Can You Wear Kawaii Over 40??

I’m in my early 40’s and I dress kawaii.  Some might say I’m not “dressing my age.”

Even if you’re not quite in your 40’s yet, you might have heard this too:

“Why don’t you dress your age??”

Honestly, I really can’t help myself!  I love to wear kawaii fashion 💖 To me, kawaii is a lovely, fun, and girly fashion that uplifts my spirits and cheers me up when I wear it!  Even just seeing someone else wearing kawaii makes me smile 🥰

Wearing kawaii is an outer expression of my inner self: I am quirky, and silly, and innocent, and fun… and a little sexy too 😉 I am all of those things, and kawaii helps me to be myself and express who I am.

But yes, there is that little issue of me being over 40…

So, what to do?  Should I change the way I dress?  What does “dressing my age” even mean?

I’ve thought about that last question for a while.  How can I “dress my age” or “dress appropriately for my age”??  Then I realized, I already DO dress my age, because:

It’s not about dressing appropriately
for my age,
it’s about dressing appropriately
for the occasion.

That’s right!

Even though I’m over 40 years old, I’m not too old for kawaii ~ I just make sure that I dress appropriately for each situation.  This way, I can wear kawaii and still look and feel like the responsible adult that I am.

And you can wear kawaii too, no matter your age, because kawaii is for everyone 💝

I understand that kawaii is an alternative fashion, so I stand out when I wear it.  I live in the United States, and tops with sailor flaps are not the norm ~ at all.  Collared shirts with cute bow ties are not the norm, either.  Anime t-shirts, school girl uniforms, wearing tons of pastel colors… All those little accents, small as they are, turn heads where I live.

The trick is to turn heads in a positive way, not a negative one.

I want people to look at me in delight, not in anger.  And although you can’t control how other people will react, you can… to a degree.  You can have a more positive effect on people by dressing respectfully for the occasion.

For instance, I wouldn’t wear a full-on kawaii outfit to a funeral.  That is NOT appropriate in such a sad setting.  That wouldn’t be respectful to the grieving family, and it would get me more than a few dirty looks.

And on the flip side, wearing a loud kawaii outfit to a wedding wouldn’t be appropriate, either.  Even though it’s a happy occasion, it’s also a formal occasion.  Unless stated otherwise, everyone wears formal attire to weddings.  Plus, I want the attention to be on the bride and groom ~ not me!

I don’t mind changing my wardrobe to fit the occasion.  It helps me to be respectful to others ~ AND it also helps me to feel comfortable, because I always fit in nicely no matter where I am.

And this isn’t about people “not understanding alternative fashion.”  Even people who wear mainstream fashion change their usual style slightly to fit the occasion.  It’s what we do!  It’s the mature and respectful thing to do 😊

That is what it means to “dress your age.”

“Dressing your age” means being considerate.  It means being smart about what you wear that day.

There are many occasions:  quinceañeras , prom, graduation, New Year’s parties, concerts, Renaissance fairs, piano recitals, job interviews, PTA meetings…  They all require us to dress a little differently, and I’m okay with that.

Here’s an example of how I would “change my wardrobe” for the occasion, but still wear kawaii.

Business Casual:

This is for office wear, meetings, or any place with a business casual dress code.  I wouldn’t wear my anime t-shirts or my favorite Care Bears skirt to the office.  That wouldn’t be appropriate and I wouldn’t fit in.  I… would feel quite silly, to be honest.

I would instead wear pretty blouses with some kawaii details and a pencil skirt. This look is still kawaii ~ and yet it still fits the professional setting.

I’m not abandoning my love of kawaii by wearing a serafuku top (picture on the right) with a pencil skirt ~ I’m actually embracing it 🥰 I’m being mature and responsible.

Just like someone who wears mainstream clothes will trade their leggings and tees for a skirt and blouse, I’m trading my everyday pastel school uniform look for a skirt and blouse.  I’m just choosing a slightly kawaii variation of the typical skirt and blouse combo! 🙃

Here are a few more examples of what I wear to different occasions:

To the Grocery Store:

I like wearing some kawaii to the grocery store, but usually, I don’t like getting too many stares when I’m running errands.  Most of the time, I keep it simple.  And on the times I just want to blend in, I’ll just wear normal clothes.

To Church or Other Religious Services:

This look is simple and polite while still being kawaii.  I like limiting my color palette to one or two cute pastels, and I also like to only add one or two extra kawaii items (in this case, a cute bow tie and a pink butterfly purse).

To Babysit.

I want to look kawaii while caring for children.  The kids really love it!  I take care of babies and children ages 1-3, so I choose simple kawaii t-shirts ~ you know, stuff that I wouldn’t mind if it got a little messy.  Baby drool and crayons?  No problem! x-D

To Hang Around the House:

Even though it’s just me and my family, I like to dress kawaii at home, because kawaii is something special I do for myself.  I like feeling cute, so I do have a few outfits that I wear around the house.

To Go Downtown:

When I’m out and about, I try different fashion styles.  I don’t always wear “kawaii” in the traditional sense, but I do wear “cute” outfits.  These are some of my favorites for Spring, Winter, and Autumn!!

~*~

How much kawaii I wear depends on how I feel and what I’m doing that day.

The trick is to think about
what is respectful to others,
appropriate for the occasion,
and comfortable FOR YOU.

It’s not that someone is too old or too young to wear kawaii.  It’s that sometimes, when we wear too much kawaii to the wrong occasion, we look immature ~ like we don’t know how to dress ourselves!

And believe me, I’ve been there before so I’m speaking from experience.

When I was starting out in kawaii, I wanted to stay true to my fashion, and would wear full kawaii outfits when the occasion wasn’t quite right.  This made me stand out in a negative way, and the stares I got were not exactly comfortable.

Once I started changing my style for each occasion, I began to feel much more confident in my kawaii choices 😎 No matter the kind of stares I received (positive or negative), I felt good about myself, because I knew that I was dressed well.

Everyone changes their style slightly based on what they’re doing that day.  That’s totally normal.  I realized that I could dress up or dress down my kawaii and feel much more comfortable 💗 and that’s what I started doing.

And I also realized that THAT is what “dressing your age” is all about!

It’s not about dressing appropriately
for your age,
it’s about dressing appropriately
for the occasion.

THAT is my #1 secret for wearing kawaii over age 40… Over 40, under 40, right at 40… It doesn’t matter because:

Kawaii is for EVERYONE! 🎉

Ultimately, the choice is up to you! 😊 In time, you’ll learn from various experiences what you like and what you don’t like to wear.

For me, “dressing my age” hasn’t meant that I have to give up my youthful kawaii tastes.  I’m actually enjoying kawaii NOW more than I ever have.  Yes, in my 40’s! I’m much more comfortable and confident wearing kawaii because I always dress right for the occasion 🥰

Plus, it’s super fun putting together different outfits for different situations 😁

But let me know in the comments what you think:

Am I too old for kawaii?

Is anyone ever “too old” for kawaii or alternative fashion? Share your thoughts below.

Thank you so much for being here today!

with love,

Princess Himari! (✿◠ v ◠)

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