So it's the first day of classes...

... Okay, so I personally have been back to school for about a week. This post was supposed to come much earlier, but already I have a TON of reading to do on top of work as a TA. There's a lot more to do than I expected! But that's not what this post is about...

I like wearing lolita at least once within the first week of school. I know some people say to work up to it, and that would probably be a better option for someone in high school, but for college, I like to wear it at some point within the first week. On the first day of classes, if the weather permits. Which it might not. But if it's raining, nobody is going to be looking cute... or at the very least they'll have the "well I was cute until I forgot my umbrella" look. And not looking as cute as you could is a lot better than getting a print that bleeds wet because the wind changed. (In Galveston we get heavy wind and rain a lot... the rain blows sideways. It's not fun. I have one of those bubble umbrellas because the wind kept turning all my other ones inside out.) Also, for goodness sake double check that your rain boots don't have cracks in them before you wear cute socks with them. But that's another post entirely.

I think wearing lolita on the first day of classes gives people a heads up about what to expect. Whether you're a lifestyler, or only wear it occasionally, if your classmates and professors, not to mention others around campus, are going to be seeing you in it at all, then the first day is going to make it as least awkward as possible. Yes, you will get some stares, and maybe some harsh looks, but you'll also get a lot of compliments. You can also force people to give you space on the first day... it's a little hard to invade someone's space if that someone is wearing a petticoat. Consider wearing three if the person next to you is particularly unsavory. And as we all know, once you do something at least a few times, it becomes a habit, so if your poof is big enough, then Creeper McGee shouldn't be anywhere near you even on your non-lolita days. Use your poof wisely and intimidate people into leaving you alone (I'm kidding... mostly. Negate this with a friendly smile and taking out your headphones to invite conversation.)

Also, wearing lolita while you're figuring out your schedule and what the rooms are like is a big help for knowing when it's most feasible to wear it in the future. PLEASE DON'T WEAR LOLITA TO YOUR CHEMISTRY LAB. Do you want to spill anything in that lab on your Baby jsk? No. Definitely not. Do you have your geology lab and have to immediately after run to your biology lecture in an auditorium? Probably not a good idea to wear lolita on those days, unless you like sitting in the front. If you think that you could get away with wearing lolita to a lab, like a lab for an archaeology class or something similar, then check with the professor first. (Unless it's a Ship Building Tools class, don't wear it to those.) Or, if they have a semi-detailed schedule on their syllabus, check that. Auditorium seating would probably be okay for lolita (I've done it many times) but I'd recommend sitting in the front or on the sides, where you don't have to slide along a row of seats and knock everyone's materials off the tiny little mini-desks. If the school loves you and you have classes in normal classrooms with desks or long tables, then you should be just fine.

I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again. If you're shy, or don't have thick skin, headphones are always a good option. Just put your headphones in, hit play, and head to class. You definitely won't hear if anyone makes a nasty comment, and you'll be focused enough that you probably won't notice stares either. Plus, if you're listening to music you like, then you'll look more cheerful. I've found that cheer and poof deflect nasty stares pretty well. Your professors probably won't say anything, unless it's a compliment. They're adults, after all. And as for students? If you do happen to overhear something, staring directly at the person is at the very least going to startle them, and will usually embarrass them into silence. If they don't stop, then just remember that the bigger you are, the more intimidating you are, so if you feel safe enough (so, if you're in a classroom with other people) walking up to them and standing super close to them so you look very tall, and asking if they have a problem, should get them to leave you alone. That can be VERY hard to do if you're shy, but remember to look angry, and all you have to do is speak one sentence clearly. I haven't had to do this, though, so I can't say for sure. Just remember, if you ever feel unsafe, talk with your campus' police, or your community/residential leader/assistant if your problem is in the dorms.

52 Week: THE END

Have I mentioned that I'm bad at challenges? I'm bad at challenges. This is exactly why I've never done Nano (well, this and the fact that I'm always ridiculously busy during the month of November.)

Parasols: Vital or frivolous? (Week 46)

Once again I'm going to skip along the top of the fence and say: it depends on the lolita. It depends on if they're a lifestyler or not, what kind of climate they live in, where they typically wear lolita, etc. If you're a lifestyler, I'm going to assume that a parasol is relatively vital, since no matter the weather you're going to be in lolita layers and shade of any kind can be the difference between heatstroke and safety. If you're not... eh, it kinda depends on what your "too hot for lolita" cutoff is, or where you typically wear it. Even if you live in warmer climates, if you're only wearing it to indoor meetups and so the most sun you'll be getting is on the walk from the car/bus/train station to the building... eh, I think you could forgo it. But if you're the type to do outdoor festivals and such, I think it would be a wise purchase.

My favorite Lolita print (Week 49)

This should come as a surprise to absolutely no one:

Delft Lotta!

How Lolita has changed me (Week 52)

Honestly? I don't think it has. I'm still me, I'm still a practical person. I still don't like spending large amounts of money on singular items. Yes, there are hobbies that I've picked up since I've started wearing lolita, like baking, that fit the cliche, but I would have started doing those hobbies anyway, it's not like I picked up baking/cake decorating because of it. Yes my style outside of lolita has become more feminine, but I like feminine things anyway, and I've been trying to help my wardrobe recover from my pseudo-emo high school days for years, while simultaneously getting annoyed with wearing pants.

I think that's the mark of a healthy relationship with any hobby or interest: one's ability to keep it from consuming their life. I'm not saying anything about lifestylers, I think that a lot of lifestylers liked those sorts of things in the first place, and found an aesthetic that they liked in lolita. But that's the thing, if you like something, you don't let it consume your life and change you into someone your past self wouldn't recognize. So yes, I have changed since I've started wearing lolita, but I don't think those changes are because of lolita. So I don't think that lolita has changed me. Helped me? Yes. But not changed me.

52 Week: Weeks 42-45

Okay, so I was intending to finish the 52 week challenge before the end of the year. Obviously that didn't happen... so I'm going to do the same thing that I did with the 30 Day challenge and do several of these things in one post.

The ways in which I fit the cliche (Week 42)

I think, just to look at me, look at my bedroom, or look at how I dress when I'm -not- in lolita, there are many, many, ways in which I fit the cliche. I like more traditionally "feminine" things: i.e. collecting cute things (Pokemon is my main collection but cute plush/things in general) I knit, I sew, and I bake. My room, while not a "lolita" room, is probably pretty close to a mix of classic and sweet, based on my furniture and the things I have displayed. My fashion style, outside of lolita, is still very feminine and I prefer to wear light colors, and I wear skirts more often than pants. My personality is generally described as cute, and I know I'm pretty timid, which I think is part of the cliche.

The ways in which I do not fit the cliche (Week 43)

I'm pretty practical in a lot of aspects of my life. I like keeping my fashion fairly low-key (well, as low-key as lolita can be) and I have a hard time spending a lot of money on single items. I also work around horses on occasions (I go see my horse a lot but it depends on what time I go see him if I'm really -working- or not) and so also wear clothes that I don't mind getting dirty. I also drive a 22 year old truck ^_^;

How strangers react to my clothes, and how I react to their reactions (Week 44)

When I'm walking around campus, I usually have headphones in, so I don't often hear things that people have to say, but I've seen the "what the..." looks from people. With that sort of thing I just keep walking. To my face people are usually kind, although of course I've gotten the "where's your sheep" and I usually just blow that off too. During the 12 Days of Christmas meetup we were asked if we were there to sing, and we just politely told people no.

Something that was a gift (Week 45)

I've gotten a lot of accessories as gifts, but as far as big pieces:

Bodyline's L411. My mom got it for me for Christmas a few years ago!

52 Week: Fondest Meetup Memory

This summer I went to a meetup at the Dallas Museum of Art. They were having a "murder mystery" event, a free event, and so of course that's perfect for a meet. We met at a restaurant with intentions of carpooling to the museum... and there were too many people and not enough cars. So three of my friends and I decided that riding the intercity train was just fine. I just remember it was a little scary, but very fun, riding the train kind of late and walking around downtown from the station to the museum. The meet itself was wonderful as well, I think it's my favorite to date!

12 Days of Christmas Meetup

I got to go to a meetup on Saturday! I don't get to go to a lot of meetups since I'm in Galveston for most of the year, so whenever I'm home I really like to go whenever I can. It was an outdoor meetup, and even though it was really cold I had a good time, but an actual lolita coat just jumped up on my priority list!

We all had a lot of fun, and I think everyone who took pictures got really cute ones! It was at the local botanical gardens, and I wasn't expecting it to be so pretty in winter! I'd been there once before, when the gardens had an "Alice in Wonderland" themed exhibit, but we didn't actually explore all that much then, because it was hot.

52 Week: Most versatile Lolita item I own

Oh it would definitely have to be Bodyline's L411!

I have used this dress for literally everything. Sweet coords, classic coords, country coords... and it works in the summer, winter... whichever season! It's also the one I wear a lot when I'm just not feeling like putting on a full coord, and so am going for more "lolita inspired" than actual lolita (I wear it a lot with a hairbow and white flats.)

My favorite thing about it is that the shirring is so stretchy, so even though it's an OP, there's still plenty of room for me to fit a blouse underneath for a winter coord.

The only downside to it is that it doesn't fit me as well as my other dresses, since all my others have been either custom made, or made by a Western indie brand. I have what I think is called a "ballet neckline" where I'm a bit longer from my shoulders to my bust than the body type that the dress is made for... so the shirring hits me a bit too high. But I have gotten a lot of compliments on this dress, and "THAT'S Bodyline?? Dang!" a few times!

52 Week: Favorite hair style

My favorite hairstyle on me... well, I don't have a good picture. It's kind of a half ponytail, where I pull back my hair in the front (I always do it gently, so that my part is still there) and leave the hair down the back so that there's a ponytail, but also some hair down as well. You can kind of see it in this, which is a cropped section of another picture.

My favorite hairstyle in general, though, is curls! Ringlets especially, but any kind of curls, really. They're just so dainty and pretty! My hair is finally growing out a bit, so I'm excited to play with my curling iron this Christmas, and maybe I can get to where I can make curls look decent on my own for when I go back to school and am on my own. I'm including two Gothic Lolita Wigs pictures, but you get the idea. ^_^