Bibliotheca June Prompt: Graduation

I was recently added to the Bay Area Kei collection of bloggers under the Bibliotheca Blog Circle! I'm excited about the opportunity and hope you all will check them out if you are interested in finding other creators sharing J-fashion content.

Part of Bibliotheca is their monthly prompts for blog posts. Although I'm certainly not committing to always posting for each month, I see them as an opportunity to have more regular content on my blog as well as more consistent ideas to write about. That being said, their prompt for June was "graduation," and I thought I'd give it a go!

For my approach to this prompt, I want to talk about those who might feel they need to "graduate" out of J-Fashion. Specifically, I want to talk about those who feel too "old" for mori fashion.

Personally, I started wearing mori kei at a very young age, and I think for most mori folk, they would say the same. Most of us discovered the fashion in our teens and twenties, and latched onto the alternative fashion scene in general as a form of self-expression during our young ages. It's a pretty natural progression of things, young adults are often attracted to alternative fashions and lifestyles during this period of their lives for those very reasons.

Because of the generally young age of those who wear mori, people who are middle-aged or older often believe they can't wear alternative fashion or are afraid or reluctant to start. They see the massive amount of young, Asian models and make the assumption that alternative fashion, and mori kei, are simply not for them. 

Not surprisingly, this has been the case across cultures, and even in Japan, most mori folk have "graduated" mori, as many Japanese young women do, when they become married, become mothers, or start their careers. However, just because your life circumstances change, or you grow older, doesn't mean you have to give up the fashion you love. Or even that you can't start wearing it at any age!

It's a common misconception that fashion is only for young people, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Fashion and self-expression are for everyone, for any age, any size, and gender; everyone is deserving of expressing themselves through their appearance in a way that reflects their personality and interests. Your walk of life also shouldn't stop you from being you. Marriage, work, kids, traveling, and anything else you can think of, don't let circumstances stop you from pursuing or starting the style you love!

For mori kei, I can guarantee that no age is too old for the style. Even though it may be a "girly" and "youthful" sort of style in some ways, it's also a style quite well suited to all ages with its versatile options and substyles. 

Here are a few examples of some lovely mori-esque outfits being worn by older individuals. (Sadly I don't have any examples of masculine outfits, but just know that masculine individuals can rock an older mori look as well!)

For more inspiration, you can see my "Mori When I'm Older" pinterest board I made ages ago.

Of course, for some, the love for the style truly will fade. Personally, I used to be very in love with Lolita fashion, but grew out of that love as I grew older. There's nothing wrong with graduating from a fashion when you feel it no longer suits your needs or reflects you as an individual. We all grow and change, and you don't owe it to anyone to continue something that isn't bringing you the joy it used to anymore. But for those who simply aren't wearing it because they feel like they've crossed an unspoken age barrier, I want to assure you, you couldn't be more wrong! You can certainly enjoy mori kei at any age, and any time.

To close, I want to share with you the story of my dear mother, who recently started wearing mori after putting it off for many years. She always loved the style, but felt she wasn't able to wear it. But recently, after encouragement from myself and others, she's starting dipping into the fashion. And, well, see for yourself! She looks lovely!

 

(Face cropped out for privacy.)

So, all of this rambling to say this: Don't give up on your love of mori, or for anything, just because of your age. Age is not a barrier to enjoying anything that you love. Be brave, be bold, and be you!

For new moris, old or young, as always, never hesitate to ask with any questions or concerns you might have about beginning your mori journey. Until next time, my deers!

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