1/6/2024 0 Comments Classic lolita coords blackJapanese girl dressed in Sweet Gothic Lolita at a cafe.ĭespite the basic Victorian doll image originating from historical Europe, Lolita’s cute and feminine style flourished in Japan due to the fact that the concept of cuteness and sweetness has historically not been restricted to children ( Monden 2008). With the beginning of the kawaii craze, literally translated as cute craze, of the 1970s, cuteĪesthetics in the form of teddy bears, curly handwriting and ‘girly’ consumer goods such as Hello Kitty merchandise, began to gain momentum within Japanese popular culture and soaring into mainstream popularity during the 1980s ( Winge 2008). By the time Visual Kei rock bands such as Malice Mizer, emerged in the 1990s, the Lolita subculture had been born (Rahman, Wing-Sun, Lam and Mong-Tai 2011). The impact Visual Kei bands have on their audiences through androgyny and unique fashion trends turned out to be the perfect medium for the spread of Lolita aesthetics beyond Japan, across East Asia and by the early 2000s with globalizing new technology, into the Western World (Porzio 2012).Ī group of Western Lolitas meet up for a picnic to socialize, take pictures and discuss the fashion. The Lolita style itself ranges across a variety of sub-genres such as Sweet Lolita seen in Angelic Pretty, Classic Lolita seen in Victorian Maiden, Gothic Lolita seen in Moi-même-Moitié, Pirate Lolita seen in Alice and the Pirates and the lesser-known Grotesque Lolita seen in Blah Blah Hospital. By promoting demure mannerisms and sweet femininity without the traditional passivity ascribed sexualized women, the style offers participants resistance against conventional cultural pressures and happiness via an escape into fantasy ( Kang and Cassidy 2015, Monden 2008). This visual performance of self for personal gain is only possible due to the fluid nature of the Lolita’s structure of self. There may be many real and ideal selves the individual is attempting to balance via participation in the community and dressing up (Rahman, Wing-Sun, Lam and Mong-Tai 2011). Who they are, what they think of themselves, how they wish others to perceive them all come together in the constant search for and construction of identity that is Lolita whether this be by consumer purchases, DIY projects, forum participation or even behavior in public.Īn art piece published online depicting a fantastical Lolita character with black wings and purple hair dressed in pink lace with a bonnet.Īlthough the Lolita’s identity is heavily dependent on clothing and bodily adornment, everyday participation while in school or work is not necessary for authenticity within the group (Porzio 2012). This is due to the fact that balancing dual selves and the complexity of one’s identity is part of the essence of Lolita. What participation in the group provides is the opportunity to construct one of your ideal selves and become that individual for a short time, escaping tough circumstances, relieving stress or simply having fun. The ideals of a Lolita beyond visual cuteness include dignity, manners, maintaining a proper appearance, demure behavior and lady-like speech (Zi Young and Cassidy 2015, Gagne 2008).
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