You're not the only one who does a double-take at those over-tanned Japanese ladies with the blonde ringlets; advertisers are giving the gyaru a close second look, too.
Gyaru (and their various sub-genres – in parau dresses, in altered school uniforms and loose socks, in white eyeliner that approached blackface . . . ) started grabbing headlines in the mid-'90s and were a staple of "wide" talk shows and weekly magazines.
While the media spotlight might have dimmed, gyaru haven't exactly faded into the background. In fact, they've become a formidable economic force, with their own magazines, cosmetic lines and fashion brands dedicated to their flashy sense of style and their embrace of all things cute and sparkly.
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