Gyaru

Gyaru (ギャル^?) is a Japanese transliteration of the English word gal, that of girl being gaaru (ガール^?). The name originated from a 1970s brand of jeans called "gals", with the advertising slogan: "I can't live without men", and was applied to fashion- and peer-conscious girls in their teens and early twenties.

After peaking in 2007, the gyaru trend appears to have declined in Japan, but has gained in popularity in China.^[1]

There are various subcategories of "gals" depending on the choice of fashion, and also gender.

• Gyaru-kei (ギャルー形): Basically the default gyaru style.
• Bibinba (ビビンバ): This look usually includes a lot of gold, and jewelry. Similar to b-gal.
• Banba (バンバ): Banba is a lighter form of manba. Banbas wear less white makeup than manbas; they also use more glitter, and usually don't have neon colored hair. Banbas wear more extreme-looking types of false eyelashes, and colored contact lenses. Banbas wear darker colors than manbas, and sometimes dress in club wear. The most respected banba Gal-cir is Angeleek; there are 22 members in the Tokyo group, and they have many other groups throughout Japan.
• Ganguro (ガングロギャル): A gyaru with an artificial deep tan and bleached hair. This style was popular in the late 1990s, and early 2000s.
• Gyaruo (ギャル男): A male gyaru.
• Kogyaru: Generally a high school student (高校生 kōkōsei).
• Yamanba: Like manba, but the nose stripe goes past the eyebrows.

Gal Circles (gyaru-sa/ギャルサー) are also a fun part of a gal's life.
A Gal Circle is a group of gals that meet up and hold events promoting gal style, music, and parapara dancing. There are two main types of Gal Circles, Nago-cir (comfort circles) and Ive-cir (event circles).