Disney Heroines and Female Ideals

Recently, the new Disney movie "Frozen" was released in cinemas, and this movie has raised voices all over the world! The complaints mainly revolve around the amount of female characters and their portrayal, from what I've heard. 

The argument about the portrayal of women in the media in general is interesting, but in this post I'm gonna talk about Disney in particular, and the ideals that they set for girls and women. I feel that the portrayal of women in Disney movies and TV-series is to some extent misunderstood, but then again, the critics are right on some points as well. 

One must remember, that many of the Disney princesses were written many decades ago. The expectations that people had for a woman was different back then. There was a time where it was expected of a woman to be quiet, delicate and the wife of a husband/breadwinner. 

So is it healthy, pulling those roles out of the dusty old closet and pushing them onto girls today? Are Disney princesses bad rolemodels, just because they're not all "feisty" ?

I don't think so, at all. 

Many people seem to worry that Disney will make girls fall victim to the idea that you have to find a guy to marry, to be "right". What I think some of these people forget, is to reflect upon their own childhood and the worries and goals they had back then.

Growing up, did Disney make you frantic to go out and get married? Was the most important thing in your life finding a Prince Charming, or has it been since?
Maybe it's just me, but I watched every single Disney movie, I had the Disney-Barbie dolls. I still wanted to become a hero I wanted to travel the world and become a Pokemon Master, I wanted to become a secret Spy. The last one was a result of Disney's "Kim Possible", actually. See, that's a great story with a kick-ass female lead!

Disney Princesses were some of my greatest idols, though! I was a huge fan of Pocahontas, especially. 

I loved her affinity with nature, her strength, her willingness to stand up to her parents and to traditions to do the right thing. The John Smith-thing was just a side-plot to me. 

The great story with a strong female lead was in the center.

I found Belle in Beauty and the Beast to be very inspirational as well. She was clever, openminded, independent, and her close relationship to her dad is for some reason some of what I remember the clearest. Many people worry that her falling in love with the one that keeps her prisoner will have a bad influence on how girls view relationships. I never even thought of that when I watched the movie! The only thing I cared about was how she was able to see past his beastly looks! To me, "Beauty and the Beast" is about not judging a book by it's cover, and second chances. And Belle is not all beauty. She's brains as well!

Even the women in the older Disney movies have great traits that young girls will undoubtly learn from. The three fairies in Sleeping Beauty are fun and quirky characters. They're creative, they're motherly and they raised her all on their own with no man involved. I'm not gonna talk about miss. Beauty. She doesn't have much of a personality of her own, in my opinion. I'll give the critics that.

The first Disney princess, Snow White, is innocent but not just that. She has a sense of curiosity that makes her go her own way, and a basic trust in humanity. She moves in with a bunch of nice, little strangers that would probably have been looked down upon and shunned back in the middle ages or whenever this story takes place. She keeps that trust, despite having just been betrayed by a person that she trusted, and having been mistreated her whole life. She turns that into something good. She helps the dwarves and becomes a motherly figure to them, and they give her a place to stay and protects her. Even if she is naive, I think the basic message that little girls get out of the movie is a good one.
It didn't make me trust strangers blindly, but it's central message about friendship went right in there.

I could go on and on, and talk about Jasmin's independence, Mulan's sense of justice and Tiana's hardworking personality and goals, but they speak for themselves.
What I'm trying to say is, that Disney is not all about finding and marrying Prince Charming. That's not what little girls get out of watching these movies. What little girls see, are women that can hold their own in a world dominated by men.
They see that by following your sense of justice, being independent, being something besides "just" beautiful, and doing good in the face of adversity, you become a great and admirable woman!
Those are the traits that make up a princess and/or a heroine!
People claim that Disney has started to make female characters that look the same, but I disagree. Merida doesn't look anything like the Frozen girls, for instance.

Disney have their flaws, but I think their ability to make a wide range of different, but equally rolemodel-worthy heroines deserves applause.

I have yet to watch the movie "Frozen", but I know I will, despite the lack of female characters in the movie. From what I've seen, the Queen looks pretty badass.

LBC: What are You Thankful For in Lolita Fashion?

The logo of the community in which I discovered Lolita.

This week’s Lolita Blog Carnival topic is one that comes straight from the heart- What am I thankful for in Lolita fashion?

Lolita might just be clothes, but they are clothes that awaken strong emotions in most of its wearers. Also, I would argue that Lolita is a subculture, in the same way that Goth is a subculture. That discussion is not one I’m gonna take up now, though.

First of all, I guess like most of the participants in this weeks topic, I’m thankful for my community. My community is a closeknit one. We’re a big circle of friends, that invite each other to parties outside of Lolita as well, and I enjoy every moment I spend with them. I don’t get to see them nearly enough, now that I’ve moved!

Even if I’ve moved to another part of the country, because of Lolita, I’ve quickly gotten into a new circle of people that I can’t wait to get to know better. Almost no matter where you live, Lolita is a fast-track to making new friends in your new city, and the many online communities makes it even easier to sniff out the local Lolitas!

I’m not just thankful for the social aspect of Lolita. I’m thankful for the fashion in itself, as well. I’m thankful for the frills that make me feel gorgeous whenever I put them on. I’m thankful for the whimsy that can make even a grey and ordinary day feel magical. Lolita makes me open my eyes to the beauty of the world around me. I pay attention to the little things a lot more, when I dress up, and it feels like I become a part of that beauty.

I’m thankful for the things that Lolita has introduced me to. New interests, movies, music. All the fun info that I stumbled upon while researching the fashion!

Last but not least, I’m also thankful for the understanding Lolita has helped me obtain, of other subcultures. Lolita made me more curious when it comes to other groups of alternatively dressed individuals, from ordinary Punk, to Mori-Girl, to Steampunk. It has made me question stereotypes a lot more, and less prone to making assumptions about people based on the way they dress.

That goes for how I view ordinary people too. Truthfully, I don’t even really frown when I see an old woman in a fur coat anymore. Who knows how she got it in the first place or why she’s wearing it?

In general, I’m thankful for who Lolita has helped me become, and how Lolita has enriched my life.

I don’t know who I would’ve been without it, and I wouldn’t care to find out, even if I got the shot.

Lolita Glamour
Wild Jackalopes
Wearable Magic

What's the Appropriate Lolita Age?

Time and time again, a question pops up on EGL and "Lolita Fashion Mentoring" on Facebook. Usually it's "Am I too young for Lolita?" but sometimes, we even get questions about if a person can be too old! 

The first is a lot less surprising than the last, but then again, of course anybody can be insecure, and Lolita is a big leap for many people! No matter how old you are, standing out will probably be intimidating to most people, and if you stand out amongst your new "clique" as well, you might end up feeling all alone in the world, with no hope of support from anyone.

Of course, it is obvious that anyone can wear Lolita fashion. Lolita is about the clothes, not the person wearing them, so as long as you fit into the clothes (,which you always can, It just takes different measures if you do not fit into brand,) you can be Lolita.

But is there anything you have to be aware of, if you are younger or older than most people wearing the fashion? Well, not really! I'd say that the reactions you'll face will be pretty much the same. Even if an older person wearing the fashion will turn more heads in the streets that a teenager, since teenagers wearing alternative fashions is more common, teenagers can be a lot more, and will more often be, vicious to each other than adults, from my experience. The adult has the advantage of being able to purchase the clothes without needing the acceptance of parents, but an adult has the added challenge of having to balance their Lolita purchases with paying bills and other important necessities. 

Apart from the above, Lolita is, as I've stated in other posts, a diverse bunch of people. There are very young and very old wearers of the fashion. Some Lolitas I've seen has been as young as about 2-3 years old! (I'm thinking of beautiful Lolita mothers who dress up their children in tiny Lolita dresses. Like the pair in this video!!)

An inspirational Lolita that is a bit older than most other Lolitas I've had the pleasure of meeting, is Arsenic and Old Lace on Livejournal. She's been a great inspiration to me when I started out in Lolita, as she is a clear example of how amazing Lolita can look on anyone above the age of 22. She really knows how to dress to the nines!

In my opinion, you can be a great Lolita, no matter what age you are!
Lolita is a skill to perfect.
It's not about what age you are, or even your personality.

You can wear it for as long as you like, as long as you feel comfortable.

52 Weeks: My Favorite Lolita Print

This week's topic in my battle with the "52 Weeks Blogging Challenge" is number 49, my favorite Lolita print! I didn't even have to think about my answer for this one. I think most Lolitas have a dream print, a print or a dress that has a special place in their heart for some reason or another. 

For me, that print is Alice and the Pirate's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Specifically, in the navy colorway. Even more specifically, JSK II. It is not without reason that this JSK, in this colorway, usually go for a couple hundred dollars on the secondhand market. This dress is a dream, and the first dress that I fell head over heels in love with when I first got into Lolita.

It's like the dress is almost glowing. The pale pink of the ribbon compliments the dark, elegant midnight blue, with just the right touch of purple. The color of the dress itself is like a summer night sky, and the damask pattern in the background adds a depth to it, that to me makes it seem almost other-worldly.

The print itself is beautifully detailed. The grey shadowing on the swirly windows is beautifully done, the roses climbing in the windows. Their pink color matches the pink butterflies, whose shiny wings stand out so lifelike against the background and are spaced out just the right amount. 

The ribbon brings out the highlights on their wings too!

I know I sound like a crazy-in-love tween schoolgirl..
But this dress has everything that I need in a garment! This style is the one that I have been falling for over and over again since, and this particular dress was part of what pulled me over the threshold and into Lolita-dom, along with the people who was, and still are, my greatest inspirations.

I love a print that tells a story, has beautiful artwork, and is in bright and romantic, but mature colors. I love the combination of pale and somber colors.

What is your favorite print, and how has it affected your overall Lolita style?

LBC: Who Inspires You in Lolita Fashion?

This week's topic in the wonderful world of the Lolita Blog Carnival is "Who Inspires You in Lolita Fashion?"

I've got a couple of people I'd like to list, for various reasons. Few of these inspire my style as such, but they inspire me in a couple other ways that I feel are linked to my participation in this fashion.

Jillian Venters aka. The Lady of the Manners

When I first started out in Lolita fashion, I stumbled upon Jillian Venter's online guide "Gothic Charm School", and decided to give it a read. Before I knew of it, I had fallen into the book completely and there was no getting out. I read post after post, and before I knew of it, I had read everything she had written about what it's like to be different, how to deal with disapproving parents, how to deal with school as an excentrically dressed teen etc. I even bought her book and I must've read it 8 times! 

Truth be told, Jillian Venters was my handbook, instead of the traditional "Lolita Handbook" on livejournal. 

She didn't teach me how to dress, but she did teach me how to "deal with it". 

She was a major influence on my Lolita life!

Victoria Suzanne

I'm pretty sure that no matter who in the Lolita community you ask, everybody knows who Victoria Suzanne is, even if only by her blog name, Parfaitdoll (or back in the good ol' days, Lolita-Charm).

Even if she hasn't been a style-influence to me, she did talk me into trying out Lolita for myself. Her inspirational posts grabbed me by the heart and pulled me straight into a pile of frills. It was her posts on being true to yourself, loving yourself and that anybody can be a princess, that convinced me that Lolita could be for me, and in general was part of what shaped my mind-set when it comes to how I perceive Lolita. 

Even if I do not agree with her on everything, the lessons I learned from her still stands: 

Anybody can be Lolita, anybody can be a princess, and we have the right to decide for ourselves!

Walt Disney
Walt Disney obviously did not dress in Lolita, but he has been a great influence on me, indirectly, I guess you could say. His imagination and obvious love for good stories are the reasons we have been able to enjoy stunning movies and charming characters, like Cinderella and our beloved Alice in Wonderland! The worlds he has created has been a great influence on me, both style-wise but also in the way I see Lolita. When I dress up in Lolita, I feel like I become the heroine of a Walt Disney movie.
I have a feeling this is also the reason brands like Baby the Stars Shine Bright and Angelic Pretty has done so many collaborations with Disney!

The above are just 3 of the most important influences on my Lolita life! 
Of course I also have a soft spot for Momoko from Kamikaze Girls, Misako Aoki's fashion sense etc., but they haven't influenced me in the same major way.

Wanna get to know some more inspirational personalities?
Check out some of the links below!

Elegant Poupée
The Cute Lifestyle
Breidholt
Buttcape
Sweet Indeed
New Vogue Children
Dreaming About the Frills
F Yeah Lolita
A Little Bit of This... A Little Bit of That
Oh Velveteena

Your First Meet-Up: Joining the Mad Tea Party

With International Lolita Day coming up this saturday, I thought it would be appropriate to write a post on the topic of the Lolita's very first meet-up. After all, this is the perfect time to go to a meet-up for the first time! There are meet-ups happening all around the world on the same date, and even if there isn't one near you, it's the perfect occasion for you to arrange one! (As if we need an occasion other than just being fabulous people..)

The first Meet-up seems to be the dreaded big test for New Lolitas. It is an event of excitement, but also of great nervousness: Will they like me? Will they all laugh at me and whisper about me behind my back? Will they be embarassed to be seen with me if I happen to be "ita"?It is sad that something that should be looked forward to as something exciting and a chance to meet-up with new people with whom we share a huge interest has turned into an event of insecurity, and this insecurity seems to spread like wildfire through the new members of our community! I don't know from where the rumors of horribly elitist and exclusive meet-ups come from (the fairytale-like land of the "Elitist Lolita", mayhaps?), but I am sure meet-ups in most communities will be a pleasant experience if you just keep the following in mind:

Take Initiative

Even though I do believe that it would be appropriate for the other girls to do their best to engage new members of the community in conversation and make them feel like a part of the group, it won't encourage them to do so if you don't seem interested! Introduce yourself, strike up conversations with as many other people as you can, and don't get intimidated. None of the other participants, even the most fabulously dressed ones, are anything more than ordinary people with at least one interest in common with you, which means that you have plenty of things to talk about, and there's no need to feel like you're "not worthy". 
Ask questions! Where did she get her shoes? How long has he been into the fashion?
Taking initiative is actually a good idea on multiple levels. You can also take initiative before the meet-up! Ask if you should bring something, if there is anything you can help the host/hostess with, if you should plan a game, bring cookies or anything else. Being ressourceful like this is usually a source of admiration and will get you on the community's good side instantly. Also, by planning a game or something like that, you're making sure that you're gonna do something that makes it easier for you to bond with the other girls, if you're no good at the "talking to new people" thing. It's an ice-breaker! 
I recommend charades. It keeps being popular in my own community- It's especially fun if you make the main topic "Print Names" or something else that's Lolita-themed.

At the beginning of this post I made a quick note that if there are no meet-ups going on at ILD in your area, 
You could plan one
 Even if it's gonna be your first meet-up, I recommend it if you think you can handle it! Planning a meet-up is really not that difficult. You'll be responsible, yes, but it's not like you're planning a wedding here. You just have to maintain control over the basic stuff. That means keeping the community updated with the meeting time and place, where you'll be going, writing down who'll be attending to make sure you don't forget anyone at the meeting spot, making sure there's room for you at the café/restaurant/wherever (calling the place in advance or making a reservation), and knowing how to get there. 
That's pretty much it, and I'm sure the community will appreciate it. 
You can never have too many meet-ups!

So, what are you waiting for? Dress up and get out there!
Happy International Lolita Day!
(I'm going to a meet-up on saturday too, so keep an eye out for a post with plenty of pictures!)

52 Weeks: 5 Movies for Lolitas

This week's 52 Week's Blogging Challenge is gonna be number 2, "5 Movies for Lolitas"!

To spice things up a little bit, I'm not gonna mention "Kamikaze Girls" more than this one time. That would be too easy. Instead, I'm gonna focus on 5 movies that put myself in the mood to dress up and twirl around in my frills. 

1. "Interview with the Vampire"

This one pretty much wrote itself. It was the first movie that came to my mind. Lestat's wicked charm, Louis' moody elegance and Claudia's adorable but depressing crazy makes for a great story that any Gothic Lolita or Classic Lolita with a flair for the darkly elegant should give a shot. Sit down with a cup of tea a cold winter evening and let yourself overflow with emotion!
( Mind you, the book is even better!)

2. "Marie Antoinette" by Sofia Coppola

Even if my history teacher had to curl his toes in horror at this film, I found it quite charming. It might not be entirely historically accurate ( I found that it was pretty d*mn close, though!) and puts too much emphasis on decadence, but it's a great story none the less that depicts the "Ultimate Lolita Lifestyle™". I recommend arranging a movie night with your Lolita friends. Make a bunch of tea and macaroons, lounge about in your frilliest pyjamas together and pop in this movie!

3. "Pride and Prejudice"

This list would be incomplete without Pride and Prejudice on the list. Keira Knightley seems to be the female lead in most historical movies about strong and independent women, but that might just be because she does a fantastic job! Elizabeth Bennett is a role model for any aspiring Lolita when it comes to independence and confidence, though she is not without her flaws. She is a very well-written character, and this story just keeps being charming and relevant throughout the ages. There is a reason Jane Austen's works are immortal!
I also recommend reading the book. Jane Austen's sass is still spot on even after 200 years.

4. "Legally Blonde"

This movie is perfect for Lolitas, even if it is not as frilly as the movies above. It has twice the amount of pink to make up for it, though! This movie is all about how you can be feminine, clever and succesful at the same time, and how you can achieve the most if you strive to be your own person and do things your own way.

5.  "Jane Eyre"

Gloomy and romantic are two of the words I'd use to describe this story. It's a very moving story, and shows how a girl can be strong, insist on being herself and overcome a difficult life. That, and it's got an element of mystery that keeps you on your toes through the entire film! I strongly recommend it to anybody that likes darker historical films.

These are a couple of the films I love that I find to be the most "Lolita". 
Do you have any movies that you'd like to recommend? Let me know in the comments!

Oh, and check out the list of the 52 Topics that I have to get through to find out which I've already done!