Alternative Kei

It's a Trap!

2013-05-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

Agh, I actually missed my first weekly Inspirational Tuesday! Since my last post, I'm convinced that life is enjoying jerking me around. I leave the company I'm with only to find myself still employed by them, somewhat. The new job I had didn't last more than two days because my "new" employer and I were not compatible to work with each other AT ALL, and I've gotten interviews lined up left and right. Between impressing people both online, over the phone, and in person, I'm still uncertain as to where I'll even land. I became part of a scam (that luckily, I noticed at an early stage and avoided getting caught in it) for the fashion world, I sent my resume online twice and got a response via e-mail and phone from people out of state looking forward to meeting with me to discuss employment opportunity, I thoroughly impressed someone I had an interview with yesterday and even got told that I'm quite the interesting individual.

I haven't been active ANYWHERE. I haven't done most of anything with this blog since I got the bad news, haven't been active on GAL VIP either. Things need to change immediately, but I keep waiting for a piece of good news to appear so I can get back to focusing on the things that bring me joy, yet don't make me any money whatsoever. I suppose that's actually why I haven't done much of anything lately. My schedule has been to sleep in unless I have an interview, eat before going to work so I don't spend any money, and when I get to the office I end up sending my resume to every potential job I could do that has a similar salary compensation to what I'm getting now. Once that's done, I just end up doing office work until I have to go home, and I just relax until it's time for bed.

Today is the beginning of my weekend, and I will also (supposedly) receive a call from the person I impressed yesterday as to whether or not I qualify for a second interview or direct hire ... or if I qualify at all. I was very honest with her, and was myself more than anything. I don't have the time to "sell myself" by being someone I'm not. I will also leave for Portland with Oscar and the guys for a gig they have tonight. I'm already charging my camera and hoping that I'll take a bunch of pictures of the event. On Saturday, there's a second gig at Cristian's house. I love being involved in the music scene as a photographer, and they're all super nice too. I know I've said it before but, I'm glad to know them all! While it's my day off, I want to try to get what I can done with GAL VIP and other projects I've left pending. I guess that we'll see how far I can get since I still have to eat and get ready to leave for the weekend.

Necessary and Positive Change

2013-05-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

Today is the big day! It will be my first day working with my new employer, and I'm already prepared with everything I can think of. I have plenty of productivity apps on my phone, I'll have my laptop with me, two notebooks, etc. As Oscar says, I have to only think about today and get through it the best I can. Today will also prove to be rather interesting since people will ask me about my leaving the previous company, and how long I have left. On top of that, I still have to talk about everything with my soon-to-be ex-employer. Despite everything, this is not only a necessary change in my life, but it's also a more positive one.

Where does Gyaru fit in all of this?

2013-05-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Oscar and I went to Bellevue today so I could show him where I'll be working from now on; It's funny, I hadn't noticed it before but downtown Bellevue has a completely different vibe from that of Seattle downtown. Maybe it was the weather: It was really sunny and nice in Bellevue, and when we went to Seattle later that day, it was cloudy and gloomy.

Today he took me to the mall so I could buy some new clothes for my new job as a personal assistant. The dress code worries me, since there isn't a set one (and I wasn't informed of one either), but my new boss wears a lot of extravagant suits and fancy socks, so if I'm to be his assistant I have to look the part of a CEO's assistant.

I haven't gone into full detail about my new job yet -- I'll be the personal assistant of a real estate broker (basically the same "level" as that of my previous boss). However, this person has two or three other companies that I'll be assisting him with, as well as his own non-profit organization. On top of that, as his assistant, I'm basically going to learn how to do his job and be like him; similar to a shadow. I seem to have more freedom with this job too, even if I'm going to have to be 150% attentive to my new boss (I'm seriously comparing this to Anne Hathaway's assistant role in The Devil Wears Prada but instead of it being the fashion world, it's the real estate world).

Anyway, the other perk to my new job is that my employer is allowing me the room to grow within the company, and not just allowing me, but practically forcing me to grow and move up within the company. From my almost 3-hour interview with him, I can already see him as not just an employer, but also a mentor. Also, my new job is maybe five minutes away from a really cool gym: I probably get suckered into these types of things the most, when an institution of sorts has pretty ads/graphics to promote it. The gym has a yoga studio, a pilates studio, etc. It's probably nothing different from other gyms with the exception of the steep price they probably sucker you into, but, being right off the freeway to my way home, it's not all that bad-sounding. I'm also approx 5-10 minutes away from the mall, which in comparison is three blocks of stores if not more, and maybe three floors high, as big as Southcenter mall. There's a Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Neiman Marcus, etc. There's also another mall right in the same area that's mainly all boutiques in the area. It reminds me a lot of Rodeo Drive.

And I'm getting so side-tracked that it's not even funny. It might be the hot weather, slight dehydration, etc. talking, but I couldn't help but think about my future in Gyaru. I love Gyaru brand and spend a good amount of money on purchasing it lately. Alternatively, I also purchase a lot of American brand lately that looks similar to Gyaru brands. This doesn't make me any more or less Gyaru, which brings me to my dilemma. If I'm to be employed by someone as professional as my new employer, I can't dress in certain ways that are me. However, I don't want to have to wear boring clothing just to keep a job and lose my identity. Oscar sees these purchases as an investment, and he's right: Any money I've spent on new clothing and shoes for work, I can easily get back now, but where's the "me" part of my new dressing regime?

An interesting conversation popped up on my Facebook wall about how the very important things in Gyaru are having your hair and makeup, even nails, done properly. You could wear ANYTHING and look (and be) Gyaru with any type of clothing. Now, this is how I interpreted it, and its not verbatim to the conversation I saw, but still. I agree, but then I start to think that a brand's target market is there and the brand is successful for a reason. So, Gyaru brands ultimately play a huge role in your look and progress within the style sometimes. However, there's a Mexican saying that basically says that even if you dress to the nines, you'll still be (and look) as you are. I've seen many "apprentice" Gaijin Gyaru that buy brand and look horrid, and that can be the case for many other people, even myself. Clothing doesn't magically turn you into something that you clearly put no effort in.

I look over to many Gyaru models and regular Gyaru both in and out of Japan, and a huge majority of their clothing and looks don't fit into a business look. This isn't the style that doctors, lawyers, CEOs, secretaries wear. Yet, there are outfits like the picture in this post where I can easily see a cropped blazer and leggings/tights underneath the shorts, that could make the same outfit into something more serious and business-like. The other disadvantage, if we're to talk about them, is that women have a harder time trying to be taken seriously in a business world. The only women I see that are taken seriously, to a point, are the ones that are completely unattractive, the ones that PROVE themselves within the company, and the ones with a significant other of higher status within the same company.

This leaves me with the following question: Where does Gyaru fit in within the business world? Let's take away the fact that many successful Gyaru are only in the fashion world or closely tied in with the same. Let's talk doctors, lawyers, bankers, stockbrokers, real estate agents, police, teachers, etc. Is it possible to mix Gyaru brands to create a serious and tolerated look? Is it okay to purchase something from brands like Murua or Emoda for double or triple the price of what a similar, non-Gyaru brand item would cost in your country?