Juneteenth

 Its already June 19th (Happy Juneteenth everyone!) and it has been quite warm. Finally! 

Though it's not officially summer just yet (it starts tomorrow) it feels like it, and I have been scouring the internet for fun things to do. Do I want to do picnics? Tan at the beach? Do I want to explore something new? I can do all of that, and... what will be next?

There's so many new attractions as well as some annual events happening all over, that its not hard to have fomo. We get cold winters here that stall the onset of spring, so every summer day with delightful weather is precious. Chicago winters are alright, but it calls for indoor events to feel some level of comfort. I'm not skilled enough for ice skating or skiing, so I tend to stick with Christmas light viewing and making tea to cuddle up with a book at home. 

Delightfully Seasoned Shrimp Skewer

So far, I have enjoyed myself, but am restless for a new adventure. I tried a few new delectable, savory, summer bites that have me yearning for more, visited a few different cities, and am looking forward to a few events, but there's something out there that could be more exciting than just watching my phone fill up with video after video of what needs to be edited next. Something more exciting than just relaxing after a long day to get ready for the next. 

There is an interview that has been produced by Bananny and published recently about my takes on gyaru fashion! 

I am going to finish my food as well as tend to more tasks that I have.

Until next time 

WCG Trend Alert

D.i.a.’s comeback and goods live!

D.i.a.’s revival goods

D.i.a. Had their launch on ZoZo on June 4th, and showcased their products on their social media. You know I was up to watch the reveal of their newest items! 

Antidepressants Are Useless? pt 2

Welcome back, heartlets.🫶👿🌟

In a short article back in 2022, Antidepressants Are Useless? In 2022, I mentioned that after reading an article, read it here,  I was somewhat shocked that someone would suggest these common remedies were not as effective as their industry was claiming. Far too often do we see all sorts of mental health prescription advertisements on American television compared to other countries, as if they were candy or a new, trendy item.  Just to be clear, I am not a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist; this is from my own findings.

When I was in my most active online era, I would come across posts on social media that had me thinking about depression differently than just cute gyaru pictures or makeup tutorials. Some of those posts had reiterations of a quote that read:

Quote by ??

It's Rohto Z! - Review

 "Wow, what a feeling! Strong yet soft, the indescribable sensation is truly long lasting."

"The sensation spreads through my brain- I feel wide awake, My eyes are purified and refreshed."

It's Rohto Z!

Feel it!

Lisha’s Game Site Gyaru Interview

 

Interview from that one geek #gaming site I was asked to be a part of after my Gaiaonline activities around 2010 or so. The direction of that whole… interaction and collab was unclear. I was told to just move on from it and not question it when I brought it up in 2020 after leaving the group officially, and my posts containing my content being removed in 2015/2017 ish.

D.i.a. Revival

 D.i.a. Is Back!

So the iconic gyaru brand with western influences, d.i.a., has risen! At first, I thought it to be a prank, but they have been having promo pictures of their new goods being showcased by with the latest gyaru models from the ever so controversial egg mag.

A Brand That Will Probably Stay Gone

 

With more items being available for gyarucoming from Japan itself, (D.i.a., Ma*rs, and even some newer brands), Alba Rosa comes to mind as well. 

最近、日本からもっと平成ギャル服ことが現れた。例えばDia、Ma*rs、新しい平成系服ブランドも』。外人ギャル達が他のブランドが頭に浮かんだ。。。AlbaRosaだ！

However, Alba Rosa wasn’t originally a brand that catered to gyaru; they (those gyaru) just found it cute as hell. 🌺

しかし、AlbaRosaはギャルブランドじゃなかったわよ。サーフブランドだったね。この時は、このギャルがヤベ可愛すぎと思ったんだ。

「ペラペラじゃないですけど、メンゴメンゴね」

“GyARu is SupPosEd tO ScAre oFf mEn!”

 There is SO much misinformation going on about the purpose of gyaru makeup, so much so, that @🎀kitkat🎀 , comments on an old montage of my most extreme gyaru makeup (Manba, super large eyes with a droop), to tell me 

Huh? The video was about doing white filled droops correctly, so why the comment in the first place? Just saw a video tagged “gyaru” and had the copy paste button at the ready? No matter the meaning of the video?

College Daze

It sucks hearing from a so called friend that she miscarried a baby with the man you had a crush on. You block it out, not wanting to think of them going at it to even get to such a conclusion thats being used to play on your sympathy. Or, is it slap in the face?

 You’d  think with so much time spent on various projects, working with a gyaru brand twice, using every braincell in an internship at a top Chicago University, blogging, researching, and pushing myself at different jobs that I’d get over the pain of being painfully naive and nooby with a colleague and a complex situation that got out of hand. 

2010 Fan/Portrait art by Ashley A. Woods

 Black Gamer Girls + Work Exploitation

In 2010, I met Ashley, a black comic book artist, at a local anime convention. She was tall, with a short haircut and was in a cosplay of one of her own original characters. She was bright, nerdy and bubbly, and we clicked instantly. 

Daily Drills Viral Bubble Dress

 I came across a post of a creator talking about a new brand called “Daily Drills”. I assumed it was about equipment and tools or even practicing language learning reps until I started to read the comments to later see what the brand was about. 

Some of the items of this brand are basic, even outside of alternative fashion. One piece stuck out to me as the most bizarre one; the bubble dress. Bubble dresses were a bit cute for millennials in the early 2010s, after all as a gaijin gyaru who loves fashion, I had a few myself. I initially thought it couldn’t be that bad...