I find it amusing that this makes two LBC topics I'm blogging on in a row that are kind of weird to talk about as a massive introvert. However, the introvert perspective is totally valid, so here I go!
Events are a *big thing* in this subculture, from local meets to brand events to full weekend affairs. It's undeniable that events have always been here, and probably always will be. Case in point - even this year, events are persisting in digital formats. If they weren't important to lolitas as a whole on a fundamental level this wouldn't be happening.
I have to say, even though I'm not a huge event goer myself, I do know that if our subculture didn't have events, it would be much poorer for it. If the clothing itself is the keystone of the fashion, events make up nearly the entire rest of the archway, or whatever keystones are used for. In the West, there isn't a place like Harajuku that can form a community organically around the fashion - we've had to do it ourselves.
Of course, this does mean that events are perhaps too emphasised, especially for introverts like me. Lately I've been feeling like a bad lolita since 2020 is going to end with me attending zero meet ups. But of course that isn't bad at all! Yet it's still a pervasive thought that I'm not doing lolita "right".
So the downside of events being so integral to this subculture, at least in the West, is that there is an emphasis on events to the point that not engaging in events, due to preference or circumstance, comes across as a bit unusual. Though I do have to admit that it's possibly just my anxiety talking - my brain often tells me that everyone's judging me!
On the other hand, especially in the current age of social media, events are being supplemented by online engagement. Naturally this isn't necessary at all - the only thing you need to be a lolita is wearing the fashion! - but lolita in complete isolation is an idea that doesn't quite feel right to me.
So overall in my view the effect of events on the lolita community is a positive one - it gives us a way to come together and enjoy the fashion with other people. But with a rise in things like YouTube and the resurgence of blogs there are other ways to engage with the community, and to my mind that's only a good thing.
There's definitely an element to events that makes people at least doubt themselves, if not straight up feel inadequate, if they don't attend. Even though no-one would call anyone less of a lolita for choosing not to attend events (because that's not the case), I think we ourselves put that pressure on because that's the popular image of lolitas that we see online. Or after hearing about the events, we feel like we miss out on something good, even when our reason tells us that the reasons why we didn't attend were valid (ranging from practical like money to personal like social anxiety). I've had a glimpse of that with not attending any of those online con-style events that the US lolitas were streaming - I know that I didn't have the energy to actually participate/dress up and joining in my onesie is no different to me binge watching YouTube videos in my onesie, so I felt no incentive, but still, hearing about it afterwards made me feel like I missed out on something that everyone else seemingly enjoyed. Even though in reality I only personally knew maybe two people tops who took part. Whilst lolita events are great (when they can go ahead) in providing something more for the community to enjoy, I'm glad that from your own perspective you got to touch on the less positive aspect of that. Lonelitas and introverts who don't engage actively in wider spaces like Rufflechat are still valid, but for obvious reasons people choosing to opt out of certain lolita activities skews what kind of image is projected elsewhere, so all that newcomers see is tea parties, meetups, events and online presence, and they don't get much of a chance to *see* that it's ok to not engage with those at all if that's how you prefer to enjoy lolita fashion yourself.
ReplyDeleteYou put it well - events can trigger big FOMO and that's never good. Haha yeah, I'm always gonna be here, repping the antisocial side of lolita!
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