Bibliotheca: Challenges

 This month's Bibliotheca theme, unless I messed up, is challenges. Not Big Challenges (the unlaunched Sanrio mascot) specifically, just challenges in general. However, if there's ever a Big Challenges print, sign me the heck up.

the man himself

January, for lolitas, is a month of challenges, with the pressure to put out a wardrobe inventory post. I've personally given up on wardrobe posts entirely: I hate photographing things and keeping inventory.

Challenges in general form a surprising amount of community activity in the English-speaking lolitasphere, whether it's making lolita content for a specific rubric, stretching coording skills with different prompts, tricky capsule wardrobe creation, or trying to make the most of a wardrobe. I don't participate in these (other than Bibliotheca which serves to keep me writing at least every once in a while), but I think they're still important. 

Challenges work best on the internet, where creators can tag the challenge in question and share their attempt. The English-speaking lolita community is primarily online (and extremely so), so creating this type of participatory culture helps keep the fashion alive. 

I finished my Master's degree last month. After years of constant guilt for doing anything other than work for school or my job, I was presented with the unfamiliar concept of freedom. During grad school, there were three years in which I didn't read a fantasy book or watch anime or do any of the other countless joys that formed the person I used to be. I felt like the joylessness of work had captured me completely. 

I decided then to be self indulgent-- creating challenges to read more books, make more art, and blog more posts throughout 2023. I've become the sort of person who needs rigor even in their leisure.

This means I won't be making more wardrobe posts, because it's not for me. I also won't be taking outfit pictures much, but I never did anyway. What I will do is start arguments, inflict others with my opinions, and generally make a nuisance of myself, because it's fun. Frankly, after grad school, fun is what I deserve. 

So, in 2023, expect a lot of opinion posts, goofy small meetups, even more panels at conventions, and a general feeling of existing as hard as I can. I'm going to redouble my efforts to convince people that bittersweet isn't a thing. In short, after years of challenges for outside parties, this is a year of challenging myself to be the most myself possible. After all, if it makes you happy, do it.