Youtube: A Letter from the Northern Star

Just checking in with you guys real quick to let you know that now the "Nortern Star" has a youtube channel, thanks to the inspiration of a friend of mine!

The first video is up already, and I'm pretty excited that it turned out alright, even if my preferred editing program decided to die on me.

Check it out, and please leave a comment to let me know what you think, and what you'd like to see!
As of right now, the channel is just victim to my own wacky thoughts and ideas.

Until next time, folks!

I'm Participating in the Fan+Friend Design Contest!

Picture borrowed from FanplusFriend's Homepage

Hello, girls and guys!
Today I've got a very exciting announcement to make!

As some of you guys might know, Fan+Friend has kicked open the door to their Classic Lolita Design Contest! 

It's no news to anyone that Bodyline hosts contests like these from time to time, but it's the first time I've heard of Fan+Friend doing one.

Personally, I see Fan+Friend as the "Metamorphose Temps de Fille" of the offbrand world. They're well-known for doing riskier designs, taking chances and daring to be different. This means that Fan+Friend is a bit of a niche "brand". You either love what they do, or it's not your cup'a tea. Personally, I'm very excited, because it means that we, as participants in the design contest, have more free reins to take chances and do something unique! 

If you've got a design you've been dying to see realized, by all means, go ahead and enter! Be a trendsetter!

I took advantage of my job at the local history museum the other day, flipped through a couple of books on daily life in the renaissance, and entered a "Tudor" inspired design the other day in the "B" series, so keep an eye out for that! 

And let me know if you enter!

Why "Beauty at Any Size" Doesn't Work

Warning! 

(This post might be triggering to some, though I'm writing it with the best, most body positive intentions. I also want to underline, that what I'm writing is not directed at people with any eating disorder or similar issues.)

A couple of days ago, I had a very special moment on Tumblr. Many people who have a Tumblr account know, that it is home to both real and misunderstood feminism, body positivity and young people with bad selfconfidence who hate themselves. It can be both very serious, and a place to waste a serious amount of time when you just want to turn off your brain completely.

Usually, I just use it for the last point, hitting reblog on autopilot. 

I happen to, of course, be following a couple of friends on there, and a couple of days ago, one of them reblogged a post that made me stop. It broke my autopilot.

It was this animation with a bunch of skinny bodies. Thigh gaps and flat tummies and everything, flickering past one by one, and then the text "I need to be like these girls". The post still only had  about 25 notes, but knowing the self confidence issues of Tumblr, this was sure to blow up sooner or later. I'd seen plenty of posts kind of like that, but something about this specific post just seemed a lot more "In your face!" than any of the other ones.
So what do you do? I was a little torn. 

Part of my mind was hindered by what the danish calls the "Jantelov" 
(my dictionary translates it to "The Jante Law", but I'm not sure how well know it is outside of Denmark and Scandinavia)
It's like a mindset- Part of it is "don't think you're capable of making a difference!" and since I grew up with that, my head told me that it would be obnoxious of me to try and make a difference. It would be obnoxious of me to make a lengthy note with my opinion written beneath somebody else's post, telling them why I think it was wrong. Even if I found the post to be harmful, and I knew that post would cause nothing but pain to a lot of people. But why should anybody care what I think? This is none of my business!
Long story short, I jumped at it, and I wrote a lengthy note beneath the post, expressing my opinion.
To my surprise, I had received a message the next morning. Surprising, since I'm not the kind of Tumblr person who gets a lot of messages or replies to my posts.

It turns out the message was from the girl who had made the post in the first place. She told me that my comment on her post had changed her mind. It had inspired her to join a Fitness center, throw out the fastfood and she had bought a new pair of shorts (in a healthy size!) for summer, to motivate herself.This moved me so, so much.
I had managed to make a difference, in a much bigger way than I had hoped for. But I see a lot of "body acceptance" on the internet. 
I see plenty of "curvy girls are beautiful girls" and "beauty at any size" and so on. How did a simple post I made on Tumblr, manage to make a girl who had obviously been powerfully envious at "skinny girls" strive towards becoming not skinny, but healthy?

I've been considering my stance on this issue for a long time, and here's what I think. 
This was also the views that I expressed in that post I wrote.
Let me share the post, for starters. I excuse the swearing.

"No. You need to be like YOU, and to be happy! Not everyone has the physique to look like the women in the pictures, and not everybody should. 

It took me a long time to learn to understand that. Everybody’s “happy and healthy” is different. Yours is sexy, too! If you’re not happy with yourself the way you are, if you want to lose weight, do it! Go for a run if you can, or find some other way to be active, eat healthy, and watch how treating your body right benefits your gorgeous body.

But please promise me that you won’t eat less or hurt yourself. A body in motion needs nutrition to survive. It just needs the right stuff. The good stuff, like lean proteins and salads.

Please, promise me that you’re gonna be good to yourself. If I could’ve told myself the things I’m telling you know, I would’ve spared myself months of hell. Today I’m healthy and happy. I look nothing like the girls in the picture. I’m a little wider, because that’s my bonestructure, but I look fucking gorgeous because I work out. I bike. I do crunches and I eat right. 

Be healthy and happy! The two ingredients to being beautiful!"

I might have been a little emotional when I wrote that, but my points remain.
It's OK to not be satisfied with the way you look. If you're overweight, if you're too thin, it's totally OK to want to change.
The "beauty at any size" phenomenon that is going on right now, is not gonna change how you feel. Not being satisfied with your looks is a matter of being happy with what you see when you look in the mirror, and being told time and time again that what you're feeling when looking at yourself is wrong, is not gonna change that discomfort. That's why it hasn't really had any effect- the people who suffer from dissatisfaction with themselves, do not agree.

What I think is able to erase the pain, though, is being good to yourself. 
What will make you feel better, is the understanding that everybody's body is different, but has the ability to look beautiful, when you've done all that you can to shape it up and polish it!
As an extra treat, the beauty that your body carries will be unique, because no two bodies look the same. You might find that you have beautiful legs, a nice waist or gorgeous curves!

It will be a magical experience, figuring out what brings out the best in you, when what you've got to work with, is in perfect shape, just like it was meant to be!

(I want to point out, as a footnote, that if you're overweight or thin and happy, it's none of my business. Rock it and live your life to the fullest!)

What to keep in mind when joining a Lolita community

Spring and summer is upon us, and as usual, this is the season where online Lolita communities are seeing a huge influx of new Lolitas who want to join in on the fun. Many new Lolitas use these communities to seek assistance from the more experienced members. Sometimes this works out just fine, but more often than not, the "Noob Season" is a season of a little bit of.. frustration for the community. The experienced members sneer at the newbies, and the newbies go off in a huff because of the "elitists".

All of this could easily be avoided. This is not a matter of elitism or stupidity. I think it's more a matter of thoughtlessness, and forgetting that there are actual humanbeings on the other side of the screen, as is way too often the case on the internet. 

So, you may be a new Lolita who want to join EGL, "Daily Lolita Coordinates" or a local community? I suppose you want them all to welcome you and to make friends, or at the very least have a pleasant experience. That means there are a couple of common mistakes you want to avoid.
Here is what you'll have to keep in mind.
But first and foremost, keep in mind that this is meant to help you, not criticize you.

1. The Community is not Google

So you've joined the community and you want to ask for some advice. You assure everyone that you've already done a ton of research, and you think you have. You've read everything about your chosen substyle, how you need a petticoat and a blouse. But where do you get a blouse? Well,
Google it. A simple google search for "white Lolita blouse" brought up "My-Lolita-Dress", a trusted reseller, as the third result. I know how it is to want to make sure that you do everything right from the beginning, but some things you can easily figure out for yourself. It seems lazy and rude if you expect other people to google it for you.

2. Treat the Community like a Friendly Stranger on the Street
(Or lurk for a bit!)
When joining a new community, if you are too excited to just lurk for a while without posting to figure out the "local way of conversation", for gods sake, be polite! Do not write your post as if you were writing a message to your best friend on Messenger! Write exactly as if you were asking a stranger for directions. This means using "please" and "thank you!", because just like that stranger, these people are taking time out of their day to read and respond to your post. And just like you wouldn't use random japanese phrases or terms of endearment when asking for directions, don't use them here. 

3. What type of community are you joining? Read the rules and description!
Lolita has a ton of different, connected online communities, with very specific purposes. We've got "Daily Lolita Coordinate" communities, where you can show off your coordinates, we've got sales communities for selling different clothing by specific brands, for specific locations and so on. Pay attention to what community you're joining, and what is meant to be posted there! This will keep you from making an irrelevant post that people will respond negatively to. Scroll down the page a bit too, just to get a glimpse of what people tend to post in there.
Also, a local community is very different from a global one, in terms of what will be tolerated. Introduction posts are usually fine on a local Facebook group, but tends to seem selfcentered on EGL, a community with thousands of members who don't know, or want to know, each other personally.

Here's a small list of communities that you can use, and what they specialize in!

EGL
The largest Lolita community. Primarily a place of discussion of new brand releases, aspects of Lolita culture and life, and Lolita related events. Questions can be asked, but keep in mind that your question has probably been asked a billion times before. Check the memories and tags, and google it first!
If you'd much rather join a local community, check out if one exists on Facebook, or check this list for one near you.

The Lolita Community Sales
This community is for buying, selling and trading only!
Buying and selling can also be done in brand-specialized or local communities on Facebook, or in the big Lolita Sales in English group.

Daily Lolita Coordinates/Closet of Frills
Two communites meant for showing off your coordinates, and asking for constructive criticism on your outfits.

Lolita Fashion Mentoring
If you really need to ask a bunch of questions and or is in need of some guidance, then I recommend joining the above community. I still recommend you google your questions first, but the Lolita mentors will gladly help if you're unable to find the answer this way, or need some advice on how to coordinate or are in another Lolita-related pinch. 


That was my tips for joining a Lolita community. Again, this is not criticizm of new Lolitas. I love when people join the Lolita community! I know the joy and excitement that Lolita can give, especially when you first join in and everything is still fresh and new to you! But I've also witnessed these common mistakes being made time and time again each year. 
If you just try and avoid them, however, there's no problem at all, and the community will be more than happy to help out! Even without tearing out any well-styled hairs!

So, there's only one thing left to be said:
Welcome to our community! 

Review: Corset from Timeless Trends!

For Christmas, my mom surprised me with a present I would never have foreseen: She bought me a corset, which I've been wanting for ages (literally!)

My new corset is from the company Timeless Trends, and it is a White Silk Floral Corset.

The corset feels heavy and sturdy, and the boning is definetely steel, just as it is written on their website.

The ribbon is smooth, but doesn't feel cheap or flimsy. It feels like it will hold up just fine for a while, even under pressure. The fabric is nice. It's smooth, but thick.

The corset feels great on, and bends comfortably to my shape. It provides good support for my posture (haha!). It's a bit short on me, but I'm very tall, so that's probably the reason. I'll just have to go for one of their longer corsets next time!

The only thing this corset is lacking, is more a matter of taste,  I think. I would have liked for it to have a modesty panel in the back, but as I will be wearing it under my clothes as undergarments (on top of a white tanktop), I don't think it will be too much of an issue. 

All in all, I think Timeless Trends corsets are a great value for the price! I don't think there's such a thing as "beginner's corsets", but I would recommend Timeless Trends for anyone who want to find out if corsets are for them. 

They're a very different experience from the cheap costume corsets I have tried on before! 

Not that that is surprising to me at all, but they're just not comparable at all!

If I need a new corset at some point in the future, I will check out Timeless Trends again.

Do you have any recommendations for me? 

I would also like to hear some more experienced corset-wearers' experiences with this company!

Finally, here's a picture of me wearing the corset!

Lacebook: Lolita Social Network

Original picture from Lacebook

Since last, a new social networking site for active lolitas has sprung up: Lacebook- Lolita fashion snaps.

Lacebook is a platform for lolitas to share coordinates and thoughts, in the form of photos added to a public or private photogallery, and blogposts posted to a personal blog on your profile or posts in a small forum. It is only possible to join Lacebook if you have received an invitation from a person who is already a member of Lacebook- and this person must also have received an invitation from a member, and so on. The invitation is given by asking a moderator for a code for a specific lolita (including name and future username of the lovely lady/bro) and then passing this code on to the aspiring Lacebook user.
The invite system, though kind of slow and probably only getting more and more heavily stressful for the moderators and administrators as the site grows, probably keeps out spammers and creepy lurkers, and as such I think the system is a good idea- Though I hope they will find a way of setting up the system as an automatic feature. Experience tells me that sites that needs a large amount of manual activity from the administrators to run smoothly, tend to die out as they become uninspired to do tedious tasks, like handing out codes to people.

Apart from the above, the site of course has a bunch of small hiccups like any new website would have- Only moderators are able to customize their profile with a cover photo, for example. Apart from this, the site is very well run, and I think overall it is a great idea to have a Facebook-like site where you can make status updates and easily browse through gallery upon gallery of creative coordinates and make comments to each photo.

What I am not OK with, though, and this is my only major critique point- Is that you are able to "rate" peoples' pictures(At least the ones the user does not choose to make private, because that is also an option.) With a click of your mouse you can rate an outfit on the scale of 1 to 5, without having to take the time to leave a comment. This feature might be very handy in the sense that you can give a person a quick compliment without having to sit down and type out why a coordinate is great. Sometimes giving a reason for why a coordinate is great can be hard- it just looks great, yo! But in this case, it is not just a "like" feature, like the one Facebook has. The rate feature also pretty much gives you a "dislike" feature- 

1 star, well: You suck!

Do you see my point? I like the quick and easy browsing ability that Lacebook gives you- It is quicker and easier than the former primary outfit-platform that we had, Daily Lolita, and the invite system protects us from trolls, creepers and spammers, but on Daily Lolita you had to type out a message to the lolita whose outfits you were judging, which meant that constructive criticism was shared. The rating system makes it too easy to be the judge of a person's outfit without giving them a reason for the critique, and ways in which they could improve. You should always take anonymous opinions dealt out on the internet with a grain of salt, but I see how some people with softer souls could be hurt by happily sharing a coordinate that they themself liked, just to receive a number of 1 star ratings- The equality to being "boo'd" off stage.

In conclusion: Lacebook is great and very innovative.

 It is quick, easy and effective, the way the internet-users of today like it! It has the potential to become a very popular social platform for lolitas all over the world, to share ideas, outfits and thoughts, especially if the forum finally takes off. All it needs is the option of better customization of your profile, and maybe an online "Meet-up Planner" and the option of making your own groups- Unless I have overlooked that option somehow. Please correct me if that is the case. 

Oh, and please; Remove that rate function. It really doesn't do the friendliness of the site any good. 

Thank you.