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No doubt you have seen some rather bizarre fashions from the Far East. Maybe you have done some searching on the internet or you like to browse the international channels on DIRECTV – whatever the case, you have probably seen some things you thought were strange but have you ever heard of ganguro? Crudely translated to “heavily sunburned face” this fashion trend reached its height in 2000, but what was it all about?

To understand ganguro, one must understand the characteristics and, furthermore, how they pertained to Japanese preconceived notions of beauty. A girl who practices ganguro or a “ganguro girl” usually has a very dark tan that produces an orange skin tone – usually done through make-up but sometimes accomplished through heavy tanning. Other traits include fake eyelashes, hair dyed shades of bright orange and blonde and black ink tracing lines around the eyes and lips. Doesn’t sound too appealing, does it? That’s pretty much the point. Many behavioral study specialists believe that ganguro was a rebellious attack against what the Japanese people thought beauty to be – pale skin, dark hair and unremarkable makeup.

For those of you who have been to the country, you know that Japanese culture has a tendency to both reject and rebuke anything imperfect, often times isolating these imperfections. As strange and unhealthy as ganguro might have been, it at least allowed Japanese females a chance to reject unfair expectations with regards to the ideal woman of idealized beauty, and one can certainly see the beauty in that.