Kawaii AND Goth/Alternative Styles? – Kawaii Fridays!

Ciao lovelies! Today for the first Kawaii Friday in the month of October, we’re talking about….”Kawaii And Goth/Alternatively Styled?”! In other words, can you be BOTH Kawaii AND Goth/Alternatively Styled? (WARNING- This post contains some mature themes like self-harm and suicide (because we talk about Menhera fashion), these themes are only briefly mentioned and never shown, but I thought I should include a warning.)

Now, if you’ve seen my YouTube video on the subject you know my answer is wholeheartedly YES, you can be both Kawaii and Goth.  (If you didn't see that video, please watch it first!)

But I didn’t quite explain what I meant by Kawaii and Goth/Alternatively Styled.

There can be many definitions and outcomes of mixing Kawaii and Goth/Alternative styles and lifestyles! Today, let’s talk briefly about three: “Pastel Goth,” “Menhera Fashion/Yami Kawaii,” and “Being Goth/Alt/Kawaii with a healthy mix.”

So let’s begin with Pastel Goth!

PASTEL GOTH

Definition: “[Pastel Goth] is a fashion and aesthetic that originated on Tumblr in late 2010. The fashion entails taking the basic elements of dark goth style and mixing it with pastel colors.”(Source- AestheticWiki – CAUTION -Strong Language used on images in the link, reader discretion advised.)

So what are the basic aesthetic elements of “Pastel Goth”?

Some are:

-          Skeletons and bones

-          Offensive text/quotes in kawaii fonts/colors

-          Dripping things like font made to look like it’s “Dripping”

-          Pastel hair (usually but not always)

-          Platform shoes

-          Garters

-          Chokers

-          Eyeball bows, horn hair clips

Here is a good reference for Pastel Goth Fashion Anatomy by rabudorimu on Deviant Art.

And more examples of Pastel Goth:

Now let’s move into Menhera Fashion!

MENHERA FASHION

Defintion: “Menhera fashion focuses a lot on cuteness that had been tainted by sickness. This is reflected by characters that appear cute but may be in very poor health, have obscure interests or have very negative thoughts. The outfits usually consist of over sized top featuring Menhera art or hospital wear. Other traits are; seifuku collar, printed thigh highs, medical accessories, etc” (Source- Alternative Fashion Amino)

Before we go any further, Menhera fashion as a whole is NOT promoting self-harm/mental disorders/illness/suicide. Menhera fashion was created to shine a light on the darker aspects of people’s lives that they don’t really talk about in the kawaii subculture. While some people in the west use Menhera to glorify self-harm/suicide, that is NOT what the fashion was originally about. Please do not use this fashion to glorify self-harm. If you are having self-injury thoughts and or actions, please talk to a professional or call one of the helplines below:

The USA National Suicide Prevention Help Line : 1-800-273-8255

In the UK: Samaritans (http://www.samaritans.org/) is a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in distress or at risk of suicide throughout the United Kingdom. They provide a 24/7, toll-free crisis line, as well as local branches.  Samaritans Helpline can be reached at 116 123.

In Australia: Lifeline (https://www.lifeline.org.au/) is a 24-hour nationwide service that provides access to crisis support, suicide prevention and mental health support services. It can be reached at 13 11 14.

For other countries please see this link (CLICK ME) to find your local helpline/emergency number. You are never alone.

I will not go further into Menhera fashion at risk of triggering anyone (as some aspects of this fashion get pretty dark.) If you’d like to learn more about this fashion/subculture, see the links below:

FyMenhera Tumblr About Page

TokyoTreat’s Article about YamiKawaii (another name forMenhera)

Lastly, let’s talk about having a healthy mix of both kawaii and alternative fashions in your life!

A HEALTHY MIX

As with anything in life, a healthy balance/mix I feel is important. And for some people, that means mixing various fashion styles in their life. 

For me, in my closet I have things that are EGL, Kawaii, Goth, Casual, etc. And I love to mix and match! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with mixing and matching fashion styles, especially because to me, fashion is an art, and art is all about expressing yourself!

As I mentioned in my video, I feel like too much “gate-keeping” happens within fashion communities. People are afraid to try new fashions for fear of ridicule by the more experienced in a fashion. People are afraid to be both Kawaii and Goth, or Goth and Kawaii, whichever way you have it. And that’s terrible! We just can’t live life being afraid to try new things for fear of ridicule.

So this post is to say that you CAN be whatever you want, whether that’s Kawaii and Goth, or Steampunk and Menhera, or Punk and Emo, or anything you want to be! That’s the fun of fashion!

So remember lovelies, you can be whatever you want. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

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Stay amazing, remember to love yourself, and I'll see you in our next post!