A gravure idol (グラビアアイドル gurabia aidoru), often abbreviated to gradol (グラドル guradoru), is a
Japanese female model who primarily models in magazines, especially those marketed to men, photobooks, or DVDs. Gravure idols, in most cases, emphasize their sexual attractiveness and often model in swimsuits.
Gravure idols appear in a wide range of photography styles and genres. Their photos are largely aimed at
male audiences. Though they never appear nude, their poses are seen as
semi-provocative.
Gravure models may be of any age but usually range from their
late teens to their mid-twenties. In addition to appearing in mainstream magazines, gravure idols often release their own professional photobooks and DVDs for their fans. Many
popular female idols in Japan launched their careers by starting out as gravure idols.
Gravure models are commonly photographed wearing bikinis or lingerie, but may also appear wearing schoolgirl uniforms, Japanese street fashion, and kimonos. Since 2008, ZAKZAK magazine has awarded a Gravure Idol Award.
The word グラビア (gurabia), used in Japanese to describe
female models of this kind, is derived from the
English-language term rotogravure, which is a printing method that was once commonly used in the production of illustrated magazines. The modern meaning of the term "gravure idol" is thus loosely "magazine model", a reference to the medium in which most of the idols gain stardom.
