Life As A Black Gyaru with Jandora

[@feykingjulian]

i love how in both this video and your mom & daughter gyaru interview the influences of black culture on gyaru is highlighted! definitely seems like something a lot of people miss, and the common narrative of attributing the rise of gyaru to baywatch clearly seems to be a retroactively applied common misunderstanding.

[@gooeater1544]

Me too! I actually didnt know/realize the influence until now and it makes a lot more sense. As a mixed person (native black etc) its rlly cool to know something I really enjoy is influenced by part of my culture :)

[@lualas]

i'm so glad she spoke about how gyaru can lean towards blackface sometimes

[@sleepysartorialist]

As a Black AFAB from California, I actually started my j-fashion journey with being super into Ko-gal and meandering along to the way. It was always really frustrating to me how sometimes folks would be racist and tell me that I didn't belong even though....I wake up that brown. It's nice to see folks enjoying the style as Black people and I honestly have had such wonderful, positive interactions with Black gyaru. A great group of people, honestly. I mostly wear EGL and focus on Vkei but sometimes when I want something more wearable gyaru is a fun alternative. This was a nice video.

[@thelostmessenger]

Jandora was so wholesome and welcoming near the end when she talked about not needing expensive brands to be Gyaru. Even if Gyaru isn't my style, I still got motivated lol

[@jamesprovost2602]

Definitely

[@kitty.kiwii.7844]

LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE GYARU VIDS

[@snowpea11]

I think part of why I like gyaru is nostalgia because it reminds me if how my mom would dress, lots of hibiscus and a "beach girl" aesthetic. I kind of wish I had tanned with her growing up and maybe I would actually look Filipino like my mom.

[@athena2158]

I love her energy she is so upbeat and bubbly!!

[@ichi_san]

This is wonderful thank you, it's really nice to hear the perspective of a black gyaru their voices are very underrepresented. Jandora's perspective is lovely to listen to. Really sad to hear that she has to deal with so much bullying just for living her fashion... And it's very nice to help share resources for cheaper co-ords as well.

[@ij4yoon]

words CANNOT describe how excited i an for the citrusmalicious interview

[@mattkirby1089]

Theres gonna be one??? OMG I love them I'm super excited

[@demmiborgir]

Yes! We need opinions and experiences from the current youth also

[@HeadlessAngel777]

To those interested in the gyaru style but have naturally fair skin, listen up: there is a gyary substyle called "shiro gyaru" which is just gyaru but without the tan. It can be combined with other gyaru substyles, too. Also, tanning damages your skin.

[@lalalalaaAa123]

As a fellow black girl, I also find B-Kei to be so cringey 😬 It’s cool to like hip-hop and other forms of black culture, but you can display that in your fashion without dressing up as the same things I get discriminated for (my hair, my skin) 😅

[@meikoluvv]

Exactly, literally same

[@sleepysartorialist]

B-kei is so embarassing, honestly, but this is the same culture that aped cholo style so??? I just don't get it. Like...your hair is gonna fall out if you keep doing that and you could get skin cancer tanning like that! I want people to make healthier choices.

[@NIGHTBLOODUSAGI]

when I figured out abt b-k, I didn't mind. it looked like oneegyaru so that's what I thought it was. but then when I figured out b-k was more trying to be black i..didn't care. it doesn't make me feel any sort of way, mostly because it's obvious to me that they aren't black, and even though that doesn't make a difference, it just makes me brain go "yeahhh that makes sense" when i used to go to live school, some of the kids would say I look white, and I didn't realize that they meant I look japanese because white n asian aren't the same thing. I look the same as i did then and I do look alot like gyaru makeup. so when I look at them, and look at me, i think they just look like me if if I was taller. anyway there was a point about me talking about myself but I forgot so let's pretend it's just my horrible infodumping issues

[@NIGHTBLOODUSAGI]

@@MWOForLife459 uhm, who is? would you like to elaborate?

[@onullo]

@@NIGHTBLOODUSAGIhes a troll just ignore him

[@karisu123]

the queen of j fashion!🌈🌈 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

[@Soggy_Stylus_Has_Style]

YEZZZ!!!

[@ana-ut7hv]

cybergrl has such a kind soul

[@suzubee9602]

I'm looking forward to seeing more from this series it's so informative and fun listening to others, also you're amazing with the questions you ask and allowing your guests to talk

[@seweralligator]

two of my faves in one video ❤❤❤

[@cap4life1]

This was an amazing video!! It makes me happy to see Jandora living her life so joyfully!

[@mmortalworm]

lovee this vid, such an important convo. i love jandora and she always has such unique coords !!!

[@SugaryRoyaltea]

Hi cybr grl im one of your biggest fan! Sometimes I feel lonely and I just go back to your vids and it's like I have a friend that understands me 💕

[@christelleeugenee]

It's honestly fun being Gyaru 🙂

[@weird_human]

Thank you so much for making such interesting and informative videos!!❤

[@kikithepupper6774]

omg she looks beautiful.. I wish to dress like that too

[@Jennifer-vh3tv]

Yeah i definitely tend to be against extreme tanning. Not only is it problematic, but it's literally bad for you? Like tanning salons are cancer boxes. I tried to call out a tiktoker whos ~latina~ for doing a cosplay of Jasmine in an extreme tan and she and her fans started harassing me. People are really toxic in any niche community sadly whether its gyaru, cosplay, Otaku, etc. A lot of people lack self introspection and dont see their own behaviors as problematic/blackfishing

[@kayissaa]

Kinda off topic but I think it would be really interesting if u made a video on “Asian fishing” or “Asian baiting”. I would luv to hear ur thoughts! Also if non Asian people doing Asian style makeup is Asian fishing.

[@thelostmessenger]

I don't think doing asian style makeup is Asian baiting, isn't it just a style at that point? (Like making eyes bigger in Jirai-Kei fashion) However, there should be a video on it. I think Cybr has brought it up at points in videos but don't think there has been a whole video on it

[@kingkayla965]

Yea Jandora I’m so proud I❤u

[@Ranasabia420]

I’ve been interested in gyaru fashion since quite a while I don’t remember but I was seeing it in Pinterest and I was really interested in it and searched about it but now I’ve been so happy people know about it more now but kinda for wrong’s reasons like in tik tok they’ll hate and what not but when I move out of my family I hope I’ll be able to be a gyaru gal cuz am not allowed to wear makeup dress up like that nails ect😭❤

[@chewedw1re]

so thats where the stereotype of kogals in shows being rich came from. never knew!

[@mermaliade6631]

Dude it's not my style but man how cute!

[@Calabazaza]

On the tanning thing, I feel like people should bring up the health risks of tanning too much. Whenever I see a gal on the internet with an extremely strong tan, I always worry about the chances of skin cancer ):

[@clare5524]

Love her, she's awesome

[@inezneal6917]

Japanese beauty industry promotes pale skin and dark hair. The gyaru tan is a rebellion against that .

[@GranolaBars11]

But it also feels weird to rebel by changing your skin color...It's like reducing darker skin to being rebellious...

[@inezneal6917]

@@GranolaBars11 some Japanese are actually naturally quiet dark but don't get represented

[@kayjulist1016]

Yeah we know

[@sarahelster6835]

i love this video sooo much

[@bats1312]

ONG JANDORAS BOX

[@Koda_ishere]

Wait- why r there so little comments Edit: OH WAIT IT CAME OUT 40 MINS AGO

[@tyreesetjjoyner1995]

🌈🌈🌈💗💗💗good video. Continue on your road on getting the silver play button

[@recensionilibri1986]

I am from Italy and I don’t know anything about this look style. I wear only Black dresses since 1998 😅…😂

[@nijigyaru]

First of all: her personality is so refreshing :) thanks for this!! It's thanks to people like her that the gyaru community is alive and well ~ As for the tanning I agree that it depends a lot bc there are different cultures. In 90s Japan there were so little black or half black people that extreme tan wasn't anything like passing for black rly. It was just extreme tan which of course is unhealthy for the skin lol. But I guess if you are a gaijin gyaru in the US for instance then you have to abide by US rules in short .. though ngl as a non-US / non-Japanese person I do think it's pretty sad that, say, dressing up in b-kei or whatever is "appropriating" to some - like, ok, some people discriminate you for your style where you live but I actually find it really cool and would like to replicate it respectfully? But then there is no way to do it because I am not your "race" ? In that sense I feel like Japanese people could also "ban" me from dressing in gyaru or being inspired by it so I just find it really sad. Because it's like we can't appreciate things originated in other cultures ... Though I guess that's because I am not in the US where ppl think some piece of shit like Eminem invented rap basically .. that IS "appropriating" I guess, not doing something another culture invented while paying respect to it and its source. Rly sad to know about the drama though - the lack of drama is one of the reasons why I have always liked gyaru better than, say, lolita but unfortunately some drama queens seem to have entered the gyaru community :( I got some really unnecessarily rude replies on blog comments and decided to stop commenting in blogs altogether tbh.

[@cewlhwip]

yeah the gaijin gyaru community is so unnecessarily toxic

[@gooeater1544]

Black gyarus aren't mad at bkei for existing, they're upset that non-black ppl use it as an excuse to appropriate their culture, not appreciate it. I understand where your coming from but black gals telling non-black gals to stop appropriating their culture is not the same as a non-Japanese person wearing gyaru as a whole. Gyaru is a umbrella term so it stands for dozens of things, bkei isnt inherently appropriative, she just said that the way SOME non-black gyaru go about it is very cringey and appropriate. Your comment is very misinformed. Also regardless of the intent of extreme tanning it's not just harmful to your skin but extremely inappropriate. Even if you dont intend to do bface it's still gross to treat your skintone like an accessory and change it to like 8x your original skincolour. Highly suggest watching the other gyaru videos with other black gals to inform you why this is a harmful mindset to have.

[@nijigyaru]

@@gooeater1544 Do inform me of whatever you think I should be informed of then. Sorry but the thing is, Internet treats issues from an US American perspective always and as a non US American I will ALWAYS be "misinformed" on this matter, because I live in another culture and reality. In my mind "cultural appropriation" refers to any misinformed usage of aesthetic (for instance) elements invented by another culture. Because the person is not inserted in that culture they may not be aware of every nuance and create meanings for it in their heads. Because they like the aesthetic they use it, even if they don't know the cultural context well. And then they speak as if they knew it better or invented it, that is cultural appropriation as I see it. Please correct me if wrong :) So as a latina fan of gyaru fashion I do think a lot about whether it is culturally appropriative of me or not. People don't seem to consider that gyaru rebelled against the rigid rules of Japanese society and in that sense fashion was resistance to them and it's important to pay respect to other cultures as much as our own. Inform me of whatever you think I should know pls. Actually I watched Emi and Haruka interview as well but I have not seen the others so I will go search for them :) thanks. And yeah tanned bodies used to be a fashion standard in US media (which was then sold to the world ..) in the 90s and bc I was alive in the 90s I know that. Maybe it's different nowadays and US people believe that people shouldn't alter their skin tones but it wasn't problematic back in the days and tanning salons made a lot of money ; agree that it shouldn't be normal for health reasons but also because it sounds like some skin tones are better than others. So maybe it's for the best against racism that people realized so.

[@melancholyjones2873]

The way I understand it, appropriating black (in this case specifically african american) culture is not about respect or disrespect. It's about interconnected things like who gets credit for creating the culture, who gets praised for & profits from participating in it, vs who gets mocked or vilified for it. In the US black ppl are STILL being fired, excluded, ridiculed, arrested & killed for participating in our own culture. But it's been common practice for decades that nonblack ppl, esp white ppl, will see part of our culture & enjoy it (which is fine), but then when they participate other nonblack ppl praise them & most importantly, give them credit for creating or improving it. Especially bc often they'll do so by ignoring the cultural context & history, or watering it down so it's less "scary" to white cultural sensibilities. That's why so many black americans don't like nonblack ppl participating in certain parts of our culture, even if it's done "respectfully". Black ppl in the US are still being pressured to conform to white american cultural standards bc our own culture is STILL considered vulgar, shallow, unintelligent & primitive. Until we get to a point where black ppl can be accepted for participating in our culture instead of conforming to someone else's, it's hurtful to see nonblack ppl (in the US & abroad) copy us & be praised for it. There's also some black ppl who just want to be able to have something that's just for us. Bc so much of our enslaved ancestors' cultures were taken from them, & bc so much of our modern culture is taken from us, it feels all the more important to keep hold of it. When ppl are constantly stealing from you, you might not want to share anymore.

[@nijigyaru]

@@melancholyjones2873 Got it :( that is horrible, esp. because US people have been selling black culture stuff for ages, so much that in the 90s bkei gyaru was a thing in Japan u know ??? so it should be appreciated not mocked .. and yeah guess u are right about it, like some white people will do the most basic shit ever and get praised for it as if they are iNvEnTiVe (lol reminds me of the thing about Harry Styles wearing 70s black artist clothes and being called revolutionary for it, also Eminem as I said . . . ) That makes sense too. Thanks for explaining kindly!! Sadly I can only share my perspective as a non US American and hope that things get better but as someone who was raised in a household where people were appreciative of Disco music rather than rock music and Jazz and R&B and such I have always felt that black ppl in the US are and have always been very influential in the arts and creative fields :( and hopefully most people can actually acknowledge this and people can be more appreciative not appropriative ~

[@mausvr7752]

Hi Cybr.grl, can you do a video on the resurgence of poc acceptance of white goth

[@masterxk]

I'm mexican living in Mexico. I heard about cholos that are japanese. Living in Japan. And mariachi bands with full japanese members. And Brazilian people living in Japan studying karate, jujitsu and ninjitsu . In my case if makes you happy and you are respectful it's ok. And by the way here in Mexico traditional costumes and clothes are becoming more a costume like for a play or Halloween rather than something to be used every day.

[@pu_dinn]

great video!

[@CeceAzu17]

So cool

[@theyluveryx]

HIII!!!!!

[@lalyli8581]

someone has to subtitle his* videos in Portuguese so that brazilians can understand kk please! please!hhh

[@kimberlyvuong6396]

@ lalyli8581 Brazilian you're racist it's gyaru

[@momompbignosesbiggestfan4004]

🌸

[@jessw.6250]

I definitely think ppl who are *not Brown should not black-face.* But, you should enjoy dressing HOWEVER you want… yes that includes B-Kei. Style should be shared. I’m not one sided 👍

[@Gimmie_my_legoz]

OMG citrus

[@weebaz4371]

i always thought that gyaru was pronounced as guy-ya-ru 😂

[@222olives4]

It is! U just roll the r so it doesnt sound that way

[@MellyMunozYT]

Heyy

[@LightingCatxD]

I just don't understand where the problem is about people picking up styles they like that got inspired by other cultures. It's not mocking or hurtful it's just appreciation for a era of time and a certain cultute attached to it. Because if as an example B-kei would be considered offensive if someone who is not black do it...isn't hypocritical? Shouldn't we then stop wearing J-fashion aswell? Because it's not part of our culture, even if you would just dress up in a schoolcostume, kimono or maidcostume... I just don't get the hypocrisy about it, wr always got inspired by other cultures on copied from each other, I just hate the facr that some people attack people that wear dreadlocks or braids but at the same time they don't yell at the black community that straightens their hair, something that is more common in our culture. We share and build upon those styles out of appreciation so I don't understand why Mamba or b-kei is a bad thing. Especially due to Mamba having a way different background of it's extremism which has nothing to do with blackface or bashing of the blackcommunity. I feel like nowadays people really forgot how it looks like when people are offensive and try to mock you out of racism and people embracing a culture that wasn't given by them from the beginning but are eager to learn and appreciate it. Is it because we feel like something that is special and exclusive to us gets taken away? I just don't understand nowadays the double racism against white people, while being accused of offensive behaviour of embracing cultures just to purposefully exclude them. I think everyone should just embrace each others culture, I come from two different cultures that tend to get associated with some stereotypical and archetypical clichés and outfits but some of it actually belongs to a cultural background and if people are wearing it and want to learn more about it and embrace it I'm all for it. Because no one owns styles nor cultures, but if someone just wears it to mock my people and make fun of me it's something way different.

[@vixenkushu564]

i totally agree. i was thinking if there's a thing blackfishing than no one should ever wear j-fashion because japanese people might get offended. the reason you shouldn't tan too much is beacuse it may be harmful to your health but she doesnt mention that. like, isn't it beautiful if people like your style and want to look like that? why they have to call it blackfishing?

[@ItsMeKera23]

Please educate yourself on the black community before posting because a lot of the styles get inspired by black culture and get no recognition. meanwhile if someone of the different race where to do the same thing they would get glamorized and praised for it meanwhile turn around and bash the same black person they got inspired by. and you can clearly tell B-kei is heavenly inspired by black folks . Cause why can’t you do the same thing without having to tan your skin as dark as mine. and if you don’t know the history of blackface please do not comment on it if you are ignorant on the history. because there is a long history of people mocking and belittling Black people by changing their skin or painting their skin black. compared to that black face and wearing a traditional outfit is totally different please educate yourself and stop acting slow.

[@ItsMeKera23]

And it’s OK to like something but don’t mock the people that inspired it

[@Delilah08000]

Omg hi

[@jessw.6250]

8:11 I’m confused as to WHY SHE is confused. I’m very equal and ppl say the SAME thing about brown ppl who dress like her. B-Kei is clearly a style (not) to bash brown ppl. So NO you CANNOT run away saying they’re “racist” just like they shouldn’t give you hate.

[@saika-otori]

black gyaru is still regular gyaru

[@0STARZ]

Yuh what's the big difference though

[@truly_dewey]

i think the point is to look at gyaru from the perspective of a POC. Experiences may be different even if the fashion is the same

[@espeon871]

Dude its just perspective of a Gyaru from someone who isnt japanese or white, and how they interact w the community

[@dawnm1284]

It's nice to see the perspective of gyaru from different cultures. Exspecially since people often think gyaru is black face or is something racist to black people (even though it is not) It is interesting to see the perspective of it from someone who is black and participates in the subculture.

[@StarsDeity]

@@0STARZ That they don't have to tan? :D

[@tablet123-p4w]

Just wanna say that for california girls nails originated i france. White people invented the so thats the only wrong thing with this vid. Evrything else good!

[@baddkoneko1549]

Not a black gyaru inspired by Japanese fashion saying Japanese girls shouldn’t wear B kei or B gyaru. 😂 pot meet kettle

[@baddkoneko1549]

@Cure Starfish If you really have to ask that we don’t need to have a conversation

[@baddkoneko1549]

@Cure Starfish she stole her whole look from Japanese girls but has the nerve to say these Japanese girls cant do the same? I’m sure there’s admiration for each other’s culture coming from both sides. But If the shoe was on the other foot she would be screaming that they are gate keeping.

[@xochiz]

@@baddkoneko1549 the difference is that gyaru is a japanese FASHION STYLE. there is a very big difference between participating in a fashion subculture and straight up trying to look like someone else’s race and culture! she is not trying to look japanese by participating in the gyaru subculture however when people do b-kei they are very much dressing and doing makeup/hairstyles with the intention of making themselves look black. it’s in the name. i’m sure it is disrespectful to black people that they treat their culture like a costume.

[@baddkoneko1549]

@Cure Starfish Gyaru came from girls that wanted to rebel against the traditional Japanese beauty standard. Also Namie Amuro helped catapult the trend because girls wanted to look like her. Plz stop

[@baddkoneko1549]

​@@xochiz So Jandora has pics running around in a Yukata. (which is not properly being worn btw) Is that not treating someone’s culture as a costume? She’s not Japanese, its not her culture. I’m sure it comes from a place of appreciation. Why can’t it be the same for these Japanese girls?

[@kit9699]

The Waffle House Has Found Its New Host

[@jessw.6250]

Uhm WAIT 8:02 I find this extremely ODD coming from someone who is dressed like YOU. I do NOT agree. B-Kei *should* be to express our style the same way YOU ARE expressing a style from THEIR culture.

[@saika-otori]

You could call it a day in the life of a gyaru. As if I'd be a little offended for highlighting my complexion as if it were something worse. Can't a gyaru be a black person? Gyaru they do have a dark complexion.

[@KimchiiKnight]

Sounds like you didn't watch the video. The video is focused on the experience of being black while participating in Gyaru fashion. It's not arbitrarily specifying a characteristic of a person.

[@cybrgrl]

As mentioned in the other comment, the point of this video is to share the experiences and perspective of Jandora, who is a black gyaru. The sad reality is that black people often get discriminated against and there have been many black people that I and many others have personally seen on places like Tik Tok who have been harassed for wearing J-Fashion. A big part of why I make these videos is to show that J-Fashion is for everyone and that racism is not tolerated in this community. It's also important for us to not have the mindset of "not seeing color" as this makes people blind to racism and unwilling to acknowledge where its effects have shaped opportunity. I hope this makes sense but you are correct that black people can be gyaru too.

[@janee2898]

No bc this video is about a black person who’s gyaru

[@espeon871]

@@cybrgrl yep

[@espeon871]

Huh?? Its not just abt any gyaru because this isnt about just the fashion its also about this person's experience as a black person just cuz someone highlighted someone ethnicity doesnt mean its a bad thing. Its like saying first female astronaunt is bad cuz it highlights the gender, when its actually good. Also white and asian gyarus have different experience and dont get as much harassment as black gyarus and r more mainstream than black gyarus so to have one share her experience is good

[@thirstyforwonho]

Gyaru did NOT originate from black people. If she couldn't find any information supporting that claim then it's probably not true lol... there's a big difference between originated and influenced

[@kopii00]

she literally said it was infuenced by black people, the evidence is literally in how they do their nails, BRAIDING their hair in b kei. dont be stupid. its so obvious that gyaru was influenced A LOT by black culture, dont be jealous that black people rock gyaru too 🥴.

[@wubbxyleah]

I am a kogal at my school I go to a private school and I get cute compliments from other students and my teachers and explain the gyaru history to them 🤍