Not a trend-chaser

Basically, I’ve always liked things that were “unlike what others had” and “not trendy.”

In terms of fashion, when I was in high school, “Ao-moji-kei” (harajuku-style street fashion) was popular as an unconventional choice. I couldn’t bring myself to find the mainstream fashion of that time (magazines like Seventeen or CanCam) cute, and at the same time, I had a complex that my face wasn’t suited for those styles, so I awakened to Ao-moji-kei fashion.

If my face had been recognized by everyone—including myself—as cute, I don’t think I’d have the sensibilities I do today. I might not have even liked fashion in the first place... (I might have been able to become a “cute me” wearing a SNIDEL dress and carrying a Samantha Thavasa bag... ← This is by no means trashing mainstream cute fashion, nor is it meant to be ironic. It’s just about my own internal sense of things; I genuinely feel that since I couldn’t find myself cute in this life, I want to be cute in the next!)

I’d lament, “I just can’t do this style! It doesn’t suit me!” and headed down the path of eccentric fashion, which some might have even seen as strange.

Since there weren't any girls into Ao-moji-kei fashion in my hometown, I really, truly stood out!

Whenever I went to the AEON mall, everyone on the floor would stare at me. People were whispering various things, but my only goal at the time was to take purikura photos while dressed up like that, so I didn't feel a thing.

I also wore my school uniform in a unique way in high school, so I was constantly drawing attention, and shortly after enrolling, the second and third-years recognized me and started calling me “Mizue-nyosu!” (my nickname back then). (Kind of like Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.)

It’s very “me” to have stood out as an “eccentric freshman” rather than a “cute freshman” or a “smart freshman”... (lol)

This is a bit of a tangent, but I think I’m good at finding things where I can say, “I can win here,” or “Even at my level, I can get a pretty good position with this.” I feel like I’ve navigated life successfully using this approach for a long time.

From there, I started choosing things different from everyone else, but at that time, Ao-moji-kei fashion was generally a minority, so it was easy to see that it was “different from the rest.” Of course, there were magazines like Zipper, so it was trendy to an extent, but in the big picture, it was just rare.

Now, thanks to idols and social media, everything—fashion, hairstyles, music, design—has reached a point of saturation.

It’s just my personal opinion, but I’m like, “What are you doing?!” (lol) If you’re a cute person, just wear regular cute clothes! Why are you coming over to the quirky side? (lol)

It’s a matter of preference, of course, but I came to subculture because mainstream culture wasn’t for me, yet these days, former subculture has become mainstream.

Take hair color, for instance. About 10 years ago, if you dyed your hair pink, people would go, “It’s pink!!!”, but now if you walk around town, there are way too many people with all sorts of hair colors... and they all look good in them, too. It used to be such a tiny minority; the diversification is amazing!

You could say it’s just the flow of the times, and I do think it’s great that everyone is free to wear what they like without being bound by anything.

But now, for someone like me—a non-follower who likes things different from others—it’s quite difficult to choose what I like.

Of course, I prioritize my own sensibilities and choose things I think are “cute!!”, but when I find out that the thing is trendy or that everyone has it, my interest strangely cools off all at once.

I can say with confidence that trends don’t equal “cute,” and that’s what I believe, but lately, the things I discover are already trendy—or even on their way out. First of all, I’m slow to catch on to trends, and my source for finding things is SNS anyway, and if it’s appearing on SNS, it’s already a trend. Plus, even while thinking, “I don’t want to follow trends,” I end up being totally played, finding something “cute!!” because of the way a favorite brand presents it, ending up buying it or copying the outfit... lol

How frustrating~~~

 

I’ve been writing whatever comes to mind, and I guess the point is a bit unclear, but:

Compared to the past, I feel like various genres and frameworks are blurring together into something like a gradient! It’s not necessarily good or bad, but it was easier to choose when things were clearly divided. When everything is mixed together, it becomes harder to establish your own identity, and anyone can choose anything.

Well, lately it’s all so mixed up that I’m finding it interesting and trying to enjoy it.

 

No, what was I trying to say? Well, these kinds of entries happen too.