Going out in lolita

When I am at home I wear lolita around the house. I feel great and I know I wont be disturbed (although I did give the postman a shock once when he had a parcel for me...). However, going outside is a different story. I think even the most confident people struggle to go out in public in lolita. Whether you like it or not, you will stand out. People will stare, some may comment and you may even get people approaching you.

I have worn lolita in public. As I stepped out the door I started to wobble a bit. I think it helped that we were in a rush to get to the train station so I had no time to analyse the situation. As we waited for the train I could feel a hundred eyes looking at me. It was a little unsettling.

However, once you get over the fact that everybody is looking at you, you begin to relax. Most people have a good look but then move on. I think little children give the best reactions. Sometimes the parents can be a little funny with you. This one woman dragged her child away from me. I don't think she had heard of lolita fashion before. In fact, most people of a certain age will only remember the film with the older man and a young girl. Lolita will always have a fetish side to it so you have to be careful. Apart from that one woman, I have been lucky. I have had people complimenting me. Some people take sneaky pictures of me but I find it is usually people who are too scared to approach me. I wont bite! Please feel free to ask for photos. As long as it is not sexual up-skirt style photos, I don't mind!

There are idiots who will heckle you. I have been relatively heckle free- just one or two nasty comments. Just ignore them. They don't know you. Do you really care about what some person who you will only see for 7 seconds thinks? Every lolita will have a bad experience some time. So make sure you are safe and out in public. Never provoke anybody and keep yourself to yourself. If you get somebody giving you trouble on public transport I suggest you move if you can.

When you step out your door, take a deep breath. Keep telling yourself it will get easier with time. If needs be, invent some sort of alter ego who is confident. Obviously Luna is not my real name- it is my lolita name! Luna Rain is actually a play on my real name Lorraine which is where I got the idea for my name from. If you feel really nervous, ask a friend to go out with you. If you are going to a lolita meet-up ask somebody if you can change at the venue. I find your confidence grows when you are not alone. If you find yourself in a situation where you are getting a lot of negativity, try focusing on the positive comments you receive. Don't let these people spoil your experience of lolita fashion.