Intro to Lolita
I have no idea if this is going to last, or if it's going to be another one of those short-lived whims I have. So I'm going to try this out for a month or so, ok?
I'm going to start using this journal to fill prompts from Loliprompts, which is maintained by me. The most recent entry is a hiatus announcement, since I gave up for Lolita for (by this time) a little over a year. Whether or not I keep adding prompts depends on how my re-entry into Lolita goes.
So today's prompt, and an ideal first entry, is this:
How would you describe Lolita fashion to a curious person you met in passing, whether online or on the street? Suppose they have little to no knowledge of Japanese culture or any alternative fashions, but are interested in hearing what you have to say.
It's very difficult for me to tell somebody who has no prior knowledge of Japanese fashion what it's like to wear or be a Lolita. It's so unique from any other fashion or subculture, and I hate having to rely on Lolita stereotypes in order to give them a quick feel for the fashion. On occasions, I have suggested that it's sort of like goth or punk in that it's an alternative style with a bit of a subculture surrounding it, but Lolita is very much its own thing separate from either of those two, and I'm worried that people will equate it with a subtype of goth or punk instead. In addition, most people don't even know what "goth" is besides some attention-seeking fashion statement from high school.
Most of the time, I'll say that it's Victorian- or vintage-inspired since those things are currently popular and most people know what they look like, but that's not entirely accurate either, since some types of Lolita take inspiration from earlier time periods.
If somebody stopped me in the street and actually wanted to hear what Lolita was about, in full detail, I would probably have to invite them over for tea because I would not be able to express my thoughts briefly enough.
When I was a Lolita and went to meetups, this scenario (strangers wondering what Lolita was) actually popped up often enough that I feel like I should have a canned response if I want to get back into Lolita again. Oh well. Maybe I'll elaborate at a later date.
I'm going to start using this journal to fill prompts from Loliprompts, which is maintained by me. The most recent entry is a hiatus announcement, since I gave up for Lolita for (by this time) a little over a year. Whether or not I keep adding prompts depends on how my re-entry into Lolita goes.
So today's prompt, and an ideal first entry, is this:
How would you describe Lolita fashion to a curious person you met in passing, whether online or on the street? Suppose they have little to no knowledge of Japanese culture or any alternative fashions, but are interested in hearing what you have to say.
It's very difficult for me to tell somebody who has no prior knowledge of Japanese fashion what it's like to wear or be a Lolita. It's so unique from any other fashion or subculture, and I hate having to rely on Lolita stereotypes in order to give them a quick feel for the fashion. On occasions, I have suggested that it's sort of like goth or punk in that it's an alternative style with a bit of a subculture surrounding it, but Lolita is very much its own thing separate from either of those two, and I'm worried that people will equate it with a subtype of goth or punk instead. In addition, most people don't even know what "goth" is besides some attention-seeking fashion statement from high school.
Most of the time, I'll say that it's Victorian- or vintage-inspired since those things are currently popular and most people know what they look like, but that's not entirely accurate either, since some types of Lolita take inspiration from earlier time periods.
If somebody stopped me in the street and actually wanted to hear what Lolita was about, in full detail, I would probably have to invite them over for tea because I would not be able to express my thoughts briefly enough.
When I was a Lolita and went to meetups, this scenario (strangers wondering what Lolita was) actually popped up often enough that I feel like I should have a canned response if I want to get back into Lolita again. Oh well. Maybe I'll elaborate at a later date.