First of all, I come from a family where tattoos and colored hair already exists. Nothing new here. My dad was in to the whole Punk-style when he was in my age and my mother.. Well, I actually don't know what style she wears. But it looks nice and suits her ! (She has pierced ears, sometimes purple hair, tattoos, relaxed and at the same time kind of cute and feminine style.) As long as I can remember I've always had the chance to affect my look. Choosing what to wear to school and stuff like that. When I was 10 (I think) the fashion among girls in my age was to have some colored highlights in their hair. Mostly neutral (fading) colors. Me and my sister wanted that too. But we got blue ones. Our mother never stopped us from doing our own thing. So I think that was when it all started. (Random input: As a kid I was against everything girly-girly. I hated pink, didn't like horses aso. I was weird already !)
I started" high school" (7:th grade) 2007 (I was 14 then) and right before I did that one of my little sisters was in a car accident. It was a hard time for all of us and it made me grow up a lot faster than I maybe was supposed to. During the summer before high school I bleached my hair almost white and changed my style from "ordinary fit in fashion" to red skinny jeans, an oversized shimmy and a black vest. I started to do my makeup a bit darker and just changed my whole style. (Including skipping my glasses.) It was so"successful" that not even the boys I had known since kindergarten recognized me the first day. I started to play with makeup and different styles. I found out what a straightener was and I used it on a regular basis. I kept on drawing and I also started to sing a lot more than I had done before. The more "me" I became the more people started to call me weird. I didn't follow the typical "brat" fashion that existed on my school, even though my best friend was the "biggest brat girl" on the school. I wanted to express myself, be myself. My mother supported me through it all. The only things I didn't get to do was any piercings (except my ears, those were okay.) or tattoos.
At the age of 16 (2009) I moved to Hässleholm to study fashion since I
wanted to do this Japanese Lolita style for real. I didn't know anyone
there at all. I ended up in a class with 23 other girls. No one was like
me. They all followed this "typical" fashion that was popular then.
(Black tights, oversized shirt and a big scarfs. I went to school with
my teased pastel pink hair and corset-dresses combined with
platform shoes. There was one more like me, an actual Lolita who also
sang and played guitar. Unfortunately I didn't get to know her that well
since she studied last year and I first. I colored my hair black
during the winter and became a Gothic Lolita. I wore it for some months,
then I changed in to Scene again with rainbow clothes, funny colored
hair,false eyelashes, colorful makeups and stuff like that. In the beginning of
my first year there began a new girl in our class. She also wore this
"scene/Japanese" inspired style and we became close friends. We played a
lot of computer games together online and she later ended up being the
bassist in my band. The last year in the gymnasium I became more
interested in this whole Lolita style again and I sewed my own
graduation-dress with inspiration from the PC game "Alice; Madness
Returns" (Alice's classical blue dress) but I did it in a lolita
inspired way. I fell in love with the Lolita fashion once again, but it
took me almost a whole year to actually start to wear it in public.
Me and some of my beloved friends ! <3
My family (mum and dad) have always supported me
when it comes to doing my own thing when everyone else just have shaken their heads
and pointed at me. My relatives find me really strange most of the
time, but my grandmother have also (almost) always supported me. Even if
she (with my mother) hated when I did my piercings and my tattoo. But
they don't say anything now a days 'cause they know I wont change
anyways.
I don't really see why people call me brave since I'm just me, I'm raised to do my own thing and be stubborn about it. But thank you anyways ! My best advice to you if you want to change your style but doesn't dare to do it. Change at home first, become comfortable in the style you want and allow yourself to grow with it. Even if it's just a different eyeshadow or a couple of shoes. It's still a step on the way to your final goal.
Feel free to ask questions if I've missed something you want to know! n_n <3
xoxo ~Jackie
