Why I Like Lolita Fashion

 I was going to start this with a story of how I bought my first Lolita dress from Bodyline, tried it on at a former friend's house and was pleasantly shocked by what I saw in the mirror. Or the story about seeing Mana on TV. However, I thought instead I'd just give the answer to the question straight out.

I like Lolita fashion for 2 main reasons. One: in my eyes, it's a very brave fashion. Two: it suits me, physically and mentally.

On to the explanation! (I like to explain things a lot, you'll see this if you continue reading my posts as time goes by. I just don't shut up. I'm sorry in advance to all readers.)

I feel that Lolita is a very brave fashion. When I say it's brave, I don't mean that once you put it on, you can or will go out and stop pollution, spread world peace or rescue baby animals from an evil organization. Clothes alone don't make you brave (or beautiful, or crazy, etc.) However, it DOES take guts to wear these outfits. These obviously aren't an everyday outfit like a pair of jeans and a tee. Lolita outfits and coords are outside of what's considered normal clothes. I'd once read that part of the otherness of Lolita fashion is the fact that, unlike the main focus on sexuality or simplistic yet stylish maturity in most contemporary women's fashions, Lolita fashion has more emphasis on modesty and is overtly feminine. I once read of the Lolita aesthetic as "confrontational" to contemporary thinking of women and women's fashion, because of such qualities. Somewhat ironic, since many of the fashions that influenced the development of Lolita fashion were once considered normal everyday clothes.

The coronation dress of the 19th century Austrian Empress Elisabeth (left) became the inspiration for this overdress from the brand Alice and the Pirates (right). Dresses like Elisabeth's were fashionable for women at the time.
 

Deviation from the standard in any form, be it clothes or even taste in music, can be risky. On the bright side, it can be revolutionary and celebrated for being original or invigorating. However, on the downside it can be ridiculed, mocked, or hated vehemently for not being normal and familiar; it's not what people are used to. It's also hard to tell which of these two receptions you'll get if you do something different. Lolita fashion is the same way; some people love it and some people think it's weird and should be put down. So to take that risk, even for an hour, is something very bold for a person to do.

There are many Lolitas in the world who've put on their coord, looked good, and then once they're about to go out the door for the first time in full Lolita...turn around, take off their stuff, put on their regular clothes again and stay home. Why? Again, trying new things is difficult, and this applies to both the audience AND the person doing the novel thing. It's scary to do something new when you have no idea how people will react to how you look. In a conservative town, this can be holy hell for a Lolita. Not even kidding. There are many Lolitas out there whose lives are made miserable on a daily basis because of their choice to participate in the fashion. Yet they still do it, because it MAKES THEM HAPPY AND THEY ENJOY IT. This is a very immense bravery in my eyes. Is it like defeating a monster threatening a city? Not exactly. Is it like putting out fires everyday? Not exactly. That still doesn't mean it isn't a brave act too. Bravery always involves inner struggle, and is born once you've overcome that struggle. Even simple thoughts can be brave, because you struggled inside to have them be realized.

                                       So much confrontation to the norm! How can she just get away with that? >_<

Reason #2: Lolita fashion suits me personally. Physically, my family has the genetics of the family in Tuck Everlasting: we don't really age that much as years go by. People have placed bets on whether my age is 12 or 14 (oldest guess I've heard was 18), although in honesty I'm a grown adult past 20. I'm also rather small, coming in at 5'4", a small bust, and an oval open face with wide eyes. Most women's contemporary clothing doesn't really suit me either. Even in a suit with my hair up, people think I'm under 20. Worse, I can still fit into clothes I wore at age 6.
However, in a full Lolita coord, I look rather nice, at best very pretty. The aesthetic suits my features and form well, where I can use my childlike appearance to the advantage of the overall look I'm going for. Instead of looking like a teenager in Mom's borrowed clothes, I look like a pretty young lady going for a walk in a garden. This makes me feel good, not just about my looks but how well the outfit suits me.
Which leads into Lolita fashion suiting me mentally. When I say this, I don't mean I think about ponys, unicorns and tea parties all day. The majority of Lolitas don't anyway, we got other stuff to think about, like concerts, skateboarding, tats, how much wine we can drink in one go, how the cat got the last slice of pizza, etc. Lolitas are just normal people with normal people thoughts, like everyone else. When I say it suits me mentally, I mean that the aesthetics of Lolita appeal to my mind in such a way that I feel more at peace when I see or wear coords. I relaxes me, or if I see a new piece I want I become awed and excited. Basically, I associate a lot of positive emotions and thoughts with both the fashion itself, events involving the fashion and the wearing of such things. It genuinely makes me happy! As such, Lolita fashion is very enjoyable for me.

                         Smiling! Happiness! Yes, I know they're just smiling for the camera, but they could be happy too!

Therefore, in closing, this is why I like Lolita fashion, and I hope it continues for many years to come. If not, I'll just keep wearing it anyway until I decide to stop.^_^

~BRP