5 Reasons Why You're Never Too Old For Kawaii Fashion
“Is it too late for me to start wearing kawaii fashion?” “Am I getting too old for it?” While my answer to both of these questions would be a firm no, I’m also sadly not too surprised to see these questions on the internet. Society and the fashion industry have always seen aging as a big negative. If you’re finding yourself doubting whether a kawaii outfit would suit you or you’re facing criticism from others for “not dressing your age,” read below for 5 reasons why you should start or keep on wearing kawaii fashion.
- Kawaii Fashion Shouldn’t Be Classist
Classism: Prejudice against people who do not belong to a high socioeconomic class.
Regardless of whether you’re a Japanese brand fanatic or love to put together kawaii outfits at your local thrift store, starting a new fashion hobby usually requires financial commitment. The fact is, most of us couldn’t afford to start wearing kawaii fashion in our teens or early adulthood. Many of us are slowly building our wardrobes as we save up over the years. So keep on working hard for that dream dress or wardrobe without worrying about how long it might take!
- Growing Older Means More Freedom
Life is a journey. It often takes many years for us to discover our individual style, and we don’t gain financial or living independence until later in life. I didn’t find out about kawaii fashion until I was an adult. It took a while longer for me to decide I wanted to try wearing lolita fashion. As we grow older and experience more in life, we learn to love ourselves more. We realize that life is too short to care about what other people think about us. We start to experiment more with our style, make more friends in the community, and fall in love with kawaii fashion even further. It would be a shame to let go of these magical memories just because we’ve hit a certain age!
- The Fashion Industry Is Ageist
It’s not just the kawaii fashion community. The entire fashion industry primarily features images of teenagers and young adult models, despite older adults holding more spending power. According to a 2020 study, the median age for models in advertisements is 25. The number falls even lower in new runway models who are often casted when they are 16! Your favorite J-fashion magazine might only feature models in their twenties, but that doesn’t mean we can’t show them that we can keep on rocking our pastel favorites into retirement. Fashion brands don’t get to decide what we wear. We do. Take matters into your own hands by diversifying your social feed with models and content creators of varying ages.
- Conservative Societal Ideals Can’t Define You
Who made up the idea that we need to shy away from certain styles once we reach a certain age? Likely conservatives who want to control the way we express ourselves. Self-expression is our superpower. Fashion can even be a political statement. So go ahead and outshine negativity with your kawaii energy, and work towards making the kawaii fashion community more inclusive of everyone.
- Kawaii Will Never Die
The world population is growing older as life expectancy increases and the global birth rate falls lower. Japan—the birthplace of kawaii culture—is seeing a rapidly aging population. If there are less youth in the future, yet we refuse to allow older adults to wear what they want, wouldn’t that mean that less people would be wearing kawaii fashion as time goes on? Wearing kawaii fashion your whole life is a commitment to keeping its legacy strong. Anyone who thinks someone is too old for kawaii is not only ageist—discriminating against people based on their age—but also not supporting the culture itself.
Feeling empowered now? Start advocating for a fashion scene that is more inclusive of all marginalized groups. Looking for some style inspiration? Baddie Winkle dresses however she wants even in her nineties.
Works Cited
Arnett, G. (2020, February 17). Despite Push for Age Diversity, Young Models Still Rule the Runway. Retrieved from https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/age-diversity-fashion-weeks-balenciaga
Gallagher, J. (2020, July 14). Fertility Rate: ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Global Crash in Children Being Born. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53409521
Okwodu, J. (2019, April 12). In Europe, the Model Age Debate Rages On. Retrieved from https://www.vogue.com/article/age-in-modeling-european-runways-underage-models
Wamsley, L. (2019, December 24). Japan's Births Decline To Lowest Number On Record. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2019/12/24/791132555/japans-births-decline-to-lowest-number-on-record