Anime artist illustrates the difference between Japanese schoolgirls now and ten years ago

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It turns out that high school girls look and act very differently now compared to a decade ago.

Japanese Twitter users are always keen to share their everyday observations about life in Japan with fellow users online. When it comes to discussing school-related topics, creative artists have been quick to sketch out some interesting comparisons, showing us the difference between schoolgirls who bundle up for winter vs. those who don’t, and the types of uniforms worn by schoolgirls in different prefectures around the country.

Now it’s time to take a look at schoolgirl life from another angle, thanks to this side-by-side comparison from Japanese Twitter user and artist @petit_flare, which appeared online less than a week ago.

Since it was posted, the Tweet has racked up over 220,000 likes and 130,000 retweets, with people loving the points made in the drawing, which focuses on the trends, fashion, technology and pastimes that have evolved over the past ten years for the Japanese schoolgirl.

According to @petit_flare, the schoolgirl on the right, from 2007, had the following appearance:

  • Hairstyles were thicker up top, with the ends of the hair in a sharp, shaggy style
  • Eyebrows thin and angled
  • Ribbon tie had long cords
  • Leather or nylon schoolbag with decoration
  • Short-length blazer
  • Uniqlo men’s cardigan
  • Skirt rolled up at the waist two to three times, to give it a shorter look
  • “Sock Touch” (a roll-on glue-like product that helps socks stay up on legs) required

The current 2017 schoolgirl, on the other hand, looks like this:

  • Hairstyles thicker towards the ends, with a heavy cut to the ends of the hair
  • Eyebrows thick and horizontal
  • Ribbon tie attached with a hook
  • A simple rucksack
  • Long-length blazer
  • Skirt made so that it can’t be shortened – school badge on the hem, a thicker, belt-like waistline that’s difficult to fold, double pleats etc.
  • Socks low and crumpled

When it comes to technology, entertainment and social networking sites, the 2007 girl enjoyed these trends:

  • Social networking and communication tools like Fumikomyu, Mobile Space, Real, Zenryaku Profile
  • Taking purikura photos and then copying them at the convenience store. Scissors were at game centres so individual purikura could be cut up and distributed amongst friends in the group
  • Bands like 175R, Bump of Chicken, Radwimps, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, Ellegarden, 7188, and Beat Crusaders
  • Manga and anime series like Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star,  and Hetalia: Axis Powers
  • Niconico video sharing website had just been created
  • Otaku geeks all had their own websites
  • The dark past of Maho no i-land (a free website creation site service for mobile phones) revealed itself, as devices were hacked by Trojan malware
  • Genesis of Aquarion anime TV series was popular
  • Open-shut or slider-type mobile phones, no smartphones

In 2017, our modern-day schoolgirl lives with these trends:

  • Social networking and communication tools like Instagram, Twitter, Line, and Snow
  • Purikura photos are square. You don’t need scissors anymore to divide them (now they can be sent digitally to smartphones)
  • Bands like One Ok Rock, My First Story, Shishamo, Blue Encount, Alexandros, Back Number, and Kana-Boon
  • Manga and anime series like Love Live!Mr. Osomatsu, and Uta no Prince-sama
  • Otaku geeks now live at Pixiv (Japanese online community for artists)
  • For now, as long as you have an iPhone, it’s okay

With high school trends changing rapidly, it won’t be long before we need another update from @petit_flare to let us know what’s cool at school! 

Source, images: Twitter/@petit_flare



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