Piggy's Tale

Yamanba, (ヤマンバ) sometimes written as "yamamba", is a fashion trend among Japanese young women. The term comes from mythology and refers to a mountain-ogress (also known as Yama-uba). Starting with the bleach-white hair and heavy tan of the ganguro girl, the yamanba adds white lipstick, white eye makeup, sometimes brightly colored contacts and other extreme fashion statements. Some yamanba might wear stuffed animals as decorations, talk with a slurred speech, and enjoy shiny neon colors. Some say that the result seems to be a caricature of a blond Caucasian woman.

Yamanba’s primary fashion monikers are 4-6 inch platform boots, micro-mini skirts and tops in vivid hues of yellow, pink, purple, blue, green and orange. Their unique style of make-up and hair, however, is what really sets them apart from the crowd. Deep, artificial-looking tanned faces are offset with white eye shadow, white lipstick and bleached white hair. (Imagine a negative image on a roll of film.)

I have never seen a real Yamanba on the street. However, I have seen some TV shows about Yamanba. Being a Yamamba actually cost a lot of money. During an interview, a Yamanda girl said she spent 200,000Yen (around US$2,000) per month. To be honest with you, I feel really scared when I see them in such makeup.

Indeed, the origin of their name, yamanba(山姥), comes from an old ghost story. (See the picture on the right). In Japanese, yama means mountain, while ba is a slightly derogatory term used to refer to old women. During the Edo period in Japan, people were poor and faced hard times with limited resources. To survive, citizens banished the unproductive elderly to the mountains to die. Japanese legend holds that these mountain women would come down to raid the towns for food. History has since evolved into a ghost legend. Bad little boys and girls who don’t mind their parents are often told that they will be taken away in the night by the ghostly yamanba.”

I really do not know why they do it that way. Although, people think Yamanbas are always very loud, giggling, yelling, and creating havoc, I still prefer not to hold any negative opinions on them because I do not actually know them well. It always gives me a feeling that Yamanba is a lonesome group. I definitely hope that I have a chance to know a Yamanda in person, then I will let you know what they think about it.

This is Japan: a land of legend and tradition, as well, a breeding ground for trendy and sometimes quirky fashion. The intertwinement of the old and new makes it a colorful and controversial new look and a place for me to discover.

p.s. please do not be fooled by the media, not all young Japanese are like that. Yamanba is only a small, distinct group of people in Japan.



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References:
Yamanba Creates Controversy in Japan. Some call the teen fashion trend ‘scary’,
By Breck Eigelberner, AsianWeek, Thursday, May 18, 2000 * Volume 21, No. 38


Related Terminologies:
Ganguro, (ガン黒) literally "face-black," is a fashion trend among Japanese girls, an outgrowth of chapatsu hair dyeing. The basic look is bleached-blond hair and a deep tan, produced by tanning beds or makeup. The intent is to produce the tanned, blond California beach girl look. Accessories include high platform shoes or boots, purikura photo stickers, and cellular phones. Ganguro A Japanese Girl who either gets a tans or uses tanner. Bleaches hair, or brown, somtimes greay. Wears bright funky colors and Very platformed shoes. Wears white panda make up around eyes and on lips. sometimes places jewel stickers under eyes.

Kogals (コギャル kogyaru) are a subculture of girls and young women in urban Japan. They are characterized by high disposable incomes and unique tastes in fashion, music, and social activity. frame stereotyped kogal

Gothic Lolita or "GothLoli" (ゴスロリ, gosurori) is a fashion particularly popular among Japanese teenagers and young women. It emphasizes Victorian-style girl's clothing and often aims to imitate the look of Victorian porcelain dolls.