We have to shoot it, and we have to shoot it now, preferably from orbit and that with a nuclear payload. The monster in question is Gyaru, a bizarre fashion sensation that’s so far dwelt only in the bowels of Japan’s murky subcultures, but now it appears to be spreading like a global pandemic, it must be stopped at all costs.

Big hair. No, like, really big hair. Tanned skin. And incredibly long nails. Meet the young women of Black Diamond. They’re keen to go worldwide.

In Japanese, this style of fashion is dubbed “gal” (ギャル or gyaru). The look flies in the face of traditional Japanese notions of feminine beauty: pale skin and black hair. The subculture has its roots in 1990s Japanese youth fashion, when teens began dying their hair brown and hitting the tanning saloons.

Often, Westerners think this look is trying to copy foreigners; however, a better way to understand it is how teens in the West will dye their hair green to rebel. (Read More)