prostitutes, and how much money they had in their purses. Many recognize that this is a trend, and this is temporary identity.