Sukeban is another girl gang I found to inspire
me and the name translates to ‘girl boss’ in English. This term was used to describe the
movement of all girl street gangs that emerged in Japan. They took inspiration
from all the male gangs that wouldn’t allow female members to join. However,
unlike the other girl gangs I have looked into these ones were violent. The
girls would conceal weapons between the layers of their clothing including
razors and chains, but despite their reputation for crime, sukeban culture was centred
in a belief system that above all else brought girls to the front.
Many of these girls were still in school so began carving their own
style signatures within the confines of uniform fashion: an unusually long
skirt and Converse sneakers were immediate markers, while the sailor blouses
were often cut short using scissors to expose bare skin at the waist;
scruffiness was key. They wore long skirts as a reaction against the sexual
revolution of the 60s, a means of protection by which girls could show that
their existence wasn’t defined by the desires of male onlookers.
Sukeban is one of my favorite girl gangs I have found because these
young girls a seriously fearless even their gang name translates to ‘girl boss’
showing how confident they are. As this is a Japanese gang it has made me want
to incorporate some kind of print into my collection using Japanese letters.
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