Warning: Picture-heavy post
This post will be a little unusual (no pun intended 
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).Although a gal's main reference always come from the magazines and street snaps, I believe that finding inspiration outside of these two is just as important, especially when developing your own style.
Take Deedeedoo, for example. She calls herself the "cyber gal". It's not an already existing substyle – she made it herself. And she's extremely unique! Many gaijin gals often worry too much about fitting in a specific substyle and forget about developing their own signature style and making themselves unique within the subculture.
So these are my non-gal references that help me compose my own style 
MyScene dolls
You thought I'd say Barbie, right?
Well, yes, Barbie is my girl! Love her to the point I tattooed her stripped swimsuit, initials and release year on my forearm. But for my gal looks, I take way more inspo from her side brand created to compete against the Bratz, MyScene. I never had a MyScene doll growing up, as they were more expensive than Barbie and rare to find in my then hometown. But I used to be a resident at their website ww and I loved watching "MyScene Goes Hollywood" as well. My favorite character used to be Chelsea, but now I'm much more of a Nolee (with a hint of Delancey)!
My inspo comes mostly from their post-Bling Bling era. I brought their sticker gems and silhouette with short tight dresses and chonky heels to my style. My birthday look from last year was heavily influenced by their Club Birthday line, as well as Juicy Bling and Fab Faces.
I often get plastic shoes and purses, and acrylic and resine accessories that add to the whole "doll" vibe. I like to think of myself as a fashion doll, and also because I don't have space ATM for my doll collection (they're all at my parent's) so I'm making one out of myself!
Unfortunately I still don't have a MyScene doll, but maybe someday the doll collecting gods will bless me!
The look:
Don't mind the safety shorts showing up lmao this dress is SUPER short
Also, the Sebon Star necklace wasn't an original part of the look ww we often buy and trade Sebon Star and I got that one that day and I put it on for fun
The inspo:
For my birthday in 2024, I also took inspiration from MyScene, but from the Roller Girls line because I went disco-roller skating!
My favorite inspiration is by far the very recurring sticker gem gimmicks, as seen in Juicy Bling, Jewel It, Club Birthday and many of their styling heads.
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Bollywood
To be honest, anything cinema is a huge inspo for me. But there's something about Bollywood and general Indian cinema that hits harder. South Asian women have been wearing bottom eyelashes and bold eyeliner way longer than gals!
I often say that Sridevi is one of the original gals. Her makeup even included a nose stripe! She was sporting a full set of lashes, colored contacts and huge doll eyes before it was even a thing!
Unfortunately this queen left us in 2018 but her looks from the 1970's and 1980's will live in my heart forever.
There are many, many movies with beautiful costuming, but my favorite is the 1998 classic "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai". Tina (Rani Mukerji) only shows up for a short time but her wardrobe is I-CO-NIC!
Also starring Rani Mukerji, "Ta Ra Rum Pum" is so insanely gal-coded you won't believe your eyes.
But the final boss of gorgeous costuming is Kareena Kapoor's wardrobe as Poo in "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham".
There are many inspo from photoshoots of Bollyowodian actresses as well! Such as MOTHER Madhuri Dixit sporting a HUGE AHH pearl heart necklace...
... And Amrita Rao serving amekaji realness!
Bollywood also showed me that I need more bracelets and bangles! The clacking and shimmy sounds of them in the movies are so satisfying! It's one of the reasons I started a bangle collection recently!
My Indian gal friend Anu told me that there aren't many gals in India. I need you Indian baddies to STAND UP! You all have potential and references to become the most gorgeous gals ever!
Very important PSA before we move on: I would never ever wear and appropriate of essentially religious and ethnical elements, accessories or symbols, such as the bindi. As much as I love face gems, the bindi holds a very important meaning to Hindu people, and therefore I don't wear any gems on my forehead so it's not mistaken for a bindi. I dream of being able to wear a beautiful saree someday, but in a proper occasion and place!
Brazilian 2000's and 90's nostalgia
Not to brag, but if you were raised in Brazil throughout the 90's and 2000's, you're a very lucky person. We had plenty of pop singers and TV personalities to drool over their outfits and so many cool stuff that it's hard to put in a small paragraph. I was never the older sister, but I had teenage neighbors and sometimes I managed to sneak into their bedrooms and dream that I would be just like them and own their same makeup and clothes in a few years.
I'll start with my favorite one: pop girlgroup Rouge. They were formed in a X-Factor-like show called Popstars in 2001 and their cover song of "Asereje" was an instant smash hit. Rouge was so big that no other Brazilian pop group has topped them to this day.
Their physical albums had glitter jewel covers and Tutti Frutti scent, dress up games when inserted in a PC and the most fashionable photoshoots ever seen. If you don't know them, you should definitely check them out at Spotify! Peak bubblegum pop tbh.
Pop singers Kelly Key, Wanessa Camargo and Sandy were huge as well, and all of them had their own merch which often included cosmetics, toys, and most importantly, shoes. The big deal with the shoes is that they often came with a little freebie as a heart-shaped walkman, accessories or makeup.
Sandy was like our Britney Spears and anything she did used to sell extremely well and outsell pretty much anybody. Not only she was a top selling musician alongside her brother Júnior in a pop duo, but also had her own movies and a TV show, not to mention her endless merch that went from shoes to cellphones. Wanessa Camargo (although she's kind of a flop musically-wise) had a very successful line of jelly shoes. Kelly Key did a cover song of Aqua's "Barbie Girl" that became her biggest hit.
Kelly Key
As for TV, if you were a kid, you were very familiar with the "blonde trio" that graced our mornings with their beauty and charisma: Angélica, Eliana, and of course, Xuxa. Xuxa is known as the "queen of the little ones" and her morning show in the 80's was so successful it was imported to the rest of LATAM and the USA. Maybe Sandy couldn't only outsell her. To this day, Xuxa is still one of the greatest TV personalities, but we gotta give the other two their flowers, especially to Eliana! She has a very special place in my heart, as she did theme songs for Sailor Moon and Pokémon, and her show was the most fun and she's the most stylish out of the three!
I'd say Angélica is the more "shoujo-kei" of the trio (because of her name, they tried to make her more angelical-looking and that was pretty much her whole branding), so I don't really mind her. But Eliana and Xuxa during the 2000's were huge style references for me!
Xuxa
Eliana
Angélica
Now if you're curious to see how the average Brazilian girl lived in the 2000's, this account perfectly encapsulates the Brazilian teen culture of the time.
Zara Larsson
Alright, so I think everybody and their mom recently takes inspo from Zara, but I can't help if she's the most gal-coded pop star at the moment. She's my current favorite pop act and I could immediately resonate to the vibe of "Midnight Sun" because that has been my thing for AGES.
However, her dazzling outfits aren't recent! There are so many good and glamorous looks from her previous eras as well, especially from "Poster Girl" and "Venus"! Here's proof:
Do you see that BELT?
Some of my favorite inspo from the "Midnight Sun" era:
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Been wanting do DIY a belt like this...
Zara was confirmed for Primavera Sound in São Paulo in December and hopefully I'll be able to go! I have MANY clothes and accessories that fit the theme perfectly ww
*Some* beauty gurus
I'm not exactly someone who follows many influencers or content creators but there are two that I cherish and hold close to heart.
I don't think I need to introduce you to Nikkietutorials. I believe she raised all of us who enjoy beauty. I've been watching her since high school. Her love for makeup is so inspiring and I love that she's always trying out something new and encourages experimenting and playing around. Not to mention her amazing personality and charisma!
I'm so proud of Nikkie for being this successful trans businesswoman and internet personality and she surely creates some of the most impressive looks. Now MET Museum... SEND HER AN INVITATION TO THE GALA AGAIN!
The other one LA-based Pakistani beauty content creator Alina (@alinasmakeup)! Her style is so one of a kind, and the artistry and intricate details in her makeup looks are insane! She looks straight up like a real life Winx fairy. Her best accessory though, is definitely her vibrant and energetic personality. She's brighter than the sun! Her videos overflow with love for makeup and fashion and always put a smile on my face! <3
These are just some of my non-gal inspos! There are much more, but I feel like these are the most prominent ATM!
What are yours? I'd love to know!
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