1 year of Gyaru

June 24th is the anniversary of my instagram account @gallove! I am so exciting to see how much my style as grown this year: from my soft Liz Lisa beginnings to the more elaborate cowgal style. My makeup has evolved so much as well, as I am finally brave enough for the droopy bottom lash line (and no one tells you in the beginning how hard it is to find false bottom lashes in America...)! I am beyond grateful for all my friends in the gyaru community supporting me and being patient while I figure my style out this year. I am simply a baby compared to other girls who have years of experience under their belts, but I am growing every day, mistakes and all, I am who I am and no one can take that away from me!

Here are some throwbacks from this first year! I hope you can see my evolution in these photos! ♡

My first post, June 24th 2018

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my looks this first year! This fashion sub-style makes me super happy, and I'm always grateful for every single comment and love for my pictures! ♡ Here's to this past year and more to come!

XOXO, Gretchen

Beat of my Heart

I have been addicted to rhythm games for five years now, and I am just recently open about it with others. These unique games have always made me excited and it gives me an outlet to see myself grow when nothing else around me did. To celebrate my fifth year of playing rhythm games, I wish to share my eternal passion and complete story of why and how I remain captivated by such a minimal genre of entertainment, especially made available to the USA.

2014: My first contemporary experience like many others was Love Live. This was my introduction to an increasing love for idols and Japanese music, and my ignorant mind truly thought Love Live had the absolute best bops out of any series ever. When I first picked up this game, I was terrible at playing. I had never tried to give rhythm games a chance, however America has not branched out to any other game than DDR so technically, it is not my fault. With nine buttons on Love Live's screen, as most people start with, I used my thumbs. It was not until I started watching Japanese players tap their screens with their index fingers at a lightning speed that I switched to playing with the identical fingers. It still amazes me that back then I used to watch them and think, "I'll never be as good as them," and prove myself wrong time and time again.

My favorite girls from Love Live are Eli and Umi.

My favorite song is Wonderful Rush.

2016: I began to have friends recommend that I play Idolmaster Cinderella Girls, since it was a similar idol game to Love Live, and yet I turned my back and almost hated Idolmaster because I held Love Live on such a high pedestal. One night at two in the morning, I decided to put my pride away and give the game a download, and it was that night that changed my life. Idolmaster will always be my favorite game no matter what, and for that reason it is not limited to only a game. I joined an online community on Instagram which I have been a part of for two years now, and I have so many close friends because of it! I am beyond grateful for always having the friends I have made in this community, even when I felt the most alone in real life. Every week we watch for news announcements in Idolmaster and share our goals with each other. This community is truly my safe space, and because Idolmaster is one of the largest series in Japan, there will always be plenty of content for all of us to enjoy!

My favorite girl from the Idolmaster series is Mika Jougasaki.

My favorite song is EVERMORE.

2018: Bang Dream Party, aka Bandori released their english "WW" version this year, and I decided to pick it up and begin playing. In between these past years, I had always tried to branch out to new idol rhythm games, but no game would actually convince me to not delete them an hour after checking out the mechanics. Bandori on the other hand, absolutely blew me away and it struck a cord in my heart that I had not felt since I began playing Idolmaster. The first time I played a multiplayer live, the random selector played Tokimeki Experience, and the song completely lived up to its title. When all five players from around the world reach a consecutive combo right before the chorus, it is then released into a crazy array of rainbow lights onscreen. For some reason, along with the song being extremely passionate, the power of five random people working together in a band actually caused me to start crying. I was completely overwhelmed with emotion, and I knew this series would become one of my favorites. I was so impacted by this specific song, I even changed my username for one of my accounts to match the BPM of Tokimeki Experience! I became a Poppin Party fan, one of the bands in the game, and I even went to see a screening of their sixth live in Japan. Their covers introduced me to popular J-pop covers that would soon aid me in my next rhythm game adventure.

My favorite girl from Bandori is Arisa Ichigaya.

My favorite song is Tokimeki Experience.

2019: In the very beginning of this year, I picked up a new type of rhythm game, a dancing simulator by the name of Dance Rush Stardom! I've always been extremely intimidated by teenage boys who seemed to work their entire lives around stepping on arrows or the corresponding areas of a pad on the floor when I visited the arcade. I knew I was extremely confident in my hand-eye coordination at this point, but what about my foot-eye coordination? It was a completely new challenge for me, and my boyfriend was the one who put me up to it. As expected, I was terrible at first, just as I was in 2014. Despite this, I knew that the key to rhythm games was to practice your absolute heart out, so I began to do my research of Dance Rush Stardom. At home I'd set up my laptop in front of my bed, slap some Vans on, and practice songs that were recorded and uploaded to Youtube for practicing without having to pay the machine. I swear on this method if you want to get good at that game, plus it is extremely fun and its such a great workout!

My favorite songs from this game are Crazy Shuffle, Dat Disco Swindle, and Saturday Night Love.

Lastly and most recently, I have given Uta no Prince Sama Shining Live another try. This series was one of my absolute favorite in 2016, but when their rhythm game came out initially, I was not a big fan of it. I have been rewatching their lives and playing all their songs on constant repeat, and I would definitely argue that Utapri has the best songs and lives out of any series I've taken liking to (the anime however, is no where near the same level). Since I have rejoined this game once after they got their mechanics and cards built up, I am thoroughly enjoying it again!

My favorite boys from Utapri are Tokiya Ichinose, Natsuki Shinomiya, Ai Mikaze, and Ren Jinguji.

My favorite song is INDEPENDENCE by Tokiya Ichinose and Andromeda de Kuchizuke wo by Natsuki Shinomiya.

As silly as it is, these games mean a ridiculous amount to me and they provide a huge chunk of my happiness. I am grateful that most of these games are accessible through my phone, and when days get really rough, I can always play a song or two to completely alter my mood to forget what happened. The most vital aspect of these games are their music, and their beatmaps serve as a therapeutic method for me. I cannot imagine my life without them, as the beats of their songs are permanently engraved in my heart.

Thank you for reading about my passion, it means the world to me.

- Gretchen

Fast Fashion and Unrequited Guilt

The first time I heard of the term "fast fashion" was when I was thirteen. I was watching Marzia's look book videos before they became a popular trend and she was mentioning that consumers should avoid cheap clothing that are made in stores like Forever 21 or H&M to last the trend or season. But as a low-budget thirteen year old, my family had no other choice.

When I was a senior in high school, I took a class called Environment Literature that changed my point of view drastically on waste and the term "fast fashion" was brought up again frequently. Even as a seventeen year old then, I could not break free of the occasional cheap price, but I was doing a lot more thrift shopping than the next teenager. Thrift shopping is the next best thing if you're a high consumer of clothing, as it recycles new and old clothing for generations.

However, the occasional brands such as Forever 21 and H&M must sneak into my closet when I am asleep, but in a way I do not feel exactly guilty about it. Fast fashion uses the term "fast" for a reason, typically people will throw these pieces of clothing out when they become ruined after a few washes, or so I have heard. The problem with me though is that the clothing I bought from these stores from years ago, I still have. I still wear the small camis, turtlenecks, dresses and socks I bought probably four years ago, and they still seem fine to me.

I am not sure if this is just me but I typically never throw away clothes, therefore I have a lot to choose from, and I am always satisfied one way or another. But, every time I hear about fast fashion, the idea makes me feel guilty, but why should I when I take care of my clothes and wear these fast fashion brands as long as my other high quality clothes?

I must say however, I am not defending how these clothes were made, as I know certain clothes are more ethical than others and stopping this process is a hard problem. But this is the same issue with plastic straws in my opinion. When you are in a restaurant with a soda fountain and you see the plastic straws in their dispenser, you probably hesitate to take one nowadays because the issue is being widespread. This is a fantastic choice for your personal moral, but the next person will probably take one and not think twice about it. Just because you choose to boycott something that is already available to be consumed, does not mean the next person will have the same point of view. I believe it is in the individual store or company's ethical decision to stop carrying a certain damaging product, because the plastic straws are already made, and your decision to pick it up means next to nothing. Now substitute "plastic straws" with "fast-fashion clothing" and it's practically the same problem.

Consumers will always continue to use plastic and fast fashion like it is wired in our brains. We know it is bad, but it is too convenient to pass up. The decision to use them is ultimately up to you, but do not beat yourself up over it. These issues are important, but if you need a straw or a plastic lid to prevent spilling in a car or see something that you really like and know you will use in Forever 21, do not feel guilty about that. Try to do your best to make it up later by recycling or reusing a water bottle and picking up trash. Remember that you are only one human and you cannot fix this issue by yourself.

- Gretchen