I got back from an anime convention the other day. I've been going to them for about fourteen years now and I've seen anime get more and more popular overtime. With popularity comes acceptance and with acceptance comes younger and younger people participating in more parts of these events.

After years of being used to old women and guys dressing up in sailor uniforms as part of cosplay, I finally saw it:
There was a real fourteen year old girl wearing a sailor outfit in the convention center. I couldn't tell what character it was from, but it was green. She was standing with her mom, who was old and haggard, on the escalator. The girl was fairly attractive with short hair, so nothing too spectacular, but everything about the presentation was just so correct. The costume almost didn't look like a costume on her, as if it had been designed for her to wear. The length of the skirt, the childish-yet-formal blouse, everything was meant for her age and body type.

I couldn't help but stare, even as she saw me and her mom started looking at me as well. Then, as I exited the escalator, I figured out why sairafuku was so prevalent in Japan for as long as it was.