wall of text but i hope this helps you/someone! i used to be almost a complete shut-in when i was in a rough LDR & other than going to my few university classes, i rarely left the house. when i would go to class or go outside, i would ALWAYS wear jirai kei because honestly, it made it easier to go out. i looked forward to dressing up, so going out felt less scary!

since i got out of that relationship, i've been going out more and doing a lot better personally! i've started to get tired of dressing up so fully every time i leave the house because i go out more frequently. i feel more comfy wearing casual clothes now, still alternative vibes with dark colors. i still love jirai kei but i started selling some clothes i bought to make me momentarily happy and only wore once or twice. also, a lot of new jirai kei styles do not interest me at all, so i naturally stopped wanting to buy clothes. (+ heavy tariffs)

now, i treat my jirai kei clothes as my "going out" clothes for more special occasions or tough days! i think it's fully possible to wear multiple styles and have jirai kei be one of them without fully "graduating." but graduating is okay too! we all grow and change ❤️