http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita_fashion
http://www.lolitafashion.org/
http://www.harajukustyle.net/
When I realized that the purpose of wearing Lolita fashion goes hand in hand with how I dress "eccentrically" to express myself, I immediately took it on. I find it irritating that most women feel that they must expose as much skin as possible to feel beautiful or attractive. Lolitas dress for themselves, and not for men or for anyone else. Remember how 150 years ago, women wore petticoats and dressed much more conservatively than they do now? Lolita fashion serves as a reminder that women can dress modestly, but still feel beautiful. I purchased a "Wa Lolita" outfit (Lolita with a strong Japanese influence) with some of my Christmas money, and I decided to wear it to school today:
THANK YOU TO MAGGIE for taking my pictures. She quickly took my picture before I needed to rush home, and while I am not in my most flattering position in this picture (Maggie took a very high quality picture, I just had a creepy smile on my face because I had just come out of a math test), I think that it gives you readers an idea of the look. Though I started off in the morning with stockings (as it is considered quite scandalous for a Lolita to have bare legs), it soon became 75 degrees, so I took them off midday (of course I kept my drawers and petticoat on underneath^^).
Though I have fantasies of becoming a full-time Lolita (wear only Lolita 24:7), I do not think that I can give up my harem pants or my Bohemian maxi-dresses. However, I will occasionally wear Lolita, and I plan on adding more Lolita clothing to my wardrobe.
I received mixed reactions towards my outfit. Some girls told me "I love you" for wearing the outfit, and a teacher told me that I looked "gorgeous". However, I also received smirks, or bemused facial expressions. While I was on my way to the ladies' room (using all fanciful language right now), a girl saw my outfit and muttered "why would she wear something like that?". I cannot pretend that it does not hurt me when a person sneers at my unconventional outfits. Many people see fashion as just something that shows how "stylish" they are. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with being "stylish", as fashion is really how you express yourself, and if you want to look "stylish", hats off to you. However, I know that people do not understand that I treat fashion like how I treat all forms of art; it is a way in which to express myself. Just as I express myself when I dance, act, sing, write, paint, or draw, I show everyone how I feel when I dress the way that I would like to dress. A person commented how my outfits usually seem "uncomfortable". However, I would feel truly uncomfortable if I dressed the same as everyone else does. Though people may smirk or roll their eyes at my "style", and I know that dressing the way I do is quite risky, I feel a certain thrill in defying the current day's "standard of fashion". I do not aim to look "chic" or "fashion-forward", but I do stay true to who I am (I know this sounds quite cliche, but I cannot think of a better phrase to describe how I express myself through fashion).
All in all, I hope that I was able to help some of you learn more about Lolita. And most importantly, I want to let you know that if you dress differently from how others dress, there will probably be at least one negative comment that you receive throughout the day. However, remember that if you dress the way that YOU want to dress, you can just hold your head high. Fashion is a medium through which you can silently express how you feel, and your emotions can become instilled in your clothing, but no one should judge your emotions. Let any negative comments bounce off of you, and don't let the bullies get you down :)
