Black ⭐︎ Cherry | Chicago Gyaru History

 Chicago Gyaru gyaru circle Black⭐︎Cherry (also Black*Cherry, B*C) me2 and the banner I made either 2009 or 2010. My handwriting sux! 😂笑 🍒

Black⭐︎Cherry was created in a Chipotle 🌯 on August 8,2009 and had a short run. 

We had 3 1st gen members, myself, ParadiseGal La (formerly from the 1st chicago gyaru sa Kamikaze Gals), and another member (and La’s former friend). La’s former friend would eventually leave & went to Ari (IL), a prospective circle member who would later create her own galsa named DollFace that would later disband. 

Our members in Black⭐︎Cherry were diverse as our circle was inclusive. Some of our main rules were we were to be gal not cosplay it, for our me2 and in our personal lives. Another was to show up to the me2s. Simple. 

As one of the leaders, I conducted+hosted meetings/interviews with new members with La while inviting interested people, (you may be familiar with some names as they went on to become singers/entertainers, comic book creators and artists or other jpop related stuff) to our more chill me2s in hopes to acquaint and bring them to the Diamond event circle meets. 

Black ⭐︎ Cherry was also not to outshine the event circle La and I were in (Diamond Gyaru sa). It was to help the chicago scene with two very strong gals from thee biggest Amerigyaru event circle in the USA. 

 We also choose fewer members for the Chicago (aka Chibuya) based circle, keeping it local. During this time, many gyaru circle focused on their key members similar to Japanese gyaru circles than a global group like a web forum circles in Japan who’d rarely meet up in person. Keeping it mainly local than just racking up a buncha numbers was important. 

 Surely we’d be unstoppable! We had experience! We were gal! We even had gals who were our vets to as our partners! 

The group would later disband. Womp womp⤵️ 

Pix later 

Xoxo

#ギャル #gyarumakeup #kawaii 

6/7 ponderings

Hey Dear Heartlets,

Have you heard about the guy Ganers complaining about playing a woman in the new God of War and then creating a game so they can pretend to be a woman to give birth and cater to Kratos as his housewife than just not playing the game at all?

Interesting take from such manly men to want to be subs to a man stronger than them to prove a point on how to behave like women! 🤔 

Anyway, got my nails done and will be getting a new set, got my fave sunscreen and also saw one of my friends a week or so ago!

Mata ne 🫶🏾😈

Substyles

 One of my colleagues recently posted regarding substyles and why/how they came about. 

My response: I wonder if the prof/bios of gaijin gals (and seeing some models that tended to lean to a certain aesth) from back in the day had an effect on why it’s a big deal these days for n00bs. Though there were some experimentation through styles/substyles, some of us were hardcore into a specific look or 2 for a more cohesive wardrobe than just being all over the place with a few outfits here and there. Some of us tended to lean towards certain aesthetics so naturally we gyarufied it. 

Like rock music? Goshikku/bangya/rokku.

Like cuter styles? Etc etc etc. 

My biggest concern is people who want others to decide for them. Won’t you be unhappy not dressing and buying things for yourself? Don’t you have things you like in fashion etc?

Mata ne, Heartlets 🫶🏾😈✨

2/20/2026

 So….Dear Heartlets. Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving , Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Valentine’s Day.

I have made some smaller, bite sized pieces of content for you on other authorized accounts, but we met here again!

How have you all been? Have you been enjoying the winter season so far? Or the warmer weather if you’re in Chicago? It’s gotten quite warmer here in Chicago, and we’ve had a few rain showers than snow storms. 

Things are getting interesting, and I hope you’re all taking care of yourselves. 

Love you

またね🫶🏾😈💖

Oct 19th Fashion Advice Stream

Quick fashion tip from yours truly

Keep your kawaii shoes nice, GET HEEL TAPS  

I’ll get a remastered video up soon because the audio quality is terrible.

Share post with a friend in the meantime that needs a reminder  

Xoxo my dear Heartlets. 

Heartlets Fave Make Aspects

Dear Heartlets,

Gyaru make, short for makeup, isn't just thick eyeliner, adn bold, spiky lashes and an eye-catching nose stripe. Base makeup, contour, and even eyebrows are part of the equation that gets overshadowed by the striking way we do our eyes.

This year, in the midst of the hottest temps of the summer heat that engulfed us, you all shared your favorite aspects of your full-face make. 

Here are some responses:

“Li” a newer gal Heartlet writes:

All of the eyemakeup, even if I struggle with lashes, they make the whole look!!

“Ki”, a beautiful ebony doll shares:

My blush ! I love wearing different blush styles

“🙂‍↕️” chimes in:

Definitely putting on lashesss🥳

“K-chan”, an enthusiastic beginner adds:

I struggle w my eyeliner alot, and yet it's still my favorite to do!💖

im BIGGG about circle lenses cant go without em!

“A-chan”, a gal who doesn’t let anything stop her from doing a full face of makeup, replied.

✨😈••┈┈┈┈••🫶🏾••┈┈┈┈••😈✨

So, what has been your favorite part of gal make?

Names have been shortened to protect the identity of those who have shared their opinions.

September Check-In

My dear Heartlets 🫶👿✨, How are you all? 

These past few weeks have been a bit much, hasn't it? There are so many world-shattering historical events as well as changes to look forward to this fall season that it's all too easy to feel overwhelmed and even stressed. 

So...My questions to you:

Are you eating well? Sleeping well? Taking time out for little moments for yourself, like with the 🫧Makeup Brush Washing Ritual🫧 that we all do on the weekends after a hectic week?

Are you getting in a little movement with dancing to your favorite songs or going for a light walk?

Neglecting yourself to keep up in this hamster wheel is not beneficial to you. 

Take baby steps. 

Mata ne 🫶🏾😈✨

Black Kawaii Gurl

I talk and listen to a black creative often; a dark skinned woman with edge and cuteness who cannot rely on passing as mixed/white in a world so judgmental. Though her days may be long and hectic with her packed schedule, and how to navigate the world of being an independent creative, she still puts forth the drive for her goals. 

Numbers don’t lie, and I often tell her she’s setting & meeting goals despite the set backs and the complex layers of them that she expresses. We can be our own worst critics, that’s for sure! But doing everything yourself because people fail you certainly sucks. (But for those that actually keep their word, you are amazing!)

And yes, it IS tiring “playing the race card” 🙄 even in kawaii, alternative, artsy, and nerd spaces. But others wanting us to play small or ELSE, being goaded for reactions, needing to turn a blind eye because we don’t want to be the “angry black bitch” or face bad pr with grudge holders with a vendetta just because it’s fun for them, while still not taking us seriously yet in turn demanding free labor and support just because…is not tiring?

Being used as an object in platonic spaces to gain cool points from via selfies or by overly familiar association, but not cool enough to give credit to. 

Typical

        Played out

                     Cliché

But that’s life for us. Maybe some can overcompensate and may evade this in some ways by some form of whitewashing or even “Asianfishing”  to some extent to be a more favorable black person and be more “appealing” ie the Oreo or Chocolate covered banana (is that a real term?).  Aka the  “omg, you’re a white/Asian girl in a black girls body!” cringe of a  “compliment” of some sort. (as if black people didn’t learn other languages? Did anything beyond shaking ass or rapping or slam dunking?) This perpetuates the notion that Blackness, African descendants in America, are inherently inferior, worthless, and up to no good. 

🥱

Maybe some have lots of trauma with Blackness; pain and humiliation and sabotage as sport from others who happen to be different, from those that are similar, or from the same kin. Maybe the cringy compliments of “wow, ur black but not that kind of black”, “you’re pretty for a black girl”, “omg you’re so ArtICuLatE (for a black person!)”(my “fave” compliment talking with other artists/professionals at a prestigious art institution) is some glimmer of pseudo hope and admiration in a world that tells you you’re not good enough so often.

There are some that don’t care to change themselves because it doesn’t matter. There are some that do. There are some where that is all they know so what is there to change? 

But, it’s an interesting experience. 

I hope it doesn’t get you down too much. 

💖👿🫶🏾

Gyaru, Rules, and the State of Being

Cross posted from a forum July 21,2025

This is NOT to single any particular person out, just wrote a lot and wanted to archive it. :}

On gyaru fashion, gyaru as a subculture, gyaru rules, and the state of being 

“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare

 -Romeo and Juliet-

Gyaru is based on trends and popular items in a mall so some of that “freedom” is premade from the brands/mall. Manba is very otp compared to Rokku, Onee, Hime which makes it stand out more as “alt”.

The Cost of Cute Heels

There’s no doubt that the right pair of shoes can bring a level of badassery to an outfit. Heels can be cool, cute, sexy, outrageous or even dark and mysterious. They come in various styles: heights, colours, with a platform or without, stiletto heel or chunky. 

You know whats not hot? Foot pain! 

Sunk Cost Paradox - Sunk Cost Fallacy Pt2

2016 Depaul Business Event

One statement that resonated during this event was “if a business, etc, isn’t fueling your growth, then it’s alright to leave.” It was not just about money, though.... if an entity is registered as a business.... then it has to pay the people they employ... I digress... Another point that led to the Sunk Cost Fallacy post! There have been a lot of establishments where I not only learned a lot from, but was able to track the metrics of my growth and progress. [Just to be clear], I even learned things from one organization (business? non profit? start up?) where I was to wear the label of a dumb slutted version of myself to have someone else comfortable and “professional” at my own expense and without my consent based on the experiences I downplayed for the sake of peace and focusing on what was less negative.