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.
