Growing out of it

Dang Anon, you beat me to it.
I'll turn 25 next year, and I've always been fascinated by Lolita. As a greasy tomboy I've been bullied a lot by the girls from school and wanted to be cute and feminine. But I didn't know where to start so I started browsing different kinds of fashion until I came across Lolita. However, that weeby teen couldn't afford brand and parents thought it would make me be immature for the rest of my life.
Now I have a degree, an income, but I can't really be bothered to buy or coord and I lurk here to see the cute outfits.
It's sad to see how dearly I liked the frilly frills and fluffy pettis only to not really care about them now that they're within my reach.
I KNOW there are older Lolitas that still rock the fashion and are absolutely pro at it, but yeah.

I thought I'd grown out of anime and manga for quite a few years now but then a good friend of mine got me into Jojo. I've been in weeb hell ever since, and I love it.
If you feel like you're growing out of something you love and you don't want to let it go, try finding something new to get excited about, be it a new series, a new fashion style, a new way to coord, etc.
Just don't force it. It's okay to grow out of things, it happens all the time in many different ways, and sometimes forcefully hanging on to something that doesn't make you happy anymore can stunt your growth as a person.

>>9050649
I'm 28, but I get mistaken for a high school kid occasionally. I don't feel very "old" either. I don't think I'll ever grow out of this stuff.

>>9050658
Exact same situation here. I'd been really eh about anime for ages and then I started reading Jojo. It's a hell of a drug.

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It'll eventually come back, if you stILL care about it as in "i'm scared that things don't excite me as much" that means you don't want to let go, a part of you still holds onto it. I am soon to be 20, have been in this jfash/cosplay/.. universe ever since i was 10, i feel old despite not being nor looking old, and i sometimes find things "boring", not as exciting as they used to be. And i get scared "am i truly getting old?" "maybe i should sell all my pastel clothing...". So you're not alone. Sometimes it's good to take a break, a long one even, as long as you need. Maybe one day you'll "grow out of it" and move on but it's for the best, it'll be new things to learn,new interests,new people to meet,...
I used to be a diehard fan of bands like MCR or P!ATD and now when i hear a song of them or see pics of them i just smile and remember the good memories but without regretting, it was good but it's not my main thing anymore and that's ok. Cheer up, love.

>>9050674
Same except it wasn't JoJo but i heard it's addictive. You just have to find that little spark to light the fire again

Yeah. When I gratuated from college the interest in anime\cosplay declined. Back then I used to watch all the most popular animes in season, But now is just kind of meh. I Still love to appreciate j- fashion, but dress in a very minimallist way nowdays.

Was somewhat out of it for a while, but nearing 22 (I know I'm not old) and getting back into weebing out with friends. It's not even just that I still like anime and games, but more that I'm already nostalgic for the days where you could just be a fan of things and have fun without a care in the world.

Unfortunately everything is riddled with SJW ideas and it seems impossible to make friends that are into weebing out but also won't talk about the whitewashing of anime characters among other things.

I've been feeling burnt out on cons for a while. I know lots of people who go to cons but very few who will actually hang out with me outside of con/con parties. I still love to cosplay, but feel so lazy about it these days.

I'm only 21, but I've been feeling like I'm growing out of cons for like three years now. I used to be Homestuck, and ever since I got out of that and everyone went their separate ways, it was never the same. Oh, except I still sometimes meet someone new only to find they're whatever kind of tumblr crazy. That part hasn't changed.

I feel like part of the problem is how I don't drink; to me most con goers seem like either crazy excitable thirteen year olds (the good old days) or crazy party types. It also doesn't help that my current fandom is one of very few people, outside Japan anyway.

>>9050721
>21
You're just beginning to shine, anon!

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>Be me
>Suddenly reach a normie sudo popular social status
>Begin to mainly hang around normies
>Can't talk to normie friends about cosplaying or conventions because of their lack of interest
>Have very few friends who are as into cosplaying as me, and those who do does not want to hear about my cosplay progress
>Can't afford to go to conventions because of all the conventions being far away thus unable to make new irl friends
>Unable to grow with my age group convention vise
>Unable to really understand the younger age group
>Long time since I've talked to the veteran cosplayers
>Starts to feel more distant to the currant cosplay community
>Basically unable to get the convention culture at this point
>Become so starved for conventions that I become unable to feel hungry for it
>Slowly loses interest in going to conventions as a whole

I just feel like working on my cosplay and enjoy the crafting part of it rather than going to go to a convention more than one-two times a year.

Anyone else who is internally cringing about their previous fandom craze?
Like shit man! I regret being a weeb hetalia cringe lord when I was 13-14 years old. I am glad I grew out of that shit, but incredibly peeved about liking it in the first place.

>>9050658
I agree! I'm not as into anime anymore but I've started getting interested in some of the newer cartoons that are out as well as rediscovering my love for some old school cartoons too.

I've decided that I'll only be going to comic cons since I went to my first one this year and had a blast/got more people that were excited about my cosplays. I've felt like I'm getting too old for anime cons and I'm not interested in any of the newer fandoms.

If you're feeling like things are getting boring, don't be afraid to branch out more.

>>9050649
Are you depressed and feeling like everything is meh? Depression does this, it tricks you into wallowing in self doubt instead of doing what you like. Trust me, there are moments when I don't think I would like to be around my best friends.
Also when I actually feel happy I have no idea what to do with that energy, it ends up bursting forth, making me seem immature because I have no practice containing happiness. If this sounds familiar, please try finding something that makes you happy.

Conventions have been meh for a few years but I usually find a reason to go. This year it's an artist I admire greatly ad would camp out on crutches for... So that's happening. Rest is room con, watching anime and drinking with friends. Fuck crowds, dealer hall, cosplayers, and other panels with lines longer than seating.

>>9050808
Don't remind me, my APH weebness was the most cringey phase I've ever been in.

>>9050808
Kingdom Hearts, man. For three years I ran "Meet the Organization XIII" panels where I just introduced cosplayers and read bios and dumb little facts and jokes. I was super popular with weebs and then I 'retired' from the fandom and quickly regretted all of it but you get so swept up in the hype, you know? It's almost like mass hysteria.

Now I just cosplay stuff I like and most of it is generic like maids and nanchatte because I can't keep up with the hip anime all the kids are into today unless my friends get me to watch them. Now cons are for me 50% "Hey, there's that thing I saw a gif about on Tumblr. No clue what the fuck it is but good for them." and 50% just exploring and hanging out with friends and getting excited over nostalgia cosplay like Gundam Wing and Season 01/02 Digimon.

I'm 29, and I just got back into education while working full time.
My job is getting more stressful, my studies are getting tougher, my free time is heavily reduced, and my health is going steadily downhill.

I loved getting dressed up to go out with my comm, and posting outfit shots on Tumblr.
Now I hardly have the energy. I just stay in my PJs and study on my day off.
Plus, once I graduate, my career will require a new wardrobe.
I feel like Lolita is a heart transplant my body is rejecting. I want it, but my life is forcing it out of the spotlight.
/end blog post/

>>9050721
I agree with how the scene is half "OMG KAWAII DESU~" `13 year old squeebs or hardcore partiers and very few people in between. Makes it really hard to find chill people.

>>9050808
Let's just say it was a good thing I didn't find 4chan until after high school. That was more than ten years ago.

I'm still here

I'm 25,I grew out of anime/manga in favor of jfashion and japanese pop culture in general, i rarely watch an anime or read a manga nowadays because i don't like to follow trends or uninteresting new anime, many former anime fans are into western series like tv series or lame kids cartoons or also gaming, i don't have enough money to buy games, i prefer to spend them for clothing. Plus i'm also a big loner and hardly i can meet people that are into any weeb/japanese related interest, it's hard to have only normie friends where you have nothing to share other than going out with them. So, i'm not grow out from fun stuff, just changing the focus on something else. I prefer to look good and having a super cute wardrobe instead of buying random weeb shit, with money just for cheap and boring clothing or neither that.

>>9050655

>People still thinking 25+ makes you a dinosaur and too old to enjoy anything cute ever

I want this meme to end. But you'll have regrets when you are actually old and realize how dramatic you were being about 25 and all the things you stopped yourself from doing. Hope you come to your senses anon.

>>9050655
Bruh I didn't learn about it until I was 23 and "officially" started at 24. It's never too late to enjoy yourself.

>>9050663
Pretty much this. I also get mistaken for a high schooler at times.

I've watched friends grow out of not only cosplay but anime conventions altogether, and the more I think about it the more I feel like I will never grow out of it.

I actually had a small "crisis" in the sense I thought I would stop cosplaying. I have a big to-do list and no time to make anything on it, so I thought maybe I'd just focus on lolita and give up the rest. I went to a con last month and decided to do a simple cosplay - just a glorified closet cosplay really, that I assembled from stuff I bought online and thrifting.

Well, I got a handful of pictures taken which surprised me; it made me feel so happy to gush with other fans over shared love of a character and series again and made me realize I don't want to stop. Even if it takes me a year to finish a new cosplay, even if it takes several. I still want to keep going because it's so much fun. I ask "Why not" and I can't come up with a good enough answer to make myself stop, so I will not stop.

>>9052309
>>9052351

If you're a woman I imagine this stuff hits you harder than if you're a guy

>>9050655
Anon, I didn't actually start wearing lolita until I was 30. I'll be turning 35 this year. Just get over it and do it and don't look back. When you're 50, you might look back and wish you had done all those fun things when you were younger. Regretting that instead of doing so, you thought you were too old and in hindsight, you were actually in your prime. You're setting yourself up for disappointment and sadness later in life. You will only be your age once.

I've been going to conventions for 15 years now, cosplaying until I got into lolita. I just really don't watch much anime except the rare series here and there. I still love the convention scene for the most part and enjoy the friendships I've made through them over the years. Many of those old friends are still around. I'll be here for as long as there are cons to go to. Then I'll probably wander off to some other crazy creative colorful place.

>>9052396

You and I are similar anon. I didn't get into cons and cosplay until I finished college. Now that I actually have the money to sink into them with a full time job I enjoy then much more than I would have if I started younger.

Just do what you like no matter what your age is.

>>9052373
Doesn't help media seems to use the "if you don't look 21 at most you're an old hag" as well.

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I don't feel like I'm growing out of it... I still love lolita and wearing it and buying it and yes, even sometimes the drama. But I just don't have time anymore.
(Probably gonna out myself here but idc because I'm on my way out anyways)
I just posted an initial leaving lolita sale on my local comm page and I'm letting my community pick over things at basically whatever price they want first. Later on in the month I'll post the remainder publicly with actual price tags.

Basically, I'm trying to get into med school and I spend all my time working, studying, or sleeping. My logic is that, if I truly still miss it after my life stops being so stressful and breakneck, I can always get back into it. I made a lot of really good friends in my community and I hope to stay in contact with them, frills or not. I just can't devote the time to this anymore.

>>9052309
I'm not really thinking that "I'm too old". I just don't feel interested in it. It's different.

I lost interest in Anime a while ago since finding a series that I like is a pain in the ass and I don't have time to wade thru the shit river that is the industry right now for something I enjoy. I still enjoy it and my friends will point me in the direction of a show I may enjoy if they see one.

The problem is, Anime cons and cosplay just don't appeal to me anymore. I don't care about the shows and I don't recognize the characters. I go to ACEN to hang out with friends but I have found my joy in other Cons. Gameing cons, Comic Cons, Sci-Fi Cons, Cons that actually interest me and the Cosplay is just as much fun and just as big a part of the event. There is also an older crowd and has a significantly lower population of screaming 13 year old homestucks throwing buckets at each other.

As you grow up, the things that you enjoy about the Con scene changes. It will change what you like about the con, the events you go to, the people you hang out with, and the Cosplay that you build. Its a part of growing up, the things you love don't go away, they just change with you.

Also, I'm 28

>>9052651

I'm in a similar bind (getting a new job, wanting to invest in other interests and no time for Lolita anyway), but I just can't bear to part with some of my items. I know selling them now and having money for other things would be best, but I'm holding out hope I'll be able to return at some point. Maybe I should save my top 5 dresses,I have around 15. Maybe not a huge collection but I really love all of these dresses.

I fall out of anime every couple years and then come back after like 3-5 years. I'm on weeaboo phase 4 right now

>>9052567
I started while I was in college. My high school crush was into anime when we entered college and I started going to the college anime club because I wanted to have more in common with him and see him more. I was pretty pathetic. We never did end up dating, but we did cons together for awhile and cosplayed. We still talk on facebook and keep up with eachother. We're both married and adulting, and he has two kids now. But had I not been a pathetic 18 year old, I probably would've never eventually met my husband and the plethora of friends and had the wealth of experiences I have. I may not actually watch anime much anymore, but damn, my life really would not be the same without it.

What annoys me is my friends are not really loving conventions as much as they used to or cosplay.

I don't know if I have the guts to cosplay and go to conventions alone, that's the worst part. I can go it alone for a few hours, but I like enjoying the whole weekend at cons, and I just don't feel comfortable going it alone.

Around when I started college I started to lose interest in cosplay. I was super excited to be in college and finally have my own space and friends to start with but that never really happened.

It's also hard to find people who are 21+ into cosplay who aren't there to only get fucking smashed or really fucked up. Like I'm chill with partying a bit, but doing hard drugs and rolling around the convention center is fucking stupid.... And anyone who doesn't party tends to either be underage or is extremely socially inept.

Also I'm noticing the people sticking around the cosplay scene tend to be people who have nothing else in life going for them. Like they make cosplay their defining personality trait and have no other future aspirations. Its.. kinda sad really. Like yeah it's chill being a bit older and cosplaying.... but are you ever going to have anything outside of this in your life? Sorta pathetic and not the people I want to be around.

>M, 20
My friends have slowly been losing interest in anime, cosplay, and conventions. My friends that remain interested are NEET and can't afford to go to more than 1 out-of-state con a year.

I don't like it when my now "normie" friends come to cons with me because their unenthusiam radiates off them and it makes me less happy as well, and I think this year they've decided to stop going, so now I only have friends to go with for 1-2 cons a year at best.

I find it too hard to meet new people at cons without doing social events, because most people go with friends and aren't overly interested in searching for new ones (or so it seems), and the only social events I like to go to are more in the realm of nerd culture and video games than anime and cosplaying; I already have a ton of friends with those interests though.

I just want to meet people that enjoy anime and cosplay, but I'm not outgoing enough to do that without a friend. It's just easier for me to make new friends if I have a current friend making me do things with them.

I'm also not a drinker so that limits my potential for internet-community meet ups.

I feel socially fucked in the hobby that encompases most of my time and that makes me think if it's even worth it.

>>9052861

That's me and I'm 25

At least all the cons I go to are in state and there are three a year, so my not as enthused friends still go.

They still get psyched for Dragoncon though, which is nice. Is it possible to get bored of Dragoncon? I don't know.

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i'm 28 (soon to be 29) and honestly, i feel like i made a full circle.

like, for a while i was really into KPOP and started to deviant from anime, manga, and jfashion but as time went on, i started to realize that kpop, especially fandom, was severely draining me mentally and it didn't help that i was severely depressed for more than a decade.

i mean, granted, i've always been interested in anime but back then it wasn't really... real? it's a little hard to explain but as more and newer series started to come out, i noticed i was really getting back into it and kpop had became the same shit over and over.

now i'm officially taking a break off of kpop and because of (pic related) series, i feel like i'm back where i am. not to mention, i finally have some irl shit together - license, a college degree, and a decent job with some extra income.

all i really gotta do now is lose weight so i can start spending money on jfashion again! the comm around me kinda sucks and are kinda sparse as it is so it's a little lonely but i really hope that i can at least insight some kind of passion back into my own life at least... /blog post

I despise anime now, and mostly go for western comics.p and Vidya stuff. I'm 25, just got into cosplaying two years ago and I love it.

But what >>9052776 said is absolutely right. Everyone at these things have halted in their lives completely, and those who haven't don't really need to expand their social circles.

>>9050808
I've always liked Free! but ever since I came back from Japan I've been like obsessed with it. Dropping hundreds upon and hundreds of dollars on merchandise. My room is decked out in Free! and I own an itabag as well.

There's a part of me that's scared that one day I'll just wake up and wonder why I've wasted all this money and chide myself for being immature. Until that day comes I guess I'll just keep being happy with being surrounded by cute boys

I don't think I'm growing out of Lolita or cosplay. But I am growing out of my comm and cosplay cliques/drama. I cared and was heavy into the acceptance and proving myself to the other Lolitas/cosplayers in my early 20s but now don't care for it. I do what I want, when I want and how I want. I buy what I like and not care if the comm will like it. My comm has shifted to another group of 19 year olds who think they are hot shit because they have gotten the last years worth of top wanted prints. I'm sitting here wondering what that expect from others for having it.

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I'm going to be 24 this year and for a few past years I've been thinking I'm over it. I gravitate back just to disappoint in how old and not kawaii I am. I felt like I didn't fit in with any of the subgenres of nerd to rori to cosplayer.

Then I was diagnosed with depression and got on meds. And you know what? Who cares what I'm into. I will express my interest when I'm interested in something and when I'm tired of it - I do something else. I found the courage to say I'm bored. I realized that hobbies are fluid, that it's okay to change my mind about things and return whenever I want or don't. And none of it makes me less of a kawaii potato.

F. 23.

I feel like I've grown out of it as well. Or rather, I don't have the motivation/energy for it. I want to be excited for cosplay and cons and anime, but I just don't have the hype anymore.

I think it's because I don't really have anyone to share the hype with. My group of friends used to be strong and nerdy but we've drifted apart recently. My cosplay friends don't invite me to anything anymore and my other friends are uncomfortable SJWs. Earlier this year I was so pumped about making cosplays and teaching myself how to make armor, but the desire is gone and now it feels like an immense chore ahead of me.

I'm more focused on moving out and pursuing a relationship with my boyfriend. We're long distance and it sucks ass. I think it is contributing to my lack of energy, loneliness and sadness. Once I get a place and he moves in with me, I think I'll have him to bounce off of and feed into the cosplay/anime hype again.

I think part of my growing disinterest in anime cons is that there are hardly any newer animes with an adult protagonist. There only so many "teenager does x" series that I can tolerate.

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I haven't cosplayed for over 2 years. I'm 20 now (not like that's old or anything), and I think my interests have just changed. Between being a full time college student and having an internship, I don't have the energy to want to do it anymore. I learned that one of my classmates was into cosplay so I gave her all of my old wigs (there were like 6 or 7 and at least 4 were arda). I also gave her all of my figures that, when I first bought them, could total to over 260 dollars easily. I just don't display them anymore. When I was younger I was absolutely obsessed with cosplay, lolita, and figure collecting and would cry at the thought of growing out of it. I've just moved on to different interests I think. I spend more time on /fa/ now and am starting to collect mid-century modern furniture and decor. I still have this urge to collect things I find interesting and wear things I think look good, just in a different way. Despite all of this I still collect Rilakkuma goods, use cute stationery at my job, and watch anime on occasion (but now I'm more into K-dramas). It's nice to keep nostalgic things around too.

pic related, it's my room with most of my anime goods taken away (minus a miku coin bank and my rilakkuma plushes).