Cawaii!

Japanese: カワイイ
field: apparel
style: gyaru
market: women, 10s
region: Japan
frequency: monthly
url: Cawaii! official site

Buy Cawaii! at Amazon Japan (English on product page)

Advertising as “the magazine for teens who itch to become adults”, fashion magazine Cawaii! appeals to young women who want to dress sexy and cute. It is very much ‘gyaru’ (derived from ‘girl’).

The gyaru look has a strong focus on dyed hair (usually blond) and wigs, flamboyant makeup and nail art, and the ever present mini-skirt. Girls sporting the gyaru look usually do so until they are about 20, at which age they ‘graduate from being gyaru’. The shopping mall 109 Shibuya in the center of Tokyo’s flashy Shibuya district is famous for shops catering to the gyaru look.

Playing on the insecurity of their readers, and their need to be popular, Cawaii! loves lists like ‘The hottest trends by 100 people’, ’6 keywords for fashion in Autumn’, ‘The 5 colors of Spring’.

Published by Shufu no Tomo company, the magazine sells over 300,000 copies per year. The majority of the readers are of high school age. The readers themselves are the models in this magazine, which makes Cawaii! extremely real.

Another magazine that appeals to the same group of people is Egg. Magazines with a more mature audience are JJ and CanCam.

IMPORTANT TIP: How to buy Japanese fashion magazines online.

Last updated on 07-11-2007 02:41 (Viewed 9373 times)

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