Mizer Manakins
First and foremost, it's nothing but fashion. Lolita is pretty much about nothing but clothes. Without the fashion, there would be no subset of a lifestyle.
Once you hit that first point, maybe it'll be a lifestyle, maybe not. Maybe somewhere inbewteen -- adopting some ideas of a 'lolita-lifestyle' to your own, but really, it should be about making you happy, not 'trying to live lolita'.
I agree, in a sence...
I don't know what it is about American/Europen lolita's that think it has to be a lifestyle... No offence to you all...
Here, in Japan... not many people think its a lifestyle. It's a FASHION. Ok, yes I agree, tea parties, sewing, ect is all fine and fun things to do, but its not nessicary. Many of the lolita's here, cuss, swear, and some only where lolita from time to time.
This leads to a pet peeve of mine, I HATE it when people try to change themselves so they can fit a certian mold of style or lifestyle.
I have grown up surrounded by the Visual Kei/rock/metal scene. Both my parents where really into it and my mom still is. All my life, i have dressed punk-ish and darker then most kids my age, not lolita style either. When I came across lolita (my mom introduced me because I live/grew up in yokohama which is so americanized its not even funny) I liked it imediatly, no loved it. Did I ditch all my punk/rock ways? NO, I incorporated them both together.
To this day, somedays ill be sweet, other days ill be crazy visual kei-style and somedays right inbetween. I make it my own style.
But still yet its a style. If you happen to also like tea parties or sewing, ect whatever, you like it.. good for you. If not, don't feel "ah s**t i can't be a lolita because i hate tea and cant sew worth crap" or even simple things like "i swear" or "Im sloppy", thats just stupidity.
If you go to harajuku, and meet some of the people down there and talk with them, you'll notice that alot of them are normal everyday people, they dont live in a old victorian house and have tea parties in the afternoon and sew into the evening and all that supposed "lolita/victorian" crap.
Magazines like the loli bible are like a lolita version of.. vogue.... do you at the pictures in vogue and expect people in america to be exactly that? Its the same with lolita magazines.... and any other style magazine for that mater; its made to look like its own world, a fake world were everything is perfect.
I'm not against toning down swearing, or tea parties or things like that, but dont do it because you have to so you can fit a certian mold, do it because you want to.
Thats why i like street photo magazines like fruits, it shows average people in street fashion, notice that its not always a perfect example of the style, thats because in japan people like to make it there own style. put in things to make it unique to them.
Sorry to rant, I hope you all read this and understand and don't take offence. I think its cool how passionate most of you are of the style, but I just hate it when people try to change themselves, which deals alot with when people think its a lifestyle you have to go into.
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