Ahh, I have fallen victim to this lovely new trend. And truth be told, as much as I adore the Lolita fashion... there is a lot that bothers me. Heck, I'll probably go beyond the five pet peeves we are limited to, so I apologize in advance~
OTT Sweet. This is going to get me into a lot of trouble, I can already see it. It's adorable for the people who can pull it off, I will never deny that. However, I should not be getting diabetes just by looking at you. Wasn't the Lolita style supposed to be Neo-Victorian or something? I don't remember the Victorians ever wearing pastel renditions of dancing teddy bears. Really, I have nothing against the people who do OTT Sweet, power to you, but the style is really really not my thing.
Wigs, Fake Nails, Fake Everything. Another thing to get me in trouble. I am a Cosplayer, therefore I am all-too-familiar with wigs, and other things used to change your appearance. For meetups and photoshoots, I can't see why not, but for everyday life? Aren't we getting a little extreme? (Once in awhile is one thing, goodness knows I wear my fluffy white wig when I feel a little bit daring, but every day? Come on.) Since when was natural beauty such a bad thing? I shouldn't have to look at your pictures and wonder: "So... is that her real hair?"
Fakie-stuff can be great for meetups, and goodness knows hair falls are fun things. However, is there any reason we're trying to hide behind a mask of fake?
Lack of Lifestyle. Before someone says: "Well! I'm sure you're no perfect Princess most of the time!" Trust me, I'm not. My "Natural Nobility" post aside, I can be lewd, crude, and sometimes downright disgusting, can't we all? Want to know the difference? I'm not going around being proud of those crude times of mine. If I'm making perverted jokes with my friends, most of the time it doesn't leave my friends, and when I decide to stop being foolish and be a lady again, I do so. Really, I am not saying that we all need to sip tea in the morning and pretend that we're the best princesses the world has ever seen... but could you try not to brag loudly in public about how you and your boyfriend had sex in AP dresses the night before?
Likewise, when you're wearing Lolita (or any other alternative fashion, or Cosplay), you're acting as an ambassador for the entire subculture. I know, you ladies are getting sick of hearing this all the time, but it's true! People are judging all Lolitas by your behaviour (unless said person knows a lot of Lolitas, but that's not very likely.) It would be nice if we could get away from the stigma of age-play and other sexualized stuff. But really, I wouldn't rather trade that for an image of unbelievably crass and rude.
The skirts! How short they can be! ... This is a peeve for myself and myself alone. Most of my dresses and skirts before getting into Lolita were anywhere between mid-calves and the floor. I'm still not used to showing my knees, and goodness knows that I spend too much time fretting if my petticoat is visable or not. Needless to say, this could be one of my mother's peeves as well, seeing as I'm always asking her if my petticoat is visible.
Shoes and socks. My biggest nightmare (In other words, this one applies to only me here. Others can rock 'em out, please~). Due to my foot problems, I can't wear most styles of shoes, I'm usually restricted to flat and short-heeled sandals. As many of you know, that makes it pretty tacky to wear socks or tights, which are nearly mandated in Lolita fashion. Groan.
"Cosplay" as a four-letter-word. As stated above, I am a Cosplayer (or Costumer, seeing as very few of my Cosplays are beyond my personal OCs.) One of the difficult things in Lolita fashion is hearing things described as "Cosplayish" to register as bad quality. It's quite insulting, seeing as many people can pay upwards of $100 on their Cosplays, oftentimes more. While some are really bad quality, most aren't, so the overall stigma is just quite insulting. Can't we just say "Bad quality" to reference bad-quality instead of knocking off another Subculture?
Subculture hate and elitism. ... Out main demographic is 15-30 year old girls. I should not be surprised that there is bitchiness and dramaz... is that still any excuse to rag on something not too far on yourself? I've seen Lolitas insult everything from Cosplayers, to Goths, to... well... name any subculture, shall we? Seeing as we are all stems of fashion and subculture... I really don't see why making fun of the others is going to get anywhere. I'm not a fan of extreme sport-fans, the tinsel wigs and dual-face makeup is just foreign to me (even though I all but live in Ben Nye on many occasions.) Does that mean I'm going to say they're all idiots and stupid for doing what they like? Never. I may personally dislike sports with a burning passion, but it's not fair for me to deprive someone else of their passion. Likewise, it really hurts to see Lolitas insulting Cosplayers, Goths, and just about anything else.
Insecurity. Are these shoes Lolita enough? What if my hair isn't perfect for the meetup? Oh Gnade, what if they post me on getoffegl or something? Admit it. Thoughts like these have gone through your head at least once if you've been in the fashion for awhile. There are so many "Rules" (Well, guidelines, but it's hard to tell which is which, most of them are enforced so militantly,) that most girls, newbie and non, just don't know what to do! One little thing could make an outfit non-Loli, it seems. (For example, my latest worry. I have a beautiful black blouse with rose-buttons. The problem? It looks like a suit-jacket. With mild shoulder-padding, lapels, and the typical suit V-neck. Is it against the rules? Makes you wonder, doesn't it?) It's paired with a delightfully Lolita skirt I got while thrifting, but on it's own, I fear it's too corperate. I mean, would the other Lolis laugh at me or something? Admit it, we've all had those thoughts every now and then, be it in Lolita, or some other fashion.
... Yeah, I could go on, and on, and on, but I don't think you all want to read my rantypants things, am I right? Remember, please write to me and tell me what all you want me to write about. Or heck, feel free to send me an E-mail or Instant Message just to chat. I'd love to get to know all the lovelies reading this thing anyway~
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