The Real Life of Teenage Girls [5]High School Girls' Real Concerns [Blogger Momo and Girls' Gathering: Part 2]
Harajuku Kawaii Research, studying trends among teenage girls. Welcoming popular blogger Momo-san, Harajuku Kawaii Research member Ayaka Asami from Dentsu Inc. Marketing Solutions held a girls' gathering with three modern high school girls. Continuing from last time, here's how it went.
❤Teens who can't wear makeup due to school rules experiment with different hairstyles
Asami: For high schoolers who can only wear minimal makeup at school due to rules, do you have any recommended techniques they can use?
Momo:I think makeup and hairstyles are kind of the same thing. I mean, no matter how much makeup you put on, if your hair looks bad, you won't look cute. With hair, you can do all sorts of things, right?
Asami: I feel like teens these days have gotten really good at hair styling...
High School Girl B: I change mine completely every single day.
Momo: Wow, that's amazing.
Asami: How do you do it?
High School Girl B: Today I just curled it, but sometimes I braid the top and just tie the bottom normally. My bangs are super long, so I can pull them all up, or gather them and braid everything from the back. Or do a fishbone braid (*). Since I can't wear makeup at school, I try to change my hairstyle every day hoping to get complimented on it.
*Fishbone: A trendy hairstyle. It looks like a complex version of a regular braid, resembling a "fishbone," hence the name.
High School Girl A: Like, if it's gym class, I'll do a ponytail. I change it up a little bit depending on the schedule.
Asami: It really feels like teens' hair styling skills have gotten better.
Momo: That's amazing. I didn't realize everyone was this conscious about it. You guys really study it.
Asami: I really liked Momo-chan's hairstyle when she was on "Ainori," where she swept it all to one side. Even when traveling abroad without a curling iron, she'd style it so cutely—I was always amazed and wondered how she did it.
Momo: How did I do that without a curling iron? That's amazing (laughs). I just used wax and messed it up, you know? I was pretty particular about it back then.
❤That day's fashion is influenced by the color of the colored contacts chosen that day
Asami: Lately, it's become really noticeable that girls don't just stick to one style anymore. They want lots of different variations, and the range is so wide that it's harder to tell each person's unique fashion taste.
Momo: The boundaries between genres are definitely blurring, I think.
High School Girl B: I think the difference between Shibuya-kei and Harajuku-kei has also gotten pretty blurred. Now it all feels kind of mixed together.
High School Girl C:I have a base style, but I like to veer off course. I like a clean, simple look, but sticking to the same thing all the time is boring. I get the urge to try something, so I might decide to go for a gal-style look today.
Asami:It's not just "a little gal-ish" within the same fashion style. It's going all out gal-ish, like in gal magazines. That kind of huge expansion in fashion variety feels very modern girl to me.
High School Girl C: First , I pick out colored contacts to wear, and that pretty much decides the style I'll go for that day. Like, "Today I'll go for a cool look," and then I do my makeup.
Asami: Does makeup really change things that much?
High School Girl C: It really does.
Momo: Colored contacts seem to make a big difference too.
High School Girl B: It changes you a lot. Gray and pink look totally different.
High School Girl C: The ones I'm wearing now are more brown-based, but they look kind of gray.
High School Girl B: Yeah, you're right.
Momo: Grayish.
Asami: They make you look half-Japanese, and it's cute.
❤My fashion sources are magazines and stylish people.
Asami: About ten years ago, I think there was this image of magazines splitting into two main types: the classic red-letter style represented by CanCam, and the blue-letter style represented by non-no.
Momo: I was into the red-letter magazines too when I was in college.
Asami: What's considered mainstream these days?
High School Girl B:I think it's like mixing ViVi and non-no and dividing by two.
Momo: Do you all buy magazines?
High School Girl B: Yeah, we buy them. We cut things out.
Momo: You cut things out?
High School Girl B: I used to stick them on color paper or corkboards.
Momo: Huh.
Asami: Is that how everyone does it?
High School Girl C: I don't cut things out, but I love reading magazines. I don't have much money though, so I only buy one or two issues a month. I want to see different genres, so I go to the bookstore and read different magazines.
Asami: I see. You have to check out all kinds of genres, don't you? Girls these days.
High School Girl B: I also love looking at other people's clothes. So on weekends, I go to the front of Ron in Omotesando...
※Lawson Front: A term used among High School Girl B's friends. Refers to the front of the Lawson convenience store in Omotesando.
Momo: Lawson Front (laughs).
High School Girl B:At Ron-mae, I catch glimpses of lots of stylish people walking by.
Momo: Wow, that's awesome.
High School Girl B: It's fun.
Asami: I guess the girls watching Momo-chan's fashion are like this too.
Momo: Is that so?
Asami: From your perspective, Momo-chan, do you ever notice certain fashion styles getting a huge reaction, or anything like that?
Momo: Yeah , I do. I think everyone really likes the girly style. I actually prefer pants myself. But when I wear girly, cute skirts...
Asami: You get a good reaction.
Momo: Yeah. It's all kind of fun, right? I want to try all kinds of looks. Boyish styles too. More mature looks. So I don't really want to be tied down to one style.
❤Influenced by handsome reader models, I sometimes wear girly fashion
Asami: When did you start getting really into fashion, Momo?
Momo: Since college, when I had a boyfriend who was really particular about style. Before that, I didn't really care that much.
Asami: Has anyone else had their fashion taste change because of someone they liked?
High School Girl B: For me, it was a male reader model. So I started reading men's magazines and wearing clothes in the style that model liked. That male reader model had a girlfriend who was also a model, so I just copied everything she did. The clothes the models wore were expensive, so I'd look for similar ones at cheaper stores nearby. I was totally influenced. Girly style.
Asami: I totally get wanting to change your fashion style to match a male celebrity you like, even if they're not someone close to you.
High School Girl B: I totally change like that. If I get all giddy watching a drama, I'm like, "Maybe I should change things up a bit."
Asami: Does everyone have a favorite male celebrity these days?
High School Girl C: I like Johnny's Jr. and Sexy Zone too. When we go to their live shows, everyone dresses like they're wearing head-to-toe Liz Lisa. It's all girly.
Momo: Is that the fashion style associated with liking Johnny's Jr.?
High School Girl C: I think everyone likes that style.
High School Girl B:You know, the super girly stuff.
High School Girl A: I like reader models too, like Tomankun.
Momo: (looking at photo) Whoa, blue hair! He looks like he'd be in a manga...
High School Girl B: Even if you met him in person, he wouldn't seem human. More like a doll.
High School Girl A: Even though he's a guy, he weighs about 38 kilos.
Asami: He's cute.
Momo: So reader models really influence things, huh?
High School Girl B: It's crazy how many there are lately. Like, clothing brands that have male reader models working for them.
Asami: Those handsome store clerks are super popular lately, right?
High School Girl B: They've had good-looking staff for a while now. But lately, they've become popular on social media.
Asami: Huh. So SNS is really the catalyst, huh?
❤I do think about the future, but being a girl means there's a special joy in choosing life intuitively
Momo: What do you all want to be in the future?
High School Girl B: I'm thinking about working in product planning in the future. I also like hair and makeup, so I'm interested in that too.
Asami: High school girls these days really think seriously about what they want to do and their future, huh.
Momo: That's amazing. I never expected to hear about product development from a high schooler (laughs).
Asami: Momo-chan, you've worked on a lot of product development projects yourself, right?
Momo: I do now. But back in high school, I wanted to be a flight attendant.
Asami: Was there a specific reason you decided to pursue blogging as a career?
Momo: I actually graduated college and got a job, but I had to quit because I was going on "Ainori."
Asami: It was a long time, wasn't it? About a year.
Momo: Yeah, about a year. When I came back, I had absolutely no idea what to do next. My life has really been completely improvised.
High School Girl B: Weren't you anxious when you quit your job?
Momo: Of course, I was incredibly anxious. I applied for "Ainori" before joining the company. But I got accepted after I'd already started, so the timing was off. It was a company I really wanted to join, so I hesitated. But in the end, I thought, "The experience of being on 'Ainori' is something you don't get very often."
Asami: Trusting your gut instinct is important too, right?
Momo: I figured things would work out somehow.
Asami: Everyone here is thinking things through carefully now, but maybe someday you'll suddenly feel like changing direction.
High School Girl B: If that happens, I want to jump on that chance.
Momo: I know this might sound bad, but I think precisely because I'm a girl, I want to live freely. Marriage is also an option.
Asami: Momo-chan, you haven't changed at all even after getting married, have you?
Momo: Well, maybe things will change once I have kids.
❤The secret to the long-running blog queen's popularity: her unadorned, relatable charm
Asami: How was it meeting and talking with Momo-chan in person after seeing her on the blog?
High School Girl A: She was super easy to talk to. And I really thought she was cute.
High School Girl B: She's super popular and cute, but she doesn't put on airs.
Asami: I guess that's why everyone loves Momo-chan. Even though she's so popular, she's so down-to-earth and unpretentious.
High School Girl B: You can tell she puts in real effort behind the scenes, so it makes you feel like if you work hard, you could become cute too.
Asami: She really boosts girls' motivation, doesn't she?
Momo: Thank you. Without opportunities like today, I rarely get to talk this deeply. Today, I really felt that people are watching me properly, so I have to keep working hard from now on (laughs).
Asami: Everyone loves Momo just the way she is. She's hardworking and genuinely tries her hardest to meet expectations. Her humble, unpretentious charm is just her true self. I feel this is precisely why, even as many bloggers fade away, Momo continues to be supported by both older and younger generations. Thank you for today.
❤What is Harajuku Kawaii Lab?
Launched in December 2012 as a joint project between "Dentsu Inc. Gal Lab" and Mynavi's " JOL " service (which supports girls' dreams), it's a team specializing in researching the "now" of teenage girls in junior high, high school, and college. While based in Harajuku, their research isn't limited to Harajuku; they study the real lives of girls nationwide.
Related Projects
❤Dentsu Inc . Gal Lab
A cross-functional planning team within Dentsu Inc., primarily composed of young female employees. It aims to revitalize not only businesses but also Japanese society as a whole by harnessing the mindset and powerful lifestyles of gals.
❤Mynavi JOL
With 60,000 teenage female members nationwide (primarily junior high and high school students) registered. " Dream Station JOL Harajuku " has become such a staple destination that it's considered a must-visit spot when in Harajuku.
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Author
Peach
Born March 12, 1985. From Tokyo. Lived in the UK for six years starting from elementary school. After graduating university, appeared on the dating observation variety show "Ainori" from 2007 to 2008. Returned to Japan after traveling through eight countries. Started blogging on Ameba Blog in February 2009. Quickly gained popularity, and by the end of June that same year, her blog was upgraded to the official "Celebrity/Famous Person" blog category, consistently ranking among the top blogs. She is actively involved in a wide range of activities, including appearing in magazines like 'mer' and in artists' music videos. In 2013, her "half-face makeup" gained significant attention. She has also produced numerous hit products, including hair accessories, loungewear, false eyelashes, and colored contact lenses. Privately, she married in 2010. <a href="http://ameblo.jp/momo-minbe/" target="_blank">http://ameblo.jp/momo-minbe/</a><br/>
Ayaka Asami
Dentsu Inc.
As a strategic planner, I have been involved in marketing, management strategy, business and product development, research, and planning for numerous companies. In 2010, I joined GIRL'S GOOD LAB (formerly Dentsu Inc. Gal Lab), the industry's first female-focused marketing team. I researched the ever-evolving insights of women and female consumption trends. From 2011, I participated in the Dentsu Inc. Diversity Lab. As leader of the "LGBT Unit," conducted Japan's first large-scale LGBTQ+ survey on the challenges facing Japan's LGBTQ+ community and consumption patterns centered around LGBTQ+ individuals. Utilized these research findings to provide strategic solutions and ideas for companies and executives. Official columnist for Forbes JAPAN. Author of 'The Hit-Making Research Guide: Marketing Research Techniques to Boost Your Product Sales' (PHP Institute). Her core belief is: "When the form of LOVE changes, consumption changes."
