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:
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!
PS- Are you liking this blogging challenge so far? Let me
know in the comments if you do!
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Stay amazing, remember to love yourself, and I'll see you in our next post!
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