Being Gyaru in the workforce

Hey, it's yapping time! LMAO

I have been thinking about writing a post like this for some time now but wasn't that convinced of it yet but after talking with Ray, I decided to give it a try.

The idea came while talking with Tamiko and the dressing restrictions she has with her new job.

I told her some of my stories and apparently it comforted her? it made me happy to hear that I could help just by...talking about myself lol. So I thought about making a post about my experiences as a gyaru in the workforce but I wasn't sure if ppl liked to read it that much or where to start.

Thanks to Ray, I decided to give it a go now.

This is not a tutorial or some sort...just some storytelling.

Your hair...

While I was still an apprentice I used to work at a hotel. I was convinced I would sweat off makeup, so did not wear any. Nails were a hygienic no-go. We had uniforms (Dirndl), so no room for fashion either. The only thing I could do were hair and tan. I wasn't really good at doing my hair back then but I was more open to experiment with bleaching or dying.

When I cut myself a layers cut, it gave this really cool look I liked but I struggled putting it up in a ponytail. I had to pin it on every damn side like at least twice. I had naturally curly/wavy hair..so one time I had to be quick and it looked like a mess. The restaurant manager (who was more or less my "boss" in some sort) looked at me in a confused way asking me why my hair looks so weird and I replied to her about my layers cut and she said "Ah. Grow it out." phrased as an instruction. I was put back about this tbh. I made sure to look neat for the job, it was logical for me to look neat working at the hotel but I never had a direct instruction about how I have to look like, directly in my face like that. It also made me question wether I want to work in this kind of field long-term. The job was fun, sure, but I love fashion/makeup and co. too much. Not being able to experiment with my looks sounds like a future I don't want to live in. I tried searching specifically for jobs that allow more room for having an individual style.

Same job, different year. I had super bright red hair. The dye was absolutely terrible with the staining, I have posted it a couple times in  my blog as well I think. My hotel was part of a bigger area where we also had a clinic. I was working at the restaurant, the patients mostly old people around their 60s+, the only younger people being soldiers. Every.single.table.complimented the color. What can I say? it was so out of the ordinary but such a pretty color as well. The women asked me what brand and color it was (I mixed it myself to look this color and applied on bleached hair) and the men were positively surprised. When the patients almost all left to their room, my training instructor was still in the house and saw me with this color the first time. Note here: she was an evil witch but instead of taking her comments personally, I thought her evil way was super funny. She asked about my hair and all and said I looked like a prostitute xDD I couldn't stop laughing.

Honestly, a lot of students were hurt by her comments before and I didnt realise how immune I actually was to her personality. Sometimes I'd get annoyed with her sure, but never offended.

 

Being completely covered up

After leaving the hotel, I went to a production company which produced cosmetics. There were some pros: nobody cared if you had piercings, tattoos or flashy haircolors because you are literally hidden from public. I also had the option of working late. My shift would start at 1pm and I was done at 10pm. I was a night owl. I loved it, it was sooo cozy. I couldn't wear nails out of hygienic reasons again. I thought it might be interesting to see how some cosmetic products (even those directly from the shelves I used to buy off) was produced. Ngl, I view packaging and products differently after that. We had uniforms again: like a tunic or duster of some sort, hair had to be covered, you had to wear gloves and it was during late stages of covid, so also masks. I was completely covered up and hidden away from public. I had no reason to go out as well. The possibility of looking "however I want" became a cage to me. I could not only not really experiment with fashion etc....it felt pointless to me. I was not able to practice my passion, maybe even less than it was in the hotel. After they announced, due to lack of orders, they had to narrow down late shift and most of the time I had to work morning shift: 6am start. I said F- that and quit xD

Do you have a weapon license for nails like this?

I  started at my new job: front desk at a furniture shop. We are allowed to wear what we want, as long as it looks clean. A lot of the salesmen wear suits. It was the first time I could get nails done finally and honestly I hated the experience haha. Finding an appointment was almost impossible due to my shifts. the nail artists never had the stuff I wanted, I had to tone down a lot. It was quite expensive compared to the quality: I had sets where the nails started popping off after only a week. I enjoyed talking about beauty stuff with someone a-like tho. It inspired me to teach myself how to do nails and it didn't take long for me to go a bit more crazy...and long with my designs. The comments from customers were as expected: from surprised faces and excitement to the super old phrases "You need a weapon license for nails like this" or "You don't do house chores with nails like this!". You hear it over and over again, you stop reacting to it. All they get is a mild smile, staying professional AH haha. I think my most favourite out of these stupid comments are the customers that watch me type on the keyboard, clip papers, wrap glasses and dishes and then proceed the payment, handing out change to them  and THEN THEY SAY "Can  you work with nails like this?". I mean, M'am, you just watch me work with them???? Although, I have to say, over the years the comments got less rude and more positively surprised. A lot are genuinely interested and they love to look closer and analyze them. I am pretty much the only person in the area who has nails like this, they have never seen nails like this. And when they ask where I got them done and tell them I do them myself they are impressed. The customers enjoy my nails. There are even some who recognize me by them. I could change meiku, style and haircolor but they see the nails and they go "oh, it's you. Let's see the nails you have today".

And my boss..?

During only 3 years working there, I actually had already 3 different bosses. The first one pretty much didn't catch the long nails phase. He was the one who hired me but left after 2-3 months to a different house of our company: bigger house, bigger pay. When I was in the interview he saw my expertise of working in the hotel, told me he had good experience with people coming from the branche and complimenting me about my looks, telling me I look neat. A colleague I worked with at the hotel worked there too, didnt know tbh, but found out after my second interview with the boss. I think it gave me an advantage because she told him about me. I was a hardworking person, couldn't be something bad, I had a nice experience working with her, helped her a lot as well. When you live in a small town/countryside, most ppl know each other, so ruining your image can seriously ruin future options for you, I am glad I left a good impression which helped me in this case. After I started working there, two weeks in I got myself some box braids. I was nervous but I reaaallly wanted to try them out and my colleague said it would be fine. My boss met me in front of the building before actually going in in the morning and he said "You look different today", assuming he disliked it but we didn't go further into the conversation. At the end of the shift he asked me a bit more about it. I told him I got it done myself and it took me two days (no lie, that shit was intensive) and he seemed impressed, he didn't actually criticize it. Later I would find out, that his wife is a hairdresser. Without wanting to go assess or score this, I think you get the same feeling like I did. He was the strictest out of all 3 but he never was discontent with my looks. I wore my brown y2k wig, sometimes short dresses, heels, all that...but obviously nothing too crazy. My makeup was also very natural back then. Not many experiences, except of the box braids, he could have criticized.

Don't attack the printer

The second boss I had had a wild personality. Sometimes he would make us all go mad, we wish he would just stay in his office and leave us alone. He didn't hold back, he would just say what he thinks. He criticized my nails but in a "father"-type of way, he has a daughter just a little bit older than me: "You know, as an old man, I am not the position to say anything but I think the shorter nails looked better", I told him that I prefer it longer, also because I have more space and room to do designs and brushed it off. One day I had to copy a paper and he stood right next to me. Some screens take my finger better and some react to my nails, our printer only reacts to my nails, so I had to tap the screen with my tips and had some stilettos..he was like "Don't stab the printer"...I was rolling out of laughter. That was like the funniest comment I ever received about my nails haha.

Skirts don't match the weather

My colleagues got used to my style pretty quickly. In the start they commented about it without further scoring it "look what she is wearing again". They knew about my wig, I was open about it. A lot were worried then when I bleached it again "But don't overdo it, so you don't have to wear wigs again". It is quite funny how they just let me do, with a slight worry. When I got them blonde, the reaction was exactly 50/50. Some said it doesn't look good and the other side said it looks amazing. Funny thing: the 50/50 were men vs. women. The men all liked the blonde. Why are men so obsessed with blondes?xD I felt a little bit boring with my style, because I kept wearing long skirts and I am not that old yet, so I got a new pair of a short skirt around that time as well. Summer and autumn was over and it got cold, when I decided to wear the skirt it was about to get snowy. My colleague looked down on me and all he said was "the weather gets colder, the skirt shorter?" and I had to laugh because it didn't really match, yes haha. In total, my colleagues CANNOT hold back...they ALWAYS have to comment. When I came sundays for stock-taking, I decided to wear a top with warm cardigan, shorts and high knee boots and paired it with a scarf. I wanted to be able to move freely because we have to go up and down ladders and sit down and etc. A skirt would have bothered me. AND THEY THOUGHT I WEAR A PAJAMA T.T They are the worst xD

These are some stories to tell haha. I don't want this post to be TOO long..stuff happens on the daily but most of the time I don't really pay attention to it that much.

In summary: There are many looks and comments and it isn't easy to do your job but also have the freedom to express and be yourself. I pretty much juggle between all the time. Most jobs in my wage-class are absolutely anti-fashion or in the hygienic perspective difficult. I am glad I found a job in a company where you can be yourself, as long as you look tidy and "presentable". I found out over time that most people may look, but not all looks are meant negative. Most are just geniunely curious or impressed even. There are only few people that are rude and these kind of people will always exist.

Maybe it's in my character or the way I was raised by my parents but I am not sensitive about these comments. Instead I tend to just laugh and watch it from a humorous perspective. Not every comment about your looks should be taken personally. Sometimes all that matters in that moment is a good come-back with a funny statement to make everyone more relaxed or just show that you didn't take the insult, most likely they will stop. There is no fun in annoying someone who doesn't get annoyed, you get what I mean?

Maybe someday I will make a part 2 of this...maybe it even helped someone, idk,?

Maybe there is something specific you might want to hear my opinion on regarding this topic?

Also that would give me inspo to talk more about...

I started this text like 2 weeks ago and now I finished it haha.

Going back to bed now.

G'NIGHT.