‘I’m not trying to be a doll, I’m just being me’: Meet the girl who makes everyone stop and stare

Looking at her now you would not be able to imagine that just two years ago this ultimate girly girl was a lover of skinny jeans, hoodies and all things black.

What started off as a hobby for Sofia Pettersen-Janes soon spiralled out of control and has now become part of her every day life.

People have criticised her for dressing like a doll and simply acting like this for attention. But she says this is just her being herself.

Sofia said: “I’m not dressing like a doll, I’m dressing like me. I don’t wear it to get attention. I wear it because it is pretty.”

Lolita lover Sofia

Sofia back in 2012

The first year textile student at Nottingham Trent first fell in love with this style, known as Lolita fashion, a few years ago.

Since then she has been filling her wardrobe with petticoats, wigs and bundles of bows.

But this obsession does not come cheap. Over the summer alone, she has spent over £1000 on new dresses and accessories for her collection and she says she still has her sights set on more.

She said: “I never thought that I would be able to afford enough dresses that would allow me to reach a point where I could wear these clothes every day.

“It all started when I fell in love with one really expensive dress and now I just can’t stop myself from buying more and more.”

Inside her wardrobe

Her most expensive dress is worth £260. Usually when someone buys a dress for this amount of money they save it for special occasions – but not Sofia.

This is just one of many “day dresses” that she has treated herself to and apparently it’s a steal.

More desirable dressed can be sold for over £500 each.

Sofia wearing her most expensive dress

Although most of the time Sofia receives compliments off people she passes in the street, there have been several occasions where she’s been criticised and yelled at.

“Is that Little Bo Peep?”

“You look so stupid and ugly, why are you wearing that?”

“You’re the girl who dresses like a doll…why do you dress like that all the time?”

These are just some of the insults that she gets hurtled at her. Sophia shrugs it off.

She added: “I’m not dressed up, this is just normal for me.

“It is a shame that some people can’t see that I am just being myself.”

The most annoying thing that people do is take “discreet” pictures of her when they think she is not looking.

She said: “If people want a picture of me in my outfit I wish they would just ask.”

Since she has started at Trent she has received positive reactions from the students around her.

“I feel that Uni is the perfect place for me to dress how I want and not worry about what people have to say.

“It is really important to wear what you like and what makes you happy. That’s what I do and it’s working for me.”