Welcome to Gaia! ::

Yes, I am quite assured that you guys are quite tired of having to see these posted but sadly looking back the others that had been made I found that questions being asked where not ones that produced answers with the requirements I need for my own paper. I find that with each passing semester I attract the attention of at least one of my professors who ask me sometime during the term to write a paper on the 'strange' fashion I frequent to class and to my dismay my Honors Freshman Comp II teacher asked me to to do so for my last paper in class. I have done a few papers on this subject in the past but seeing the importance of this upon my grade I ask that you please only fill this out if you are going to provide good and in depth answers. I am a very serious person when it comes to my writing and I would like to provide very good testimonials from a broad range of people to make this paper as unbiased as possible. The first paragraph of the paper has been typed up and am now working on the factual origins of the fashion, so if you would like to see it please ask and I will be happy to provide it for criticism also. For this survey you MUST know the difference between a lifestyle Lolita and the ones who love the fashion since I am going to speaking about both in my paper.

The Survey:
1. Are you a Lifestyle Lolita or the Fashion type and what influenced you to choose that path?
2. What notable Lolita figure would you say influences you the most whether it be fashion, music, or literature wise and why? (Please don't say 'Mana because he invented Lolita', that is not a very specific or well thought out answer -_-;, you can answer Mana but please give me an intellectual answer)
3. Which sub-style of Lolita did you start off in and why?
4. Did your preferences in Lolita change and why?
5. A brief description of the things you enjoy the most about either the fashion itself, the lifestyle you live in it, or moments you cherish because of the fashion (I would love some nice stories that I could use as quotes in my paper)
6. You views on the Lolita community and your experiences in it.
7. A negative aspect you find about the fashion or the community involved in it (I want civil answers not incoherent flaming, doing so will have me delete your answer in order to avoid drama)
8. Any information, extra tidbits, or stories you would like to add that you feel is pertinent and should be in the paper.

1. Are you a Lifestyle Lolita or the Fashion type and what influenced you to choose that path?
I am both types, but I live something different from the Victorian or Rococo lifestyle that the "Lolita lifestyle" really is. I have my own private moments to myself when I'm in my lifestyle mode, but it is more of a story playing in my head rather than me acting like a princess. My "lifestyle" though, is more towards the fashion type than the cookie-cutter "lifestyle" is.

2. What notable Lolita figure would you say influences you the most whether it be fashion, music, or literature wise and why?
No one really influences me to do anything... though I do look at Nana Kitade and listen to her music sometimes to get inspiration for things. Otherwise I look into the G&L Bible (Japanese) and the Kera mag to look at the coordinations.

3. Which sub-style of Lolita did you start off in and why?
I started off with Sweet, simply because it was easier to obtain and I looked cute in it. xD I really like Classic as well but I've never attempted to really get any classic pieces.

4. Did your preferences in Lolita change and why?
I suppose things built on top of it rather than actually change... and I suppose it's simply because as a person my style evolves and matures over time.

5. A brief description of the things you enjoy the most about either the fashion itself, the lifestyle you live in it, or moments you cherish because of the fashion?
I love the communication, I've met so many girls through Lolita who are great people in their own ways. When I first started my interest in Lolita, there was this lolita in my area who kind of FORCED herself on me and became my mentor. xD Through seeing some of her past trial-and-errors and by examining what I needed to look for with lolita, which I had a lot of fun with, I learned more and more about overall quality of clothing and such.

After I've became sort-of known in the community, I was approached by girls online (whether they were experienced, or newbies), and slowly I began adding people onto the NYC lolita scene. Those who were newbies learned through me what they should be looking for, while doing so and having their own style. Now we have foreign exchange students from places like S. Korea and even college students from Japan within our circle and it's really diverse, and it's so fun to know so many people and enjoy so much time with them. I suppose it's easier for the NYC lolita scene to be so diverse because of the fame and the location, but it has been a blessing to make so many friends and have others connect to each other.

6. You views on the Lolita community and your experiences in it.
The EGL community is very helping when you truly want help with it. There are stupid people, there are bitchy people, and there are those who seem really retarded or crazy, there are those who have their own personal issues. Some people complain about this a lot, but you're dealing with real girls who have a real life (well, those I'm familiar with anyways.). They'll be there to help when you need a hand, but only when you're willing to help yourself first. There are girls you envy because of their meetups, rather than their clothes and their looks and their "status" within the community (well, in my opinion). I know I envy some of the Lolitas in the U.K., California, Chicago-area, Singapore, France, Germany/Austria/etc., and some areas in Australia because a lot of times they do things that you might not be able to do and it seems so fun. It's really awesome when you sit down and think about all the lolitas in the community and realize there's soooo much more than just Japan and America, so many more people you want to meet and have fun with.

7. A negative aspect you find about the fashion or the community involved in it:
When it comes to discrimination and hate. Not omg interwebz dramu crap, but when some people (mostly they are off from the main EGL community) make up things and hate on people based on their looks. Religion, skin-color and ethnicities, body mass (mostly body mass). Of course this doesn't happen often, maybe once in a blue moon even, but when the subject does arise, it's often more tasteless than regular internet "drama".

Other than that, what really annoys me are people who wants to join the community to get their a** kissed (to put it bluntly), rather than to improve.

8. Any information, extra tidbits, or stories you would like to add that you feel is pertinent and should be in the paper.
N/A so far


AND YES. I WANT TO SEE THIS AFTER YOU'RE DONE WITH IT :U

1. Are you a Lifestyle Lolita or the Fashion type and what influenced you to choose that path?
~I'm a fashion lolita. I had seen the style before in tokyo, but never payed much attention to it, being a rocker. My mom said it was cute, and we both started looking into it together.

2. What notable Lolita figure would you say influences you the most whether it be fashion, music, or literature wise and why? (Please don't say 'Mana because he invented Lolita', that is not a very specific or well thought out answer -_-;, you can answer Mana but please give me an intellectual answer)
~I would say Arika Takarano is my fashion idol. I don't believe in copying fashion as it is a personal expression, but she has always inspired me to put together outfits.

3. Which sub-style of Lolita did you start off in and why?
~Sweet, it looked so inocent and different from my rock style i had grown up around.

4. Did your preferences in Lolita change and why?
~Yea of course. I have changed, and so has my style. I was a rocker all my life, then got into sweet lolita. After a while, I grew tired of just having one style at a time, and started combining things and just making stuff up.

5. A brief description of the things you enjoy the most about either the fashion itself, the lifestyle you live in it, or moments you cherish because of the fashion (I would love some nice stories that I could use as quotes in my paper)
~I get to meet lots of people, online or in real life. I have even met some lolita from europe and america in harajuku on a few sundays. It's great because we don't all have the same style either. All lolita's just seem to like eachother, whether were gothic, sweet or punk. I love seeing the fashion spread all over, and I also like helping some who are having a hard time with the fashion.

6. You views on the Lolita community and your experiences in it.
~To be very honest, I used to think Lolita were ditzy girls who were stuck up. That was before my mom's friend's daughter started dressing lolita, which is were my mom heard it from. I wanted to see what all the fuss was and asked her about the style. it really facinated me. I had seen it in tokyo on sundays that i spend in harajuku with friends, but I had never really talked to a lolita before. Now, I have been wearing lolita for 4 years. I love meeting some online,esspecialy from other countries. its very interesting to see there views on it, and share my views from here in japan. I've grown to really enjoy talking with lots of great people from all over and just having fun.

7. A negative aspect you find about the fashion or the community involved in it (I want civil answers not incoherent flaming, doing so will have me delete your answer in order to avoid drama)
~Alot of people don't believe me, but lolita's arn't all that accepted in Japan. Daytime shows, with mothers on them, sometimes bash us and make fun of us. It's really stupid. Sometimes when I am in harajuku, i feel like a prop for tourists, just an attraction. I don't dress lolita everyday, maybe every 3-4 days, sometimes more or less. I still get called names, ect because of my wide range of styles. Its a harsh worl out there. I just want other lolita's to know that its not just your country, japan to is like that. yea, here its more common, but im not sure if that makes it any better.


8. Any information, extra tidbits, or stories you would like to add that you feel is pertinent and should be in the paper.
Its a personal style, dont let others tell you what to wear. Yes, there are guidlines like skirt length. But those are just to helo outline the style. If you like what you are wearing, thats great. because thats what style should be, something you enjoy to where and like how you look in it.

1. Are you a Lifestyle Lolita or the Fashion type and what influenced you to choose that path?
I'm definitely not a lifestyle lolita in any way, shape or form. Lolita is a fun fashion and a hobby for me. I feel that changing your life to suit your clothes is silly; it should be the other way around. You wear what you want because it suits your personality or your particular tastes, rather than tailoring how you live, act, or speak according to what you've got on.


2. What notable Lolita figure would you say influences you the most whether it be fashion, music, or literature wise and why?
I've honestly not really been inspired by any one particular figure in lolita. I found the style because I was a huge fan of jrock and anime/manga at one point in time, but I don't particularly idolize any one person, character or influence. Most of the time, I find the girls on EGL or Daily Lolita to be far more interesting and far more inspirational than some distant figure like Mana, Kana, Nana [lots of Ana there], Aya or Novala. I identify better with the western girls, simply because we share similar backgrounds most of the time.


3. Which sub-style of Lolita did you start off in and why?
Sailor/Sweet lolita. I just have always kind of loved the way it looks, really, and it was the easiest for me to find items in that weren't terribly expensive, but were still cute.


4. Did your preferences in Lolita change and why?
A bit. I have a few more sweet pieces in my wardrobe than when I started [blouses and home-made skirts, mostly]. I'm also starting to want to explore gothic and punk lolita, simply because I think that they're probably more practical for me to wear more often. I love sailor and always will, but it's a bit more difficult to work into daily wear that isn't lolita than some of the other items I have, now.


5. A brief description of the things you enjoy the most about either the fashion itself, the lifestyle you live in it, or moments you cherish because of the fashion:
One of my favorite parts about lolita is getting to meet with other girls who share the interest in the fashion that I do. I've made one good friend that way with a local lolita and, after our first meeting, we discovered more and more things that we have in common in spite of a difference in age and background. It's gotten to the point where we'll just have lunch together if I happen to be in town, even if neither of us ends up dressing up for the occasion. Lolita brought us together, but we discovered other things that have made us friends. That's one of the great things about the fashion and the people in it. There's such a variety of clothes, and such a diverse range of people who follow it that there's something out there for everyone.


6. You views on the Lolita community and your experiences in it.
The lolita communities online are far more easily accessible than those in person. The friends I have, personal friends, who wear lolita all live a good distance away from me, so I rarely get to see them. I make day trips for visits, usually, to have lunch or just trot around town all dressed up. It's kind of rough doing that [I can't wait to get back to Houston to hang out with the larger group in that region], but I do still enjoy it quite a bit.

I'm hoping to host a larger meet-up at the end of this summer, though it's going to take a good deal of planning to execute it properly. I find that I rather enjoy meeting in small groups or one-on-one best, but am dying to try my hand at gathering a large number of lolitas together to meet and greet and possibly make new friends.

The online community is a bit easier to interact in than face-to-face, unfortunately. It's easy to meet other girls, chat about the fashion or other interests, and just in general get to know people. It's also pretty amazing being able to see other people's creativity as relating to art, sewing or other artistic endeavors. On top of all of that, I admit that I'm in a lot of wank communities online relating to lolita. I don't go around digging drama up or trying to start it, but part of the amusement of being in such a huge group are the flubs, bloopers, and occasional trolls that show up [especially on LiveJournal's communities, holycow].

Personally, one reason I find a lot of those groups [the drama comms or wankers] to be less of a "problem" or an "eyesore" as others do is that it's sort of a unifying force. A lot of times, the community subdivides into cliques and miniature groups, and this can obviously be problematic. When a troll shows up to harass EGL, though, all barriers drop and everyone comes together to chase them out or get a moderator on the case. Granted, some of the trolls stem from the drama comms or are genuinely negative, but most of the time people are willing to forget their differences against a common enemy. haha


7. A negative aspect you find about the fashion or the community involved in it:
The only negatives I can think of are some of the over-the-top dramas. Like I said, I'm in a lot of the communities that gossip about or discuss the wank and drama that explodes in online communities. I honestly learned more from having been posted on the old L_F community than I did just from being "gently guided" by other members on EGL or here, anyway. Sometimes, it goes too far, however. It can all be in good fun to watch people do something silly, or make a joke about people needing to research or lurk more on a forum, but when people get outright offensive, a line needs to be drawn. I also get a bit annoyed by people taking the drama into someone's personal space [personal journal, profile, etc.] without provocation or invitation, or repeatedly harass someone because of one mistake. No one should be having a laugh over someone's weight/ethnicity/teeth/etc. or attacking them outright away from the public view, whether they've done something horrible or not. The personal appearance attacks bother me even more if the victim in question hasn't done anything within the community that otherwise deserves censure [such as trolls picking on a member just because she's popular].


8. Any information, extra tidbits, or stories you would like to add that you feel is pertinent and should be in the paper.
Not really. A history or style guide for the uninitiated might be nice to include for background information, though, with photographs as examples.

1. Are you a Lifestyle Lolita or the Fashion type and what influenced you to choose that path?

I am a fashion lolita, manga, gothic and lolita bible inspired me to dress this way. At first i enjoyed drawing this style then it became a way to express myself in the real world, via-clothes.



2. What notable Lolita figure would you say influences you the most whether it be fashion, music, or literature wise and why?

Nana kitade's style inspired me, also Kaori yukis "godchild" inspired me to dress in and draw lolita.



3. Which sub-style of Lolita did you start off in and why?
Gothic , and punk lolita because i enjoy darker, morbid styles.

4. Did your preferences in Lolita change and why?
Not at all.

5. A brief description of the things you enjoy the most about either the fashion itself, the lifestyle you live in it, or moments you cherish because of the fashion

I enjoy looking like a doll and feeling morbidly cute.

6. You views on the Lolita community and your experiences in it.

It is a very unique community, and i really enjoy it.

7. A negative aspect you find about the fashion or the community involved in it .

I have not found a negitave aspect as of yet.
heart

1. Are you a Lifestyle Lolita or the Fashion type and what influenced you to choose that path?
I am a lifestyle Lolita. When I begun dressing Lolita, it was because I just loved that dresses... but after wearing it more and more, I learned to "live with beauty", "admire beauty". That's who I am now. I love beautiful clothes, I love beautiful things, I love flowers, I try to search beauty in every moment of my life.

2. What notable Lolita figure would you say influences you the most whether it be fashion, music, or literature wise and why?
Mmm... I listen to Malice Mizer, Kana and such, but I just like the music, I don't think they are my "Lolita Gods". What influences me at most are my Lolita ideals - the perfect beauty of your body and your soul.

3. Which sub-style of Lolita did you start off in and why?
I started with Gothic, Punk and Classic Lolita.

4. Did your preferences in Lolita change and why?
Yes. Nowdays I admire the Classic Lolita at most. Sometimes I put more Gothic L. into it, but more often it's something between Classic Lolita and Sweet Lolita - floral dresses with sweet colors... that's me <3 But I still wear other loli styles sometimes, too.

5. A brief description of the things you enjoy the most about either the fashion itself, the lifestyle you live in it, or moments you cherish because of the fashion
When I wear a beautiful dress, I can realize better every moment of my life, I can feel the beauty. I can enjoy myself at most when I go to some beautiful place...

6. You views on the Lolita community and your experiences in it.
I believe they are dreamy princesses deep inside. Just like me. But it saddens me that many of them say "it's just clothes". And that many of them care more about brand than about the lifestyle.

7. A negative aspect you find about the fashion or the community involved in it.
Addiction.

The Survey:
1. Are you a Lifestyle Lolita or the Fashion type and what influenced you to choose that path?

- Fashion Lolita. The whole lifestyle just wasn't for me at all. I'm still a boy at heart.

2. What notable Lolita figure would you say influences you the most whether it be fashion, music, or literature wise and why?

- Novala Takemoto. His actual take on lolita is amazing, though he has things I do not agree with personally at times, he is similiar to me, and we share the same ideals.

3. Which sub-style of Lolita did you start off in and why?

- Punk Lolita. Its still the same now. My style changes a lot, and punk it what it always comes back to.
4. Did your preferences in Lolita change and why?

- Yeah, I just think it depends on my mood.
5. A brief description of the things you enjoy the most about either the fashion itself, the lifestyle you live in it, or moments you cherish because of the fashion (I would love some nice stories that I could use as quotes in my paper)

- I love wearing it. I was the girl "dragged by my golden hair, and trapped in the rocky prison." before I had lolita.

6. You views on the Lolita community and your experiences in it.

- I've liked Lolita for awhile, but lately I've been more involved with it.

I've lost several friends. So while I was alone, I dressed lolita. I had no one to be with, no one to really impress. I had myself, my Lolita, my mind.

I had me. Lolita to me..is something of a security. People may think you weird for it, but I had lost almost everyone due to my decisions. I have learned from them. Lolita isn't just a fashion, they aren't just dresses with lace. You can have it when everything else is lost. Death, loss of friends..when you are alone. It helps me feel like the person I truly am.

A doll.


Lolita may not be for everyone, but for me its one of the only things I have.



7. A negative aspect you find about the fashion or the community involved in it (I want civil answers not incoherent flaming, doing so will have me delete your answer in order to avoid drama)

- Ota-rori girls, and then the elitists.

1. Are you a Lifestyle Lolita or the Fashion type and what influenced you to choose that path?
I think the lolita lifestyle is terribly cute, but I switch back and forth on whether or not I consider myself a lifestyle lolita. I just think it's the cutest thing, and I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to try to improve themselves. I don't think it's at all necessary to live the life to dress the
fashion though, of course.

2. What notable Lolita figure would you say influences you the most whether it be fashion, music, or literature wise and why?
I used to be a huge fan of Miss Nana Kitade, she's probably the reason for my love of punk lolita, and if it weren't for her I probably wouldn't be quite so into lolita as I am today.
I don't know if Miss Skye (princessportal.com) would count as a notable figure, but I think her website is adorable and a lot of her writings have influenced or inspired me in some way or another, even if I'm not so much of a fan of hers as I used to be.

3. Which sub-style of Lolita did you start off in and why?
My first few outfits were sweet lolita, because I simply like sweet lolita the most. I like cutesy things the best, and pink is my favorite color.

4. Did your preferences in Lolita change and why?
I came to like punk lolita a little more after a while, I'm not sure why. It was after I stopped being so much of a fan of Miss Nana, so I'm not sure.

5. A brief description of the things you enjoy the most about either the fashion itself, the lifestyle you live in it, or moments you cherish because of the fashion.
I enjoy the feeling it gives me. Lolita gave me lots of confidence and improved my self image very much, and every time I put on some of my lolita clothing I feel like a princess. I love the reactions I get where ever I go from the wonderful compliments to the funny attempts at insults and hilarious looks.

6. You views on the Lolita community and your experiences in it.
There are a lot of rude and spiteful girls in the lolita community... (I am not directing this at anyone in particular) but there are also many wonderful girls with great personalities and a great sense of humor. I love the lolita community overall.

7. A negative aspect you find about the fashion or the community involved in it.
The rude and spiteful girls mentioned above, and also that so many people misunderstand this beautiful fashion and accuse us of condoning ***** or being sluts or dressing is short skirts and tacky western-goth accessories and mistaking themselves for a lolita. It would be fine if these girls would all except constructive criticism but oftentimes they don't.

8. Any information, extra tidbits, or stories you would like to add that you feel is pertinent and should be in the paper.
I'm sure you'll do a lovely job, I can't really think of anything to add. (I'd love to see the paper when it's done!)