What Harajuku Girls Really Look Like | Style Out There | Refinery29
From Gothic Lolitas to Yoyogi Rockabillies, the Tokyo neighborhood of Harajuku is a wellspring of some of the world's most unique and extreme fashion trends. Rife with restaurants, shops, and cafes, it's a hangout 'hood for the city's youth, whose style is confined to uniforms from elementary school through to high school graduation. And, perhaps to rebel from such strict sameness, they spend their weekends seeing how far they can push the limits.
One of the oldest and most pervasive Harajuku style groups is Decora, characterized by a pursuit of kawaii, or "cuteness," which is expressed in massive piles of hair clips, face bandaids, creative layering, and a mishmash of colors and textures. Don't let "cute" confuse you: There's nothing delicate or elegant about Decora. It's bright, it's loud, and it's in your face (or rather, on your face, via a Hello Kitty bandaid). Though the style can appear as frivolous as a Halloween costume, there's a real statement behind the bevy of barrettes. In the face of pervasive group-mindedness, a rigid social order, and cultural reticence, the Decora have figured out a way to break free.
In the first episode of our new documentary series, Style Out There, our host Asha Leo travels to Harajuku to meet with street fashion superstars, like 90884 designer Kurebayashi, Junnyan, and Shoichi Aoki, the founder of FRUiTS magazine, to peel back the rainbow-colored stickers and uncover the depth behind Decora.
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I like how the host is so open to the style! i’ve seen too many documentaries where the hosts seem to grab every chance to bash the culture -_-
AGREED!
I also like the host
Ikr!
No kidding i would love to try this out…
Me too!! I wouldn´t do it often tho, I´m too lazy to even put on daily make up xD but I would totally love to try it at least once, it looks so fun and beautiful!
Same here!!
honestly same, but i think it’s really expensive, and i’m broke asf
Go for it!
i just started collecting some pins and cute stuff so i wouldn’t say the pieces themselves are expensive, more like the amount and how long it takes to collect everything xD
Imagine seeing them in public
Your day would instantly just become better
ARMY 💜💜😍😍 WAT IS YOUR BIAS 💜😍
Yes
Ikr
No
I liked your comment, then unliked it because onceI liked it, it put your comment at 667 likes. So I unliked to keep it at 666 likes 🙃
I did a lot of decora stuff and tbh its quite the opposite from hiding behind a mask. Its more throwing away the mask because youte willing to express yourself with no care of the “hollywood standard” or social bias
MegaSocky True!!
That’s so cool!
Yo, same !!! XD i got 2 weeks of suspension at school tho, it was worth it ;-; it was one of those days that they let you come however you want to, so idk why they did that but wathever it was fun 😀
Yes I was looking for a comment like this. You’re being you and not putting on a character. It’s your style!
Hey I know this is like a year later but where do you get harajuku fashion? I’m in the states and I am having a hard time finding any (-_-メ)
Unfortunately, If i tried this in my country, i would absolutely get bullied.
same here lol ;(
Same
What country do you live in? (U.S here)
Be yourself I did it and I live in Columbus Ohio people thought it was adorable I’m glad you like it though
fr 🙁
I love how one minute the interviewer has no hair clips then the camera pans back a few seconds later and she has a bunch of clips hap hazardly all over her head 😂
@Tiernan Stanley-Wearen I would love that 🤣
Lmaooo, thats what that one dude who broke outta 4 prisons during WWII and went into hiding must’ve felt lol
People: **dress differently**
Interviewer: *I smell trauma*
S Ss ikr their logic is weird lmao
bruuuuh😂😂😂
LWNDKDHWJVSD
Japan is a society which thrives off of conformity. They have certain ways in which people must act and just lingering a bit off the mainstream standard can get people seriously looked down on. So yeah we all come from countries where being different is accepted but they don’t. So doing documentaries like this can really help Japan and East Asia get out of their conformity shell
Honestly so many interviewers documenting on foreign countries are guilty of this. They have such a way of othering these people. When really, if someone was dressed in Decora fashion on the street in a Western country, they’d definitely get some weird looks thrown at them. Always with that “Oh, it’s the land of conformity, compared to us who are all about individuality” yeah, sure. As if people don’t have specific office attire in the West, as if most women don’t do their makeup pretty much the same way in the West, as if trends hundreds if not thousands of people follow don’t exist in the West. Uniqueness is a myth.
I respect anyone who is unafraid to push boundaries and have fun with their personal style.
😀
thank you’
Hell yeah!! Me too.
right !! i give all my love to them cuz honestly its so hard to be urself in this society these days..
People: are happy
Journalist: they’re hiding their emotions
Hahaha
nico_euu euu being happy’s hard
@Tea Cup ok
Tea Cup it ain’t that hard for some people
@@anj4461 it ain’t the same for all
Why do people think that just because someone dresses differently or has a different choice in clothing have or had mental trauma or just trauma? It’s the way they like to express and have fun jeez.
Ikr
Probably to find more content.
@jaehyun lived in america for 4 years ok 4 years Getting tattoos isn’t just to mutilate their bodies to be unattractive. Sometimes survivors do that because it makes them feel beautiful after feeling disgusting and filthy from their trauma.
Because Japanese culture is way different than USA culture. You can’t always judge the world through a N-American lens… It’s super egocentric.
Right? ‘Do you think the accessories are like a mask to hide behind?’ Wtf lady stop trying to make these people feel bad for just being unique!
I love how they put their emotions and feelings into their outfits. They wear colorful things that go well together and feel happy because of it. It’s really beautifal to me to see them smiling because they know they are dressed as how they want. This shows that they not just have confidence, but a free spirit.
I love how she said they’re not hiding their emotions or playing a character, that they’re actually expressing themselves.
Preson: **dresses colorfully**
Journalist: i diagnose you with trauma
I don’t know, that seems like a legitimate question when someone dresses like a cameleon
@@babbonatale276 just say your life is boring and you are uncreative and go
@@peachyskeleton7484 a group of people dressing in the same way isn’t original or creative. It’s just another mask, another excuse to live like narcissists in a rotten society that values only the aesthetics.
@@babbonatale276 Everything has already been done, buddy. You can’t be original, you can just be yourself. I doubt you have a style that nobody has ever done before. Let people enjoy things.
I really want a friend group with every style that ever existed they would probably be so lively with so many people and they’d radiate their good vibes everywhere
I’ve loved wearing dark colors for a bit but I realized that even though I liked it, something was missing. About a month ago I started adding bright accessories as I increased the number of them and now I associate myself more with decora than I do gothic
It seems more happy and when you approach someone with the bright colors and happy demeanor it’s not as off putting as goth seems to be.
@@ThatsJustPeachy1871 Even though goths are some of the kindest people you’ll ever meet
As a harajuku kid, we’re not hiding ourselves in decora. That’s literally the exact opposite of what we’re doing.
This makes me think of how going from having to wear strict uniforms in high school to art school has been so eye opening to how it’s okay to express yourself however you want to. It’s so fun seeing so many different styles in one place and having no one care if what you wear is different
who remembers watching this when they were younger and found it again??
ive always loved harajuku style but have never been able to express it due to strict parents however ive been able to express myself in this way lately as ive turned 17 and am now getting my own money. makes me happy seeing this style more recognised and appreciated. i really think everyone should dress how they want, without thought of ‘will my boyfriend like this?’ ‘will others judge me?’ and just wear what gives them happy chemicals :)) and for those of you wanting to try this style but are too afraid of judgement, i dress like this and i live in a very normal area yet i get so many compliments daily even from old women and such. so i highly recommend just going for it! dont dress to please others, dress to please yourself <3
i love that for you !!
Amazingly said! I live in florida and I have never had a negative experience wearing decora or any other j fashion. Although I do understand why people would be afraid to wear j-fashion because of possible bad experiences they could have, I think it’s important to consider the kind of area you’re in.
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