La Farfa: A Plus Size Japanese Fashion Magazine for "Marshmallow Girls"

Inspired by Victoria Suzanne Stella Alice's recent blog post (aka: Parfait Doll), I also wanted to share this amazing article about the first ever Japanese fashion magazine for the every day, plus size gals out there, La Farfa! (You can also read the original article here and here.)

 This magazine is specifically created for the larger, curvy gals that they call "pocchari" or "marshmallow girls" that completely bucks the trend of the ideal "skinny" girl that are plastered on the covers and glossy pages of magazines all over the world. And I think this is a monumental step for the fashion world, absolutely fantastic!

You can flip through any fashion magazine, regardless of its origin, and most of the time you will only see the typical media enhanced images of women who are airbrushed to be thinner, as they try to obtain that "ideal" but unrealistic, and completely impossible version of "perfection." Pushing this idea of the perfect weight, the perfect size, and perfect shape according to the fashion industry and media is something that effects women and girls, of every age, everywhere as this unattainable image of beauty that they can't acheive and results in a lot of negative thinking, especially about one's body. As a culture, this forces a lot of those ideas into women's heads which get internalized, and when they look in the mirror all they see are these "mistakes" about their bodies, which is complete malarkey!

And as a designer, as a woman, I find that absurd. As that one Girl Code meme says:
 

Because the "ideal" is unattainable, a lot of girls find that their natural state of beauty is flawed, imperfect, and therefore makes them "ugly" or "not pretty" or undesirable to women or men. I see so many gorgeous photos of girls on Tumblr and they are actually apologizing to viewers because they "look tired" or their face "looks weird", etc etc, and it absolutely baffles me. And then there are the comments/messages from girls around the world to their internet famous lolita idols asking, "How do I look like you? How do I wear what you wear without looking stupid or ugly because I'm a bigger girl, or a taller girl, or have ____ body shape?"

A lot of my curvy friends always feel like they have to cover up, or clothes have to be designed a certain way to hide parts of their body that they find are too embarrassing to show, regardless if it's lolita or just normal ready to wear. Curvy girls shouldn't have to cater to fashion, fashion should be catering to them as a market. They should be able to wear silhouetted garments that are cute, and flatter their body type and shape.

There's some negative commentary in one of the articles about how the magazine is confusing a cute term with girls that simply should lose weight, or are fat, and should be dismissed altogether. Typical responses to anything that gives positive reinforcement to girls who are simply different, and bucking against the fake "ideal" of society. But I think Seina responded beautifully and with class.

In which, Goto Seina responds cleverly and cheerfully, on an article for JapanCrush (which I will not link because of the ignorant commentary in response to the article:)

"Goto Seina, who is actually introduced in the pages of the magazine as a marshmallow girl, is positive: “Of course there will be different opinions — people who say ‘you’re a pig’ or ‘you’re a fatty’, but for me, [marshmallow girl] makes me really happy”. Goto also said that she would be happy if the term “marshmallow girl” would spread, and she’s happy if she or the magazine help people to know about it."

And that's where La Farfa and Goto Seina come in, and they're like "**** that, we are marshmallow girls and we can rock anything, any time, with any body type!" There has been a huge boost of body positive media floating around the internet this year, but this magazine really tops it! Not only are they putting actual girls on the runway, with real curves, and real bodies, but they are designing clothes that are ADORABLE. Look at Goto Seina rocking that mini skirt, short shorts, and heels, and there are some with thigh highs: she looks flawless! (I also loved that for the fashion show they picked real life readers of the magazine as models! See pics here.)

Particularly in Japan, there is this misconception that plus size girls just shouldn't exist because they need to lose weight to conform with the rest of the society. So I love the idea that La Farfa, a Japanese fashion magazine, is advocating to combat fat shaming, and negative body imagery, with this idea of "marshmallow girls" which gives a softer, cuter, positive ideal for plus size girls. (I mean, shoot, you guys know I'm a sucker for pro-body image/ideas of any variety, so this just delights me to no end as its right up my fashion alley!)

To quote my adorable, curvy friend in response to the article: "I don't know if this means I am squishy and enjoyable or delicious after being toasted over open flame. Either way, I am pleased." (My friend also proposed the idea of "pixie stick girls" for those of us, like me, who are extremely short and petite who fit into nothing because we are so tiny, which made me chuckle. I believe she's on to something there!)

I really applaud La Farfa for giving plus size girls all around the world a magazine that promotes such cute clothing with the idea that girls of all shapes, sizes, and silhouettes are beautiful. I hope this advocates in the industry globally and we start to see more and more magazines created for the natural beauties of the world!

It is personally inspiring to me, and more and more I want to learn how to draft patterns for my curvy princesses so I can be skilled enough to also make them beautiful garments. : 3 I really look forward to seeing more of these kinds of articles, magazines, and posts! I hope you too found it inspiring and positive!

Go, go, go marshmallow girls and girls of all shapes, sizes, and types everywhere!

And in conclusion to quote the Militant Baker from the article, "Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls... So I Will:"

"You are fucking beautiful. I'm saying this with a straight face and seriously meaningful look where I maintain eye contact for an uncomfortable amount of time. I know you don't feel like you fit into the category of gorgeous that our world creates. I know that its hard. I know that it's a daily battle. But fuck their fascist beauty standards. The second you stop looking for a skinny model in your mirror and start looking at YOU... is the second you will start to appreciate what you are. Stop looking for flaws. Stop looking for differences. You are perfect. You are more than enough. You are the best thing that has ever happened to you. And you are fucking beautiful." -Militant Baker

Pop Princess: Fall/Winter Jewels

First off, I want to say thank you! ^-^ Today, we've officially surpassed the 1000 view mark on the Pop Princess blog, and I must say I am pleased as punch to see that! ☆ So thank you for reading and being so super awesome! ♡ It makes me happy to know someone other than one by the username of Miss Cookie, who I suspect is my kitty cat, is reading it. Ha! : p

I thought I would give a quick introduction to our new jewelry line up that's in the process of being started for our Fall/Winter collection. This year's theme is inspired of course by our collection theme of fairy tales like Alice in Wonderland, cute sweets, Victorian cutlery, and jiggly jiggle jelloooo.

Mmm, a spoon full of sugar, and something else to snack on!

There seems to be a lot of interest in Victorian spoons, and other cutlery among the lolita community lately so I wanted to add some accessories to go with it. These are actually inspired by all the different chocolate series/collections that Angelic Pretty offers! I had a lot of fun making the little chocolate pieces, trying my hand at some painting, and other ways just playing.

When I saw these little heart jello pieces in their cutie pastels and shining in the sunlight, I couldn't help but buy them! They are too cute for words, and so shiny! *o* They look exactly like real jello does, except it's not a viscous elastic polymer of course... just acrylic plastic. Almost the same, I swear! These were also inspired by AP's Jewelry Jelly print, which I have slowly grown fond of. 

Cookie Cat! How did you get on that cameo?!

And of course, we can't forget about our fairy tale theme! On the right is a beautiful, glass and gold gilded pendant that comes from the rose glass in Beauty and the Beast. On the right, a simple Victorian Queen cameo of my Cookie Cat, whom I would love to dress like that, but fear it shall never be!

They're so cuuuuute, I can't stop making them!! D :

And lastly of course, my beloved sweet ice cream, whip cream parfait necklaces! I can't help it... they are addictive! They are so fun to make, and so soothing. It's like crafting teeny tiny pastries, and I like looking at them all lined up on my shelf as if they were in a bakery shop display. (Am I telling you too much? I might just scare you off...) Plus! I finally discovered how to mix paint with my whip cream, so now I am introducing some fun new creamy colors in pink, blue, violet, and well others!

I hope you enjoy them! They'll be up for sale on Etsy some point next month! ^-^

What other kinds of cute jewelry would you like to see more of? <3

Angelic Pretty Toy Fantasy Hooded Salopette: A Review!

When I first stumbled upon this adorable salopette back in 2011 (I can't believe it has been that long!!) on Angelic Pretty's Japanese website, I think I had a mild heart attack from how absurdly cute it was. The print, silhouette, and of course the hooded bunny ears are what really sold me on it. I was almost immediately struck with Cupid's arrow, just head over heels love sick, with perhaps a little hint of lust thrown in. It had just been put up for sale, and for a moment I was struck with a desperate need to have it in my life! The white colorway resonated to the perfect harmony of my heart, it was so clean and crisp, and the pastel bunnies, bears, and giraffes stood out staring up at me from their places with wide eyes calling my name, saying "Buy us, Annika, let us follow you home!" I could imagine swishing around it, twirling and skipping about, tugging the bunny ears and chasing around our own little fluffy daughter, Hopscotch, and going "weeee!" in my head all excited.

AP: Toy Fantasy Salopette 2011, Sax Blue Colorway

I remember just staring at the photos, and clicking through them over and over again then looking at the price tag with a heavy sigh... ¥19,740, or $250 USD, and that wasn't even with international shipping. At the time, I was in the middle of my junior year in the midst of finalizing the last of my core fashion design classes and was drowning in expenses for all the supplies required for our projects... it wasn't going to happen. Simple as that. I had to worry about the priorities and necessities first. I barely was scraping by as it was, going to the store and wondering if I could afford food or medicine, and what could I get right now and what could I worry about later. I bookmarked the page because I thought at the very least I could just look at it, keep an eye on it, and perhaps by some miracle it would go on sale later and perhaps I could ask Santa for it. With a heavy heart, I closed the open web page.

Our little bun bun, Hopscotch

When I reopened the web page for a peek at the salo a few days later, I was crushed. It had sold out as quickly as it had been listed. I knew it was a long shot, and I knew in all reality that there was no way I could have gotten it but it still filled me with such a heavy heart knowing I would probably never see it again. Out of the Toy Fantasy series, the salo was the most rare of all the garments as Angelic Pretty had only made a specific quantity of them, and had no hope for a re-release. When a print strikes you like that, you can't help but feel a little less fulfilled and disappointed when the opportunity passes you by. For a couple months after selling out, I scoured the internet (Google, Japanese sale sites of all kinds, auction sites, EGL comm sales, you name it) just in hopes to see it for sale again from anyone, anywhere. But no luck. So I gave up on having it.....

AP: Toy Fantasy Close Up Print

Then with a pleasant sort of surprise in my slow hunt for other prints this summer of 2012, I started seeing the salopettes emerging from the woodwork of girls' closets in Japan and showing up on different auction sites, especially Mbok. Every time I saw one, I had to bookmark the page, even if it wasn't the colorway I wanted. I was just excited it. It was impulsive. I had to. It excited me, and sort of reignited that hope that perhaps now that I had graduated and had been saving up money from Etsy sales that just maybe...maybe I would find the white colorway, and it could be mine. Black, black, black, pink... these were the colorways that kept showing up on the Japanese auction sites. While I loved the silhouette, but I didn't want these ones. I only wanted the white one, my infamous white whale as it was, and I was determined to have it or nothing at all!

Then... out of the blue, just purely by accident, I clicked on a link in the EGL Comm Sales and there it was...

Original Photo by LJ user: sweetjuju0425

My heart stopped! I stared at it with wide eyes. It was there. It had just been posted that day, literally minutes ago. And no one had asked about buying it yet. For sale by Livejournal user, sweetjuju0425! I read the requirements/rules for purchase from the seller with haste, pouring over the content as fast as I could take it in. The girl selling it explained the piece, especially the color of the salo, was very rare and had been difficult to acquire. It was one of the most popular. She even had the little purse that went with it! I looked at the line "payment plan available" and my breath sort of stuck in my chest. I immediately started pounding away on the keyboard logging in to my Paypal account, then on to my calculator.

I had saved enough... it was a lot of money, but if I wanted to I could actually do it. I think that scared me more than the idea of not having it, the idea that I could actually have it! ---how long had I waited for it? what was the likelihood of me seeing it...EVER again? and for heaven sake's just message the girl and stop hesitating about it, because it made me happy it was worth it.

With bated breath, I pushed the send message asking the seller, fingers crossed and praying that someone else had beaten me to it as usual. After dancing around Livejournal being glitchy, we finally got in touch and within an hour Judy and I were emailing. Right away, I knew how super sweet and nice the seller was, and she kindly offered me a very generous payment plan so long as I could make the deposit. It took me about a month and a half to finish paying off the last bit of the salopette, and Judy was always in contact with me every step of the way and always so sweet about our transactions. She was such a peach, and made me more excited to have one of my dream pieces because she was excited for me to have it! In mid August, I finished! And then began the wait!

I stalked the post office's website, tracking the movements of the salo like a lion stalking a gazelle across grassy plains, to cuddle with of course not to eat! : o My little feet wiggled happily when I saw it coming closer and closer to where I lived, but I was also impatient in my head grumbling, "Come faster you beautiful salo! I can't wait another moment! I want to be a bunny, I want to be a bunny!" I was fairly convinced that I would attack the postman or postwoman when I saw them, raid their little white truck, pitching out boxes and packages until I found mine and then scurrying away into the house with it clutched to my chest. It would be my first Angelic Pretty purchase!

I waited and waited, and waited for what seemed like forever! The tracking info said it was finally in my city and I was even more impatient... I didn't want to leave the house because I was afraid I would miss the mail. The time dragged by! It was 3:30 pm and the mail should have come. But no mailman!! Where was the devious postal deliverer and were they skipping around in my salopette?! I checked the tracking info:

"Delivered at 1:00 pm."

WHAT? What are you talking about. I went out to the mailbox, no postman or truck in sight, no one had rang the doorbell to deliver, and opened the box. The mail person had just crushed the package into the box. Oh what a heinous crime! How blasphemous! Cradling the poor package against my chest, I ran back inside to rip it open like a kid in a candy store, too excited for words!

Wrapped neatly in a plastic packaging, along with a violet teddy bear key chain, and a hand written note was my Toy Fantasy Salopette. Finally, just waiting for me to open it up and swing around the room like a long lost love! The mailman had irrevocably caused it to be very wrinkly but I didn't care, I wanted to take photos!

Oh gosh, it is so cute, so cute, so cuteeeee! Even more adorable in person! Angelic Pretty has done a fine job with their intricate top stitching details, the heart buttons, and I was surprised to find that it was fully lined with a nice white silky fabric.

The pink chemical lace trim they have at the faux center front is decorated with tiny little stars, and polka dots with just a hint of gather for a more frilly feel. I kind of like that they didn't use hearts for the lace, not that hearts aren't cute, but I think stars are less used. The other lace they used was a 1/4 inch scallop lace tucked inside the princess seams.

The straps of course are adjustable, but I think i would have preferred if the little metal things weren't there that attach to the heart button. I would have rather they were fastened from the inside with another button so it didn't take away from the neckline of the blouse. The hood is also fully lined, and the ears accented with a pink polka dot contrast fabric. I kind of like that the fabric is a gauze-y material, which makes it a little sheer, and allows me to see the details of the insides. I like seeing how things are made, where they clipped the curves, how much, that sort of thing.

I really, really love this salopette so much! It looks simple, but is really intricate in the little details which is what makes it so special. I love the tiered gathered ruffles, even if they are very difficult to iron out. But the print of the tiny animals and the bunny hooded ear just delight me in every way! I am so glad I waited! ^-^ <3 I can't wait to make myself a cute blouse to go with it, and plan a proper coord!!!

Pop Princess' Royal Court

During my blogging days, I would like to feature another indie designer whom I admire once in awhile and bestow them the admiration and praise they deserve! I will welcome them into my royal court and feature a link of their choice on my blog for you to stroll over for a visit at leisure!
Sounds neat right? Let me know if you'd like to be considered, cutie!

For our first new royal member of the Candy Kingdom, I would like to welcome a long time honoree and much admired indie designer.......

Natascha at : www.pinkhellokitty.etsy.com , aka: Insanely Sweet!

For many years now, back when she was calling her shop Ginerbread Jewelry, I have immensely cooed and swooned over the scrumptious, delightful designs that can only be found at Natascha's Etsy! She creates more than mere trinkets which seem to litter the market place, but carefully crafted designs of a candied wonderland, created by an equally as sweet and talented soul.

Featured are a few of her older designs, which I still love very much! Over time her style has evolved to a perfect sugary confection of delight, and each once is carefully crafted by hand and gleams with the love of its creator. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent favoriting her items on Etsy and always looking forward to the next batch of goodies! (I personally own the picnic basket necklace below, one filled with cookies! Yum!) Each piece is as unique as a snowflake and you'll never see another created like it in the whole world, which creates a sense of something completely special, as if it was made just for you.






Natascha, herself, is one of the most creative and kindest sellers that I've had the pleasure to work with. Her talent and unique perspective is one without parallel, and I assure you will fall as quickly in love with her designs as I did. You can see where her designs get their sweetness from, enough to give you a toothache! ^_~ Go check out her shop and see if your next visit isn't to the dentist....

If you're looking for quick sweet fix, visit her blog at: http://gingerbreadjewelry.blogspot.com/

*All designs featured belong to the lovely Natascha!