Lolita and Age: Only for the Young?

There is a disturbing trend going around the lolita community recently. "Old" people are starting to drop out of the community and out of the fashion. I know that it is their choice on what they choose to spend their money on and what they wear, but these people aren't old. These are the people that are just barely turning twenty-two or twenty-three.

Yesterday, Aly Buttons (formally Miss Lumpy) officially announced that she is going to be turning away from the lolita fashion because she is getting older and she feels that her obligations are shifting. I don't blame her for feeling this way. We all change with time and our tastes and style changes. It's part of what makes us human. But, what does this mean to the older lolita bloggers that are still out there and thriving like Miss Caro-Chan of FYeah Lolita or Victoria Suzanne of Parfait Doll or Alice of Pink*Milk*Tea? What does this mean to older girls who are just starting to get into the fashion but can't afford any pieces at this time because they are in college and trying to make ends meet?

This is hitting me fairly hard because not only was Aly Buttons one of my favorite lolita bloggers, we were also around the same age group. I didn't discover the lolita fashion until I was already in college around my twenty-first birthday. Two years later and I just turned twenty-three at the beginning of the month. I also don't have any dresses, but I finally have enough confidence in my ability to coordinate and in my self-image to start to get together some coordinates and start wearing them. Finding lolita is what dragged this academic tom-boy into fashion in the first place.

I am finding it very hard to believe that this fashion is only supposed to be for the young pre-teens and teenagers who can't even afford Bodyline rather than their older counterparts who have jobs and can support this type of fashion. Obviously this won't prevent me from just getting into and enjoying this fashion, but I am afraid that girls will feel pressured to give up the hobby that they love just because they hit a certain age.