Name: Ara
Age: 15
Location: North Carolina
I don't remember how I got into lolita. I think maybe I was just looking for clothes online, or maybe I was reading something about anime and the term popped up. What I do remember is falling head over heels in love with this dress:

This was in eighth grade, and I immediately determined that it was going to be my prom dress. There was no question in my mind that this was what I had been searching for my whole life, nevermind the fact that just moments ago I was unaware I had been searching for anything (except possibly clothes or the title of an elusive anime). Something in the layers of chiffon, scalloped edges and soft cotton spoke to me, pulled me in, invited me to explore further. And explore I did, delving into the white lace, petticoats, tulle, and black ribbon that is gothic lolita. A list of every dress, skirt, shirt, and accessory I wanted someday took up a full eleven pages in my journal, every single one from cosmates.com. This is what I refer to as my 'innocent' stage; before I had even heard of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, Moi Meme Moitie, OPs, JSKs, or anything other than cotton, dress, or lace, really.
Even though they took up so much space in my journal, I never thought this would be something to wear
everyday. I thought
school dance, prom, passover at Bubbhe and Zade's or Christmas at Yaya's. I've never been the patient kind- I want it
right now or not at all- but I obssessed over gothic lolita for months- a passion surpassed only by my love of genetics. We're talking about a girl whose attention span averages about thirty seconds here. My mother began to take notice, but not much.
By the time summer rolled around, I had discovered fanplusfriend.com, along with the concept of wearing lolita on a daily basis. I determined that I wanted a gothloli wardrobe by the start of high school. A sufficient lack of funds informed me that this would not be happening.
Winter: I became more obsessed and more determined to own a lolita wardrobe. I sent my mother links to a few lolita winter coats in the wild hope that she would buy me one. She responded by getting me a long winter coat that I actually like quite a bit, although it's anything but stylish (and certainly not lolita).
Spring: more obsession, more determination, more links sent to my mum. Then my friend Luffy (I call him that because he's obsessed with One Piece) invited me to prom. I jumped at the chance to show my mother my dream dress, but it wouldn't have arrived in time. Still, bound by determination, however, I hunted for almost a week before settling on another (shorter) gothic lolita dress.
Summer: Animazement comes. I, of course, wear my dress, though I am tutted by some for being merely a 'cosplay lolita' and by others for doing such a poor cosplay of Misa- I don't even read Death Note! I attend a a lolita panel and learn what OP, JSK, and various other terms are, and am introduced to the concept of name brands. I also learn more about other types of lolita, but am mostly uninterested in them except for kuro lolita and a few punk lolita outfits.
One month ago: the story finally picks up! I inform my mother of how much I want to own more lolita clothing- I already wear my prom dress to every outing, be it dinner or the movies. To my surprise, she offers to help me and tells me to put together a catalouge of my favorite pieces. As I am doing so, I gain an interest for almost every type of lolita style except guro and ero. In fact, country lolita is fast becoming my favorite, even over gothic. The requirement is that I must clean my room before we order anything. This takes me approximately three weeks, and I finished at something like two in the morning yesterday. We ordered $250 worth of clothing last night and will be ordering another $250 worth today from a different site- which is nothing in the world of Baby and Moi Meme Moitie, so for now I'm sticking to offbrands- and tomorrow I shall sell a good 4/5 of my current wardrobe at our garage sale to make room for all the lace and frills that shall soon inhabit my closet, and also for just a little extra cash. Maybe I'll use it to go to the movies this weekend- dolled up in the only lolita dress I currently own, of course. :)