30-day Lolita Challenge: Day 3
And it continues!
Day 3: Ten Things You Hate in Lolita
1. THE PRICE. I think every lolita out there agrees that the price of the fashion is awful. While I can find justification for most dresses being over $200-300, I just can't do that for all the other things you need to complete the outfit. $200 for pleather shoes? $200 for a hat? $130 for bloomers that no one will ever see? No thank you.
2. THE EXCLUSIVITY. I hate the fact that you have to jump through hoops to buy internationally from Japanese brand and secondhand shops. While some bigger brands have opened up international stores, the customer service has a record for being extremely rude. Smaller shops don't even bother with an online store, which means I would be stuck going through shopping services and high EMS shipping fees. Additionally, many shops often have special promotions and discounts that won't ever end up online. Plus, the in-store shopping experience is so much more personal and enjoyable than scrolling through a website.
3. THE "LOLITA" STORES. I'm of course referring to stores like Milanoo that prey on naive fledgling lolitas and the ignorant public, spreading the image of lolita as a black x white, itchy lace monster fashion, and stealing people's money before sending them what hardly could be called a decent "costume." Lolita has enough bad rap from the novel that it doesn't need websites like Milanoo perpetrating the idea that "tacky gothic dress = lolita."
4. THE HIGH COST OF MAINTENANCE. Lolita dresses are delicate and must be treated well, but this comes with the high cost of dry cleaning. I haven't been to a dry cleaner yet, as I try to rotate between my brand dresses, air them out, and hand wash only the dirty areas. I know this can't last forever, however.
5. THE HEAT. Lolita has lots of layers, and I typically wear 2-3 layers on the top, 5 layers on the bottom, socks over tights, and a wig + headpiece. All this makes for one giant oven, and even the lightest amount of exercise is enough to make me start sweating bullets from the retained heat. Lolita is definitely not meant for summer wear.
6. THE DRAMA. I expect a bit of drama in a high end fashion full of girls (I'm sorry, but sometimes we do just get catty) but some of the gossip and secrets that go around the community just make me want to headdesk at the stupidity of it all.
7. SUPER FAKE WIGS. I do love wigs myself, but you can just tell when a wig is bad quality, and a poor quality wig paired with an otherwise great outfit just ruins it for me. I also don't like OTT wigs that are teased up to the point that I can hardly see where your face is. I know sweet likes to be really cute, but I don't believe the point is to actually resemble cotton candy in a dress.
8. ELITISM. I hate when people try to act better than others because they have more brand or they think they know it all, because it just comes off as middle school "queen bee" syndrome to me. By extension, I also hate those lolitas who criticize other lolitas for not being thin enough, for being too tall, for being too dark, for wearing sweet, etc.- that's all just bullshit. Nobody made you God, so please get your nose out of other people's frills and mind your own damn business.
9. DEALING WITH STUPID REMARKS. I first started wearing lolita in Japan, and while I did notice people who looked at me funny or whispered behind my back, at least they didn't harass me. Japanese people actually have respect. My first meetup in America though, I ran into some guy who chased me and my friend out of a square yelling "Red Riding Hood!" and quoting lines by the wolf. I know it's not "normal" by mainstream standards, but that doesn't mean I should have to endure taunting and harassment when I wear lolita. Not only does it frustrate me dealing with it, I can't help but pity the social condition that makes it okay to treat people this way.
10. RASCHEL LACE. Okay, I'm a little out of ideas, but I know one thing that ticks me off is raschel lace. No matter how good it looks, it always feels scratchy to me, even the ones Meta uses. If I see a dress I like and then notice it has raschel lace on it, I just turn away from it. I admit this dislike is a bit irrational, but it is just one I can't get over.
Thank you for reading!
Day 3: Ten Things You Hate in Lolita
1. THE PRICE. I think every lolita out there agrees that the price of the fashion is awful. While I can find justification for most dresses being over $200-300, I just can't do that for all the other things you need to complete the outfit. $200 for pleather shoes? $200 for a hat? $130 for bloomers that no one will ever see? No thank you.
2. THE EXCLUSIVITY. I hate the fact that you have to jump through hoops to buy internationally from Japanese brand and secondhand shops. While some bigger brands have opened up international stores, the customer service has a record for being extremely rude. Smaller shops don't even bother with an online store, which means I would be stuck going through shopping services and high EMS shipping fees. Additionally, many shops often have special promotions and discounts that won't ever end up online. Plus, the in-store shopping experience is so much more personal and enjoyable than scrolling through a website.
3. THE "LOLITA" STORES. I'm of course referring to stores like Milanoo that prey on naive fledgling lolitas and the ignorant public, spreading the image of lolita as a black x white, itchy lace monster fashion, and stealing people's money before sending them what hardly could be called a decent "costume." Lolita has enough bad rap from the novel that it doesn't need websites like Milanoo perpetrating the idea that "tacky gothic dress = lolita."
4. THE HIGH COST OF MAINTENANCE. Lolita dresses are delicate and must be treated well, but this comes with the high cost of dry cleaning. I haven't been to a dry cleaner yet, as I try to rotate between my brand dresses, air them out, and hand wash only the dirty areas. I know this can't last forever, however.
5. THE HEAT. Lolita has lots of layers, and I typically wear 2-3 layers on the top, 5 layers on the bottom, socks over tights, and a wig + headpiece. All this makes for one giant oven, and even the lightest amount of exercise is enough to make me start sweating bullets from the retained heat. Lolita is definitely not meant for summer wear.
6. THE DRAMA. I expect a bit of drama in a high end fashion full of girls (I'm sorry, but sometimes we do just get catty) but some of the gossip and secrets that go around the community just make me want to headdesk at the stupidity of it all.
7. SUPER FAKE WIGS. I do love wigs myself, but you can just tell when a wig is bad quality, and a poor quality wig paired with an otherwise great outfit just ruins it for me. I also don't like OTT wigs that are teased up to the point that I can hardly see where your face is. I know sweet likes to be really cute, but I don't believe the point is to actually resemble cotton candy in a dress.
8. ELITISM. I hate when people try to act better than others because they have more brand or they think they know it all, because it just comes off as middle school "queen bee" syndrome to me. By extension, I also hate those lolitas who criticize other lolitas for not being thin enough, for being too tall, for being too dark, for wearing sweet, etc.- that's all just bullshit. Nobody made you God, so please get your nose out of other people's frills and mind your own damn business.
9. DEALING WITH STUPID REMARKS. I first started wearing lolita in Japan, and while I did notice people who looked at me funny or whispered behind my back, at least they didn't harass me. Japanese people actually have respect. My first meetup in America though, I ran into some guy who chased me and my friend out of a square yelling "Red Riding Hood!" and quoting lines by the wolf. I know it's not "normal" by mainstream standards, but that doesn't mean I should have to endure taunting and harassment when I wear lolita. Not only does it frustrate me dealing with it, I can't help but pity the social condition that makes it okay to treat people this way.
10. RASCHEL LACE. Okay, I'm a little out of ideas, but I know one thing that ticks me off is raschel lace. No matter how good it looks, it always feels scratchy to me, even the ones Meta uses. If I see a dress I like and then notice it has raschel lace on it, I just turn away from it. I admit this dislike is a bit irrational, but it is just one I can't get over.
Thank you for reading!