This is to state i) What is a Lala? ii)Is it cosplay? iii) The Lala's distinct features.
And also, reference links can be found at:
Xiao Rui's and
Lisa's.
i) A Lala, in its most original form, is a type of mussel, often associated with clams. See
here for more details. 'Lala' can also mean flirt/slutty, usually used for High School girls who have a tendency to go to shopping centers, even when there's nothing to buy, just to show off. They also tend to hang around in groups, camwhore, talk about boys, make-up, boys, clothes, cosmetics, boys and boys. They also like to exaggerate, be dramatic and fake. They are overly concerned about their looks, are materialistic, also like giggling in a group and titter. Yes, titter. Like a bird.
ii) Although Lalas like to play dress up, they are not, in the least, cosplaying. Cosplaying is dressing up as a character in a book/manga/anime/movie. Lalas have their own "fashion", which means they like to wear puffy skirts, low tops, vests, neckties loosely looped aroung their necks, and usually thigh-high or knee-length socks. Clothes are usually pink, black or pink and black. They like anything remotely "cute" and has a tendency to exclaim loudly "Oh dear! This is so cute-" holds up a pair of jeans that has so little material charging it $80 is daylight robbery-"but I don't have enough money! Oh, never mind! I'll just use my school fees!" They are also ruthless when it comes to buying accessories. They normally prefer thick, bright bangles and hanging loop earrings. "Pair necklaces" are also now the IT thing to wear. They want to look showy. They look like Christmas trees in drag.
iii) The use of a camera is to keep a memory. Not so in a Lala's case. She uses a camera to keep pictures. Of herself. Although camwhoring is not entirely For Lalas Only, it is certainly their favorite hobby. Swing a camera in their direction and lips are pursed, fingers in the "V" shape, eyelashes flutter and head tilted downwards. Their "successful" pictures are this: sees only the face-and maybe a bit of the fringe, using sepia so everything is brown. Hand-shake off to get that blurry effect. Smack in the middle are the eyes, wide and huge. Lips can be either pursed, curled back or pouted, just to get that "full lips" effect. Maybe a finger on the lips. Will later be photoshopped until unrecognizable. This, they will say, is THE perfect picture.
[edit] The camera also has to be tilted at some point, as long as it's not straight. And also they aren't tilted at acceptable degrees like 45˚. They like it to look like some kind of Leaning Tower of Pisa-ish photo. Except, of course, the tower isn't shown in the picture. [/edit]
Also, they say, the whole point of having hair on their head is to make it a fashion statement. While we normal people know hair is actually our body's insulators, Lala's see it as something that needs an extra dose of "oomph" because, after all, it only has one color. They also think of body hair as stray weeds. Twice a week they will get their arm and leg hairs removed, and then shiver in the cold of a A/C shopping mall. Their hair, as afore mentioned, is not kept in tidy practical ways. They have bangs that reach eye-level, hair cut in layers and gelled meticulously to resemble a hedgehog. Or a bird's nest. They also like that "floaty" feeling, which will explain their fondness for puffy hair. Spiders also like their puffy hair.
Ps. for ii), the male Lala will look like a pimp. Usually they are pimps. And for non-high-school girls, they will dye their hair a wide assortment of colors. Then it'll look like melted M&Ms in ice-cream.
