The simplest explanation of enjo kosai probably makes it sound about as literal as the above term suggests: participants β usually high school and junior high school girls β are paid for their time and companionship given to older, often reasonably wealthy men.
Sometimes this payment is simply in the form of money, although for the gyaru who supposedly began the trend, gifts of expensive brand-name items are also fairly common. Contrary to the image of scantily-clad schoolgirls standing about on street corners or approaching possible targets themselves in the hopes of luring in a benefactor however, arrangements are usually made through phone or email clubs, where girls list their cellphone numbers or otherwise register online via webpages specifically geared towards enjo kosai.
However, what actually constitutes enjo kosai is still a matter of opinion. In particular, the practice of enjo kosai still seems to conjure images of the classic 90s kogal look as previously described here β shortened school skirts paired with baggy white socks held up with sock glue, artificially tanned skin, and bleached hair paired with a thick layer of pale makeupβ¦ though needless to say, this style has evolved somewhat since then.
The criticism remains basically the same, however; critics condemn gyaru, particularly those engaging in enjo kosai, as shallow and obsessed with conspicuous consumption β women who support their lifestyle by leeching from either their parents or their skeevy patrons.
This much-espoused ideology places a large emphasis on women mastering domestic skills such as cooking and sewing, and fulfilling their patriotic duty by bearing children. Although this rather patriarchal philosophy began to significantly weaken following the Second World War, some historians argue that it was still very much visible up until the s and still plays a part in the Japanese consciousness today.
