…What is going on here and how can I get involved with it?!
Rant time. Again.
I’ve been browsing youtube again (oh dear) and I’ve been finding American girls who have dedicated their youth to becoming “kawaii”. Loads of people say that this simply can’t be achieved because of their European assets (Deep-set eyes, long noses, bulky features, etc.). However, I’ve seen some American girls who are so good at being the stereotypical “kawaii” it’s a little scary. Their Japanese is better than some of the natives and they know every detail of what has any ‘kawaii’ refrence in the area. I’m not ragging on these girls, believe me. They are super confident and have a huge fanbase at least among con-goers. These girls know what they’re doing.
What bothers me is these poor younger girls trying to live up to these idols. When I was fourteen, I yearned to be just like those kawaii girls at the con without realizing that they were probably eighteen-to-twenty year-olds who had enough money in their pockets to spend on the perfect sweet lolita dresses. I spent a fortune on cosplays to live up to them but I never did hit the nail on the head with “cute”. (Though I made a darn adorable Zidane Tribal—if I do say so myself. Yeah. I ended up playing all boys. Up to this day I’ve only cosplayed as a girl once. Got swept up in the excitement of the perfect costume—threw the idea of gender to the wind. Woo~~ P:)
Back on point. If there are any young girls who happen to read this post and think “I’ve done that.” You aren’t alone. Trust me. What I think the real truth to “Kawaii” is confidence. If you’re confident in yourself, someone is bound to find you cute. Now be confident, not vain! If you think you have to have that Hello Kitty backpack to keep up with the kawaii trend, you shouldn’t purchase it. If you see it and just think it’s darn adorable—go ahead and buy it. You like it. Even if you think your friends would find it out-of-character for you do it anyway because it’s what you want, not what other people want.
I also think that you don’t have to buy a buttload of stuff to be “kawaii.” (You do if you want to be a classic lolita, though. This is only for classic, sweet, and aristocratic lolita though. Other versions of lolita are much more lenient, I think. This is ONLY my opinion. And no, you don’t have to be lolita to be “kawaii.”) If you want to be kawaii, you need to have a few dresses (or any other clothes) that you know you feel pretty in. When you think you look pretty or cute, you put off that image to other people and they’ll realize it too. Besides, wearing things you like should make you happy, right?
Take care of yourself, take care of others, laugh often. Fill your life with things that you know make you happy.
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I know I’m ranting a lot. There will most likely be a part II to this rant tomorrow.
