Kogaru Girl

State Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Dona Ana, is defending her bill to regulate tanning salons this afternoon in the Senate Public Affairs Committee. SB 513 would prohibit minors under 14 from using tanning equipment, period, and minors between 14 and 18 from using tanning equipment without parental consent.

That's bad news for kogaru and ganguro girls, two distinct subcultures of Japanese girls who bleach their hair, tan til they're deep brown and walk on foot-tall platform shoes. (Don't ask me the difference...I spent a year and a half in Tokyo and couldn't figure it out. Maybe flowers and eye makeup?).

Ganguro Girl

The upside is that the fines for serving a minor are relatively minor: $100 for the first offense, $200 for each subsequent offense. The obvious solution: tanning salons could adjust their prices to accommodate the fine. (Though the AG can take 'em to court.)