Jirai Kei

Sensitive Content Notice ⚠️

The following article contains and discusses content that may be distressing to some readers.
Reason for Warning: Jirai Kei has negative connotations such as self-harm, alcoholism and prostitution, among many other dark topics. The controversy will be mentioned in the Criticism section. Reader discretion is advised.

Jirai Kei (地雷系), translating to "landmine type", is a subculture and aesthetic originating from Japan that is heavily based on the teens hanging out in the night life of Kabukicho. During the height of its popularity it highly resembled Japanese Girly fashion, the edgier variants of it in particular, but has since moved on to integrate a broader variety of styles.

The stereotype behind this subculture is that cute, hyper-feminine young women who dress in darker fashion styles have personalities that do not match their appearance. Rather than being sweet and demure, they are said to be violent and obsessive (like a Yandere), self-harm, and drink or smoke heavily.

Many brands in Japan have quickly catered to this trend, with Western brands in-tune with Kawaii culture following suit.

History[]

Jirai Kei is derived from Jirai Onna (地雷女, lit. "landmine woman"): a derogatory term that is used to label and stereotype a woman as what would be considered a "ticking time bomb" in English, especially towards mentally ill women with BPD, bipolar disorder, and other mood swing-causing illnesses. It is commonly used to dismiss women, often ex-girlfriends, as crazy and/or dangerous over arbitrary traits, such as a fondness for Kawaii. Women within the subculture are called "Jirai Joshi" (地雷女子), or landmine girls, while men in the subculture are referred to as "Jirai Danshi" (地雷男子), or landmine boys.

It became associated with various darker fashion styles due to a "psycho girlfriend" dress-up challenge that went viral during the March 2020 corona restrictions in Japan.^[1] Said dress-up challenge highly referenced traits commonly associated with the Toyoko Kids - a criminal gang mainly consisting out of young runaway teens, some of which were groomed online by older men into believing that they will find a better life in the red light district that is Kabukicho. They are often exploited for sex work, drug trade and other criminal activity.^[2]^[3]

Although the western followers of Jirai Kei as solely a fashion trend try to separate it from its dark roots, the subculture still has a mostly negative public image within Japan. The associations with the psycho girlfriend trope are interpreted as a misogynistic stereotype, while Japanese girls who identify as "landmine" fully embrace it.^[4] This misunderstanding comes from the fact that the language barrier prevents an accurate interpretation of Japanese articles and social media posts about the subculture, the lack of awareness of how mental health issues are perceived in Japan, and brands focus on using the term Jirai Kei solely as a sales point in an attempt to capitalize on the subculture's popularity regardless of the advertised products being actually associated with it.

Visuals[]

Jirai makeup — Example of a heavily edited selfie by @hiudayonn.

Girls in this subculture add heavy filters and edits to their photos. Pale pink and white filters can add a slight haze to all of their images, and they are often decorated in virtual stickers with Jirai Kei motifs. They also use face and body editing to the point of an unnatural appearance. Impossibly large eyes with anime proportions, making skin more pale, and making their bodies thinner and longer are extremely common in photos. This is with the goal of appearing eerie and puppy-eyed, diverging from the trend of "pien" makeup on Japanese tiktok. The color palettes of Jirai Kei is mainly white, black and pastel pink, though on occasion red, blue and grey is also used.

To contrast all of the sweet and girly visuals, violent imagery is often shown. Box-cutters, razors, and pockets knives are commonly featured in outfit posts. The stereotype is that a landmine girl would use it to threaten her boyfriend if he upsets her, or that she engages in self-harm. Additionally, these cute girls often pose with fake guns (firearms are illegal in Japan), cigarettes, or alcohol and energy drinks (from Strong Zero and Monster Energy) with straws, presumably to protect their lipstick while drinking. Many photos have color-scheme matching energy drink cans, and it is even popular to stack and glue the cans in the shape of machine guns. Similar to Yami Kawaii, there is often medical imagery of pills and syringes, usually paired with narcotics and synthetic drugs.

Sanrio is strongly associated with the kawaii, girly, and consumerist culture in Japan. As a result, girls into Jirai Kei are also associated with these characters, specifically Kuromi and My Melody. People in this subculture own and take photos of plushies of these characters and own an assortment of merchandise, such as backpacks, pencil pouches, etc. themed around these characters. Sanrio has taken notice and even released Jirai Kei-inspired plushies of Kuromi and My Melody. Another character that can be associated is Menhera-chan, the suicidal magical girl that popularized Yami Kawaii. Her artist has drawn her in stereotypical outfits, and her self-destructive habits could be relatable for those in the subculture.

There's also many artists engaging with the subculture who draw anime-style illustrations of landmine girls wearing the typical outfits while in stereotypical situations, such as taking selfies, holding a can while squatting on the streets, or having a mental breakdown. Jirai Kei followers often repost these drawings on social media.

Fashion[]

Unbenannt — The various styles worn by jirai girls illustrated featuring Blue Archive characters.

The styles associated with Jirai Kei are constantly changing with the core defining trait being that the fashion is worn by landmine girls. Comparable to E-Girl's style, while landmine girls may wear many different fashion styles, there is a main look typically associated with the aesthetic that evolved out of a mix of several different alternative genres. The initial look associated with the Jirai Kei subculture derived from Japanese Girly fashion and Yami Kawaii, however outfits consisting out of Goth Punk, Jersey Maid, and darker general alternative fashion have also been popular among its followers. As the trends within Jirai Kei keep on changing, many brands mimic one another and release mix-and-match variations for the various styles worn. The fabric of the clothes tends to be on the more synthetic side, with the quality not being that high, on account of them often being made by fast fashion companies who constantly adopt to the latest trends.

Regardless of the style worn, the idea is to appear cute yet mature, but with an dark aura.

Tops[]

The most common tops are blouses with ultra-feminine details that may slightly resemble Lolita Fashion. Peter Pan collars, ruffles, lace trim, puffed sleeves, cold-shoulders, contrasting buttons are some tropes that are featured in the blouses. Alternative outfits use coat-dresses instead, and winter outfits utilize knit sweaters. Girls also often tie ribbons or add bow brooches with rhinestone or pearl-accented faux jewels at the neck.

Some brands have also released oversized tees and sweatshirts that can fit in with this aesthetic. They often have a print with a stereotypical motif, English text, anime prints, etc. These also contain feminine details, but less often. For example, there may be eyelets for lacing ribbon through, zippers, or detachable Peter Pan collars. This resembles the fashion of the Yami Kawaii aesthetic, and contributes to an edgier and less girly look. Jirai boys add masculine or androgynous elements to this style, while girls like to pair these tops with chunky sneakers and necklaces.

Bottoms[]

High waisted mini skirts are by far the most popular bottom. The silhouette can be flared, trapezoid or pleated. Silver hardware details such as heart-shaped belt buckles, eyelets, and zippers add edge to the outfit and contrast the lace and girly details of the blouse. But there are also ruffles, ribbon lacing to resemble a corset, and ruffled suspenders to add girliness. Shorts can also be featured in this aesthetic, as well as longer flowy skirts. However, they are both comparatively rare to the mini skirts. Usually the bottoms are black while the top is pink or white, though sometimes this is flipped.

The more casual Jersey Maid and Yami Kawaii inspired looks can also have track pants like ones from Adidas as a pairing with a track suit jacket or oversized tee or sweatshirt.

Shoes and Legwear[]

Because the legs are most often exposed in this style, lace or fishnet stockings are worn, and could be switched or even doubled up with ruffled or lace ankle socks.

The shoes are most commonly platform loafers or multi-strapped mary janes, and most girls buy their shoes from BUBBLES Tokyo, DearMyLove, Liz Lisa and others. The shoes can be more decorated, with faux jewels, ribbon laces, rhinestone buckles and silver cross charms.

Accessories[]

The most popular bags are totes and mini backpacks. Usually, they're pink or black, sometimes adorned with ribbons and bows with plushies or Sanrio figurine keychains attached. The most popular mini backpacks on social media are the studded MCM mini packpack and Melody Maison de Fleur totes. Other girls may instead use bags from popular luxury brands.

Aside from ribbons and bows, there is not much jewelry involved in Jirai Kei. Most styles include only earrings or neckwear like chokers, piercings and necklaces. A popular trend is the Viviene Westwood orb necklace. Because of the color scheme, many girls avoid gold jewelry and opt for silver.

Hair and Makeup[]

Jirai hair — An illustration of the typical hairstyles by Akagumi-chan.

Hime-cut bangs, which are straight bangs across the forehead with side bangs around chin-length, are extremely popular amongst young women in Japan in general as it is an easy way to archive the illusion of a small face. It fits in with the ultra-feminine style. Because these women are Japanese and around high school age, the most common hair color is black, since dyed hair is not allowed in schools. However, some girls add highlights that can be bleached blonde or in different shades of pink.

In terms of styling, pigtails (also called twin tails), are the majority hairstyle. They can be either low or high, with high pigtails often being half-up half-down. Girls often curl the ends and decorate these twin tails with ribbons and bows, often with the same faux jewels on their brooches. Other hair accessories such as rectangle headdresses, headbands with faux jewels, and bobby pins with charms are popular too.

For the eye makeup, the most popular is an exaggerated version of the "namida bukuro" makeup style where the tear bags are emphasized to look puffy as if the wearer is about to cry, which is further highlighted with pink undereye blush. The additional effect of appearing sickly is also desired. The eyeliner is downturned to give a more "puppy-like" , feminine and sad appearance.

Face and lip makeup are equally pink, with blush and sparkly highlighter being high on the cheekbones. Lip makeup has a wide variation, with some looks being more matte, some glossy, some sculpted, some even.

Many additional cosmetic products are also used for exaggerated features. Fake lashes are generally popular in Japan, and in Jirai Kei, they are longer and spikier. Dark circle lenses are also popular, and serve to make the eyes look bigger and anime-like.

Long acrylic nails are also popular and often feature lace patterns, faux jewels, corset lacing, crosses, as well as stereotypical motifs like the pleading face emoji.

Media[]

Literature[]

Host Madness - Oizumi Rika
Kabukicho Moratorium - Chiwawa Sasaki
People Who Overdose - Chiwawa Sasaki
The Disease of Pien: Consumption and Approval of the SNS Generation - Chiwawa Sasaki

Manga[]

Ashita, Watashi wa Dareka no Kanojo - Tomorrow, I'll Be Someone's Girlfriend
Android wa Jirai-kei no Yume wo Miru - Android Dreams of a Jirai Kei Girl
Kiken na Ren'ai - Dangerous Love
Kimi ni Aisarete Itakatta - It Hurts To Be Loved By You
Jirai Kareshi - My Boyfriend's a Ticking Time Bomb
Jirai-kei JK to Onee-chan no Hanashi - The Landmine Girl and Her Sister
Jirai Ninja Ruru no Shitsuren - Jirai Ninja Ruru's Heartbreak
KakaKano - Dating the Kind of Girl You Shouldn't Get Involved With
Koi wa Jirai wo Funde kara - A Love That Begins After Stepping On A Mine
Mitame Jirai-kei Osananajimi - My Childhood Friend Looks Like A Landmine But Isn't
Yamaarashi no Shisha (ヤマアラシのシーシャ)
Zenma (銭麻)

Television[]

Ashita, Watashi wa Dareka no Kanojo
Cinderella Complex
Ishiko and Haneo: You're Suing Me? (episode 7)
The Black Swindler (episode 8)

Video Games[]

JIRAIYA
Needy Streamer Overload
Sentimental Deathloop
Suteki na Kanojo no Tsukurikata
Yandere ura Kano Jirai-chan
Yamikore

Music[]

Songs[]

Alice*Iris - Daikirai Lie Suki
Alice*Iris - Gimme Me Love
Amu - Pien Syndrome
Amu - Mekka Warning
Cagayake - Unleash
Chilldspot - Ai Ai
DECO*27 - The Vampire
Isana - Menhera Janai Mon!
HoneyWorks - Kawaikute Gomen
KAFU - Egonomy
Kai - Unicorn Girl
Kai - Lose the Princess
Kairiki Bear - Darling Dance
LiLiPi - Shukipi Overdose
Magnetite Hiiragi feat. KAFU - Pet Me
Mitsu Akuma - My Ex-Blocker
Monoclone - Kakou Shite Nani ga Warui!
Ojeimaru feat. Ice - Raspbunny
Pien Big Four - Kimi Shika Katan!
Pien Big Four - Watashi ga No. 1 jinsei ~Omae wa Wakiyaku~
Puku - Lovely Shoujo
Rosu - Uwaki??
Ruru - Yabai Okusuri
Shin - Neon
Takayan - Escape when it's tough
Takayan - Sinking is better!
Takayan - Want to kill, but I love you
TUYU - Under Heroine
TUYU - Under Kids
Twinpale - BAD to LIP

Playlists[]

Criticism[]

Jirai bag contents — The typical bag contents of a "landmine girl" illustrated, including box cutters.

Due to the roots of the term, Jirai Kei is highly associated with dark and disturbing themes that are also very prevalent within the subculture. There are strong associations with mental illness, self harm, drug usage, sex work, underage prostitution, and other uncomfortable subjects. The negative aspects of the "landmine" stereotype are often emulated and romanticized as a quirky gimmick solely for aesthetic reasons.^[5] On Twitter in particular, it's not uncommon for followers of the subculture to constantly promote self-destructive behaviour, the accounts often being part of shtwt (pro-self-harm) and edtwt (pro-eating disorder).^[4] There's also a strong association with "bangya" culture with landmine girls also being stereotyped as groupies who are obsessive over their favorite bands and music artists to an unhealthy degree.

Another problem is the fetishization of the "landmine" stereotype, which is a glimpse into the wider topic of sexualizing women who exhibit mental illness. It is problematic for its ableist rhetoric claiming mentally-ill women to be "freaky", "hot but crazy" and more desirable sexually and emotionally, as well as its infantalistic undertone of these women being more emotionally attached and dependent on their lover's affection.^[6] This fetishization of mentally ill women and use of the femme-fatale archetype ignores the unpleasant nuances of suffering from BPD or bipolar disorder and targets women who are mentally vulnerable to emotionally abusive, power-imbalanced relationships.^[7]

There also have been issues caused by the strong associations with the host culture of Kabukicho. As people of any age can enter those establishments as long as no alcohol is served, male hosts have been actively going for young girls to spend money on them in exchange for affection, often resulting in the girls resorting to "papa katsu" (sugar-daddying) in order to afford their host club addiction.^[8]

Because the clothes worn are often very brand specific, some Jirai Kei netizens suggest that there is slight elitism in the community for purchasing items from the "correct" stores, regardless of if the price can be prohibitively expensive, particularly for western followers that endure high shipping fees from Japanese brand proxies. On social media, especially on TikTok, some argue that this brand-focused side of Jirai Kei encourages hyper consumerism and trend-cycling while the same is also said for those who buy cheap replica items from problematic fast fashion stores like Shein/Romwe.

As the subculture can't be separated from its problematic parts precisely because they are what make Jirai Kei what it is, many have argued that its name shouldn't be used in a throwaway manner in reference to styles or trends in order to not expose strangers to potential triggering content.