A Word On Being An Older, But Still Weird, Kid

  As we are all probably well-aware of, it is perfectly acceptable to dress up weird, engage in cultural phenomena, and "find yourself" during your childhood and teen years. However, society has this unspoken rule that once you reach adulthood (fuck adulthood, always spoiling everything!), you have to throw that all away for business suits, coffee, primetime sitcoms, and Newsweek. 

  Yeah, I am as terrified as you are. I mean, considering that I discovered and became interested in Kawaii only recently, it pains me to think that it will all have to come down in the next two years. But if you think I am throwing out half of the (fabulously DIY-ed) masterpieces in my closet, well, think again. 

  I am saying this because Bohemians and my other subculture peeps are thought of as weird, more so women than men. Why is that? Apparently it's because we assume a man who dresses in Star Wars-y shirts or eccentric fashion is an interesting trailblazer, but a woman who dresses in a similar way just wants attention or is insecure and lonely. As Geddy would say, "Wah-wah-weeh-wah!", and rightfully so. Why is it that being weird is encouraged as a kid, but adulthood swoops in and demands that you put down your toys? Who is to say that a person can't do mature work in an office while also attending Lolita meet-ups on the weekends or harboring an intense fascination with the obscure works of Andy Warhol?

  Newsflash, society: you may look at us in our superhero cosplay ensembles, or our "childish" pink petticoats and pompoms, and think we are juvenile. That we should grow up, or that we should "act like an adult", but guess what? There are a crapload of perfectly mature adults that love this stuff as much as we do, and they are productive members of our civilization like everyone else. 

  So yes, don't put your toys down. In fact, polish those fuckers, and polish them good. If someone calls you out on it, screw them. I will keep making jewelry out of random items. I will keep dressing like a cross between a hippie, a punk, and a Japanese pop star. Your personality is best when it's unbridled, so break those chains and unleash your inner weirdo. Haters gotta hate, so it's best to leave them be and just skip onward, wearing those harajuku boots and Rainbow Brite sneakers.