Lolita 52: How strangers react to my clothes, and how I react to their reactions

hey everybody! sorry for the slowdown in posting lately. i have another lolita 52 for you all today!

a popular topic, especially among new lolitas, is how strangers typically react to lolita fashion. a lot of new lolitas fear being made fun of, or especially being bullied in school environments. i've had kind of a mixed bag of reactions, but dealing with them tactfully is the most important thing to keep in mind. 

in the 6th grade i started to get into wearing gothic-lolita-esque outfits. it was all things altered from hot topic because i was afraid to buy brand because i was still growing and i didn't want to drop a ton of money on something that might get too small for me quickly. i got really made fun of by other students, but my middle school is notorious for TERRIBLE bullying situations. a lot of people complimented me as well and teachers and friends supported me too, so i never let it get to me. i hated the school and switched to homeschooling after one year there. but while i was there, the way i dealt with it was by just either ignoring jerks or snapping comebacks at them. 

for example, i wore a punk lolita sort of outfit to the valentine's day dance. during the cha cha slide (ahh, when i was twelve!) a boy said "where did you get your clothes, the UGLY STORE?" i replied "yeah your mom told me about it actually!" as a 12 year old i was very proud of my simple defense. it shut the kid up, so i was satisfied.

in high school, i wore lolita a lot, including simple sweet lolita outfits as well as gothic lolita. i got onto the fashion page of the yearbook for it every year, because the girls in the yearbook committee were in some classes with me when we were little and they liked my outfits.

i got made fun of a bit, but it was honestly by a bunch of jerks whose opinions i didnt care about, and some people who were close to me. my friends loved it, one of my teachers made me get up and show the class, and for the most part it was really pleasant! i got a LOT of "little bo peep"s in high school, though, to which i would just say "yeah i've gotten that a lot."

in college i've worn lolita a few times so far. one day no one said a thing about it to me, another day i got showered with compliments and a girl asked for a photo! but i never got any negative attention or creepers. if you do, just use caution and your best judgement on what is a safe situation or not.

my general advice on dealing with people who make fun of your lolita is to simply ignore them. comebacks are useful in certain pinches, but i would generally avoid them unless you know it will help and will stop the other person instead of making them fight you more. if you are ever harassed in a way that makes you uncomfortable or is really aggressive, tell someone like an administrator, teacher, or campus safety. i recommend to EVERY girl to take a self defense class. but with simple insults, if you just ignore them and show them their opinion doesnt matter, they will usually shut up. that's what i've discovered over my lifetime of wearing alt-fashion in a close-minded area.

to all lolitas reading this getting ready to wear it for their first time, good luck!

and to everyone, never let anyone ruin what you enjoy!

"I think we should enjoy life. We should wear whatever we think looks nice and wear it with confidence. That will put you in a better mood, and I think it will lead to an abundant society." -Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Buying From Bodyline for Fairy Kei

hey everyone! i recently joined the cutest (and to my knowledge, only) Fairy-Kei Forum. i recommend checking it out if you're into fairy-kei! it got me thinking about writing a post about starting a fairy kei wardrobe, and i think a good place to get some items from is Bodyline.

if you're a lolita, you probably already know about bodyline. but if you don't know, it is a japanese company that sells really affordable, generally good quality lolita pieces. but they also sell punk and cosplay items like seifuku and full cosplays as well as random other sundry accessories and jewelry. i can't vouch for the quality of anything but their lolita section personally, but if you can't tell by looking if it is good quality, you could look up reviews or trust your shoppers' instincts. asking for a second opinion from someone with a good sense for that is always a good idea!

many people buy from bodyline for lolita, but i think it is an underutilized resource in terms of fairy-kei. there are some really good staple items there and not to mention, lolita and fairy-kei often have a big overlap in terms of what items can be used.

first of all, buying from bodyline is pretty easy. you just pick your items and add them to your cart like you would anywhere else, pay for it with paypal or credit or debit, and get it shipped to you. they do ship outside of japan, but i'm not sure of every place they ship. i think they have a fairly wide coverage of where they will ship to, so most likely, you do not need a shopping service. just always keep in mind that you have measurements and conversions correct!

so, let's take a look at what bodyline has to offer for fairy-kei!

let's start with the lolita section. there's a huge aesthetic similarity between fairy kei and sweet lolita-- pastels, fluffiness, and a huge interest in anything super cute.

but, some lolita items don't really look right in fairy-kei. FK doesn't have strict rules, but i tend to find coords intended as fairy-kei that use a lolita JSK or skirt more like sweet lolita. which is very cute, and i think a healthy amount of rulebreaking is necessary sometimes!! but it looks more like lolita to me. sometimes skirts can be successful with fairy kei i suppose, but these choices from their skirt section i think are better geared for fairy-kei than lolita.

i think this skirt looks more fairy-kei than lolita, and would work well in a FK coord. why? well, the sheerness of the fabric suggests the dreamy aesthetic of fairy-kei to me. it looks like the model is not 

wearing a petti, and while that is a big no-no in lolita, it would look adorable just like this with a pastel t-shirt and cardigan with cute accessories, wouldn't it? i even think it'd be cute in fairy-kei with the shoes and socks combo used here. the skirt also comes in black, white, and cream, and i think those are more lolita, but i think it'd be way too short for lolita with a petti.

i think this skirt is just perfect for fairy-kei. there are some variations of it on the site, and i like this one the best. it doesnt really seem lolita with the faux-acid-wash and near-miniskirt length. but i think the precedent of denim and dip-dyed jeans in fairy kei would make this a perfect addition to a FK wardrobe. i've heard acid wash jeans are bad for the environment and for workers who make them, but this item is just printed. i can imagine it with some pastel tights, high tops with legwarmers, and a cute hoodie!

bodylines' "cardigan" section has not just cardigans, but also boleros and cutesy sweatshirts (commonly called "parkas" by lolita brands). a lot of these are perfect for fairy-kei!

these cardigans are all cute for fairy-kei. i especially love the second one. check out the section for yourself! i think that "parkas" (sweatshirts) tend to look most fairy-kei oriented, over boleros which to me seem very lolita. cardigans sweaters really can go with any style and are a good versatile buy.

 

LET ME TELL YOU BOUT BODYLINE'S PANNIER SECTION.

in my opinion, a staple and necessary part of the fairy-kei wardrobe is pretty, fluffy tutus!! and if you look up reviews of bodyline's panniers, they SUCK as petticoats. but when poof for holding up a skirt isn't your objective, they have the prettiest tutus in tons of colors. plus: they're adult sized! a hard thing is finding tutus in sizes for adults, so this is a perfect opportunity.

a lot of these are sold out, but it just shows you how cute and perfect these are. check back for restocks. there are some i really want that are sold out!!

their drawers section has bloomers, which are commonly used in fairy-kei and look very cute!

 

 i think these are perfect just as shorts in some warm weather fairy-kei. they would also look cute with a tutu over them.

 

the headdress section is mostly awkward looking alice bows. i have no idea how well these look on an actual head, but mostly they look stiff like they're placed on the headband wrong. this one is cute, but we'll get to more bows in the sundry section.

 

 the socks section has a lot of cute socks in pastel colors, as well as some printed socks and legwarmers. 

the bag section doesn't have much pastel, and for whatever reason has a lot of new year's looking cat bags? but there are a few bags matching prints bodyline has sold.

 as for shoes, there is pretty much a usual range for lolita shoes, made the same way as brand shoes, but a tenth of the price. there are pastel mary janes, tea party shoes, and the like. i don't think lolita shoes are at all necessary for fairy-kei, but they can definitely be used and look very cute.

just make sure that when you buy shoes from bodyline, you measure your foot in centimeters before buying. their shoe sizes are in centimeters, and i've found that using a size converter will get you way different results.

the punk section actually has replicas of those pastel doc martens everyone loves!

other than that, not much for fairy-kei, but that's obvious. the tights section has some cool printed tattoo tights, but i don't know about the quality.

i have heard good things about bodyline's wigs, which are in the cosplay section. while i dont think wigs are at all required for fairy-kei, if you feel like you need a pastel wig to match your outfit, their wigs are reportedly good quality and pretty cheap. i would look for reviews of any potential purchases. i think natural hair looks really good with FK, but sometimes you just want to have pink hair for a day.

as i mentioned before, i dont really know much about the sundries section's quality as i've never bought much from there. i did get one headband and i really think it is cute and nice quality, but i think the quality depends on the item. they have a lot of bows, clips, and other such useful and cute accessories in this section. i haven't extensively looked at the other things, but the categories are mostly self-explanatory and you can check them out for yourself if you're looking for that kind of item.

 

 well, i hope my post about using bodyline as a fairy-kei resource was helpful! while they are more expensive than they used to be a couple years ago due to the exchange rate, they still offer a lot of good stuff for fairy-kei. i mostly buy from them with the intention of building up my lolita wardrobe, but i have used some of their items in fairy-kei coords before and maybe now you will too!!