HARAJUKU GIRLS
Harajuku is a trendy young area of Tokyo. At the corner of Yoyogi park, near one of the entrances of the famous Meji-Jingu shrine, groups of teenage girls meet every Sunday for what can be called "costume play." The teenage girls gather in groups, put on make up and dress as "Gothlolis" (short for Gothic Lolitas) as some other young Japanese call them. They wear fake blood and bandages, and dark outfits often combined with traditional Japanese clothing (kimonos, fans) and modern Japanese symbols (hello kitties, cell phones, photo stickers). What drives these girls to dress in such outrageous outfits in a weekly ceremony that lasts only a few hours?
Some of the answers are more immediately visible. For example, we know some of them are imitating rock bands such as Japan X. However, as with all cultural symbols, there are likely to be deeper reasons beyond fashion. The weekly play allows them to temporarily escape, within a group, all of the rules of Japanese society. It gives them individuality not as easily expressible while in their weekday school uniforms, it gives them a voice to express, often in very sexual ways (with ripped stockings, garters, and mini-skirts, etc.), the oppression of the female gender in the largely male dominated Japanese society.
This series of photographs is a look into the reasons for the weekly costume play in Harajuku. My interest lies not so much on the symbols themselves, but rather on what the girls actually express, in my own subjective interpretation. The camera is the channel that carries the dialogue between them and I; a fundamental tool that for an instant allows me (an outsider) to enter their world. They break the rules and look directly in my eye, through the lens, giving us a glimpse of what's behind this weekly ritual.