Non-Asians copying 'Asian' styles/fashion tendencies

[Neffiline]

I think it's really just about your own personal preferences and style of choice. I agree that some of them over do it and it just looks odd, but other girls I find are very good at the whole "gyaru-gal" thing.

I follow this girl in Finland, she has her own blog and seems to call herself a gyaru. She has a great sense of style and I love everything she wears and does with her hair/make-up/nails/etc. You can see for yourself here: HauteKeikk.com

She wears contacts, fake eye lashes and extensions just like your typical gyaru in Japan, and still manages to make it look good (at least to me she does, I really don't see anything wrong with her style) even though she's a "westerner".

Personally I think it's alright if you adapt it to your own style and body. Some girls over do it, yes, but some western girls can often over do it with western styles and clothes also anyway...

[NanteNa]

Originally Posted by MissMisa

Sometimes I wear fake lashes but I've yet to try circle lenses.



As a cosplayer and a fan of Lolita, I wouldn't say it's an asian only thing or only looks good on asians. Lolita looks weird to the outside world whether you are asian or not, and most people hate it, so the ethnicity doesn't really bother me.

My eyes are pretty small and I have very thin eyelids so wearing lashes and probably wearing circle lenses wouldn't look too weird for me, but I'd never go so big that you can't see the whites of my eyes, that'd look weird.

As for the first pictures, the girl is pulling a stupid face which doesn't help, lol. Think it might be a little too much on the black eyeshadow.

Second girl looks like she's put a bit too much on and it's made her eyes water or something?

This is my eyeliner/lash look, no contacts. Don't think it looks too OTT but some people might disagree..

I wear lashes as well - own two pairs of circle lenses.. They're only half a millimeter larger than my own iris on each side - which isn't that much..
I'm not gonna go into non-Asian cosplay, cause you and I will never agree.

HAHA, yeah stupid faces ftw it seems. Of course they're doing the typical Asian poses.. but oh well.. it just looks ridiculous to me.

Originally Posted by WingsToDiscovery

I don't necessarily mind cosplay; if people want to look like idiots for a day it's fine by me.
But as I always say, and I can never drill this into people's heads enough, there will always be exceptions to everything. There may be girls (like yourself) who have certain inherent physical traits that allow you to adopt the style a bit more easily, and can pull certain looks off. But most of the time it's dumpy white girls who try and cram themselves in extra small school girl outfits and cake on make up. They think it's "kawaii" or whatever, but it's not.

EXACTLY! This is VERY common with especially cosplay - I'm not gonna hate on 'fat' girls or anything, but when you're an XXL trying to squeeze into a size 0 Lolita Outfit to be kawaii - ugh.. it's just not pretty. Same goes for the gyaru/hime looks.. if you already HAVE big eyes, big lashes, then I personally think it's gonna look crazy if you emphasize something that doesn't need to be emphasized.

Originally Posted by Neffiline

I follow this girl in Finland, she has her own blog and seems to call herself a gyaru. She has a great sense of style and I love everything she wears and does with her hair/make-up/nails/etc. You can see for yourself here: HauteKeikk.com

She wears contacts, fake eye lashes and extensions just like your typical gyaru in Japan, and still manages to make it look good (at least to me she does, I really don't see anything wrong with her style) even though she's a "westerner".

Personally I think it's alright if you adapt it to your own style and body. Some girls over do it, yes, but some western girls can often over do it with western styles and clothes also anyway...

She DEFINITELY pulls it off in my opinion. I follow her too... now I do, that is. : D Thanks for the link!

[NanteNa]

Originally Posted by MissMisa

There are crap cosplayers from both - I'm on Cure Cosplay, so I see all the sh** Japanese cosplayers too. Guess that's why I'm less biased about it.

Well it's not so much the cosplayers (as they only do it occasionally).. it's more about Western 'gals' who try to pull this off.. while in reality they look kinda crazy. lol

[iPhantom]

Originally Posted by MissMisa

There are crap cosplayers from both - I'm on Cure Cosplay, so I see all the sh** Japanese cosplayers too. Guess that's why I'm less biased about it.

Western cosplayers FTW. Generally better body curves. The problem with western cosplay is that it's not that mainstream and not many hot girls do it (they think it's stupid etc.) while in Japan and Asian countries it's more mainstream so yeah. Here's what happens when these hot western gals decide to cosplay:



And most KAWAIIII asian cosplays you see are shooped. I've been a cosplay stalker for like 5 years and I've seen my fair share of ugly ones. Some have terrible skin and shoop it to look like she is some angel. The worst is when they shoop the face... yknow.

[WingsToDiscovery]

Originally Posted by iPhantom

Western cosplayers FTW. Generally better body curves. The problem with western cosplay is that it's not that mainstream and not many hot girls do it (they think it's stupid etc.) while in Japan and Asian countries it's more mainstream so yeah. Here's what happens when these hot western gals decide to cosplay:

And most KAWAIIII asian cosplays you see are shooped. I've been a cosplay stalker for like 5 years and I've seen my fair share of ugly ones. Some have terrible skin and shoop it to look like she is some angel. The worst is when they shoop the face... yknow.

IMO, your example of western cosplay is a bit misleading. Granted, I don't watch anime or read manga, but there's really nothing about this particular girl that would lead one to believe she was cosplaying had they seen this picture at random. If I saw this girl on Facebook or something, I would just kind of be like, "Well, she has kind of an edgy look going for her...and whoever took the picture has a decent camera..." (sorry, photography dork ) but I wouldn't assume it was cosplay. The reason for this is because she's not outwardly overemphasizing a particular Japanese look or trying to emphasize Japanese physical characteristics that she doesn't possess as a caucasian female.

[Ryzorian]

Western Kospaly to me is Star Trek or Star Wars conventions, and persoanlly I can only stand so many Klingon Darth Vaders. This other stuff your talking about I have no real opion on, as I haven't seen it much.

[MMM]

How is Western Cosplay different from non-Western Cosplay? It is dressing up as characters you like, whether they be based in titles from the West or titles from Asia, I don't think it makes much of a difference.

Danny Choo dresses as a stormtrooper in Tokyo. That's OK, right?

[Ryzorian]

It might be partly the idea that, least ways in Japan, alot of the Cosplay is off of anime, while in the US it's either Live action movies/shows or Comics. So there is a style difference between the two. Still, I think Triple M is right, it doesn't matter who is dressed like Darth Vader or Nuruto. Some folks will look good reguardless and some won't.

[NanteNa]

Originally Posted by MissMisa

There are plus points and negatives about both. I just think we shouldn't bash one race and praise another when it comes to the same hobby, as people always do. I don't think my race should get in the way of being a good cosplayer, if I ever get to that level. Sorry this is going offtopic.

As for gal fashion, it ends up being western people, being Japanese people, simulating western people (because gal is a pastiche of that culture). Somewhere a long the line it can go wrong, but it doesn't mean that it ALWAYS goes wrong.

I'm not bashing any race. I'm simply asking for you guys' opinion on it. I will agree that there are shitty versions of both, but I wasn't really referring to Cosplay, because that's of no real interest to me (no pun intended). I'm talking about gyaru, vkei, hime and lolita.. all the 'lifestyles' that are popular in Japan.

Simply just wondering if you think people should stick to 'what they are' instead of trying to be someone/something that they're not.. I feel very inspired by gyaru fashion - indeed - but I'd never wear nails, extensions and that much makeup on a daily just to fit into a box whose content I happen to like. It's not just about being INSPIRED by these styles.. it's about copying them down to the tiniest little detail.

Originally Posted by iPhantom

And most KAWAIIII asian cosplays you see are shooped. I've been a cosplay stalker for like 5 years and I've seen my fair share of ugly ones. Some have terrible skin and shoop it to look like she is some angel. The worst is when they shoop the face... yknow.

I totally saw this one coming. -sigh-

[Ojamajoz]

It bothers me about how when westerners adopt Japanese styles, we seem to get annoyed by that, but when the Japanese adopt western styles, even if it's hideous, we don't seem to care as much. I don't know. Maybe Japanese people bully other Japanese people who imitate western people too much? I dunno. But the word "awfuljin" sounds disgustingly snobbish to me.