Cora Maria

She told me I could wear these shoes. I was a fool to believe her... Your fantasy self. You might not have heard of them, but you know their presence deep inside of you. They are everything you are not, but wish you could be. The most dangerous part about our fantasy selves is how they are shaped by the consumer culture we live in. Media and advertising wants to alter your fantasy self into someone who benefits them. They want you to believe the illusion that you can become the fantasy self with their products. They want you to think that with this new dress or hair dye or make-up product, you will finally be beautiful and happy, just like that perfect image of yourself in your head. Or if you buy these expensive comic markers, then maybe you’ll finally start drawing, or actually start being good at it, right? For someone so imaginary, the fantasy self is surprisingly demanding. What it comes down to is how much stuff you buy that goes unused, and how much guilt and shame...

I once had a wardrobe too large to make me happy and it looked like this. If you’re a kawaii fashionista, you’ve probably experienced the following: You feel disappointed that you can’t afford all the things you want. You’re jealous of other people’s wardrobes. You wish your style was like someone else’s. You feel pressure to always look good. You often felt like you have nothing to wear. I’ve been in those situations, and they all cause anxiety. It’s something I’ve rarely seen discussed in depth in our community. This is unfortunate because it is so important! Harajuku fashion can and does cause anxiety and self-esteem issues, and we need to discuss how we as a community can reduce or prevent it. I’ll start by explaining how I managed to overcome it, or at least reduce it. I’ll also explain why its coming back as well. Disclaimer: Please note that this is my personal   experience about how my fashion has caused me mild  yet fre...