:Lolita fashion

The main feature of Lolita fashion is the volume of the skirt, created by wearing a petticoat or crinoline.{{harvnb|Valdimarsdótti|2015|p=21}}{{harvnb|Hardy Bernal|2011|p=23}} The skirt can be either bell-shaped or A-line shaped.{{harvnb|Robinson|2014|p=39}} Components of the Lolita wardrobe consist most importantly of a blouse (long or short sleeves) with a skirt or a dress, such as a jumperskirt (JSK), or a one-piece (OP), which usually come to the knees.{{harvnb|Gatlin|2014|p=79}}{{Cite thesis|last=Hardy Bernal|first=Kathryn A.|date=2019|title=Lolita Latina : an examination of Gothic and Lolita Style in the Mexican environment : a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Visual and Material Culture, College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand|url=https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/15329|url-status=live|access-date=18 May 2021|publisher=Massey University|type=Thesis|archive-date=17 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517224003/https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/15329}} Lolitas frequently wear wigs in combination with other headwear such as hair bows or bonnets (similar to poke bonnets). Lolitas can also wear Victorian style drawers under their petticoats. For further effect, some Lolitas use knee socks, ankle socks, or tights, together with either high heels or flat shoes, often decorated.

Although the origin of the fashion is unclear, at the end of the 1970s a new movement known as Otome (乙女) was founded, which slightly influenced Lolita fashion since Otome means maiden and maiden style looks like a less elaborated Lolita style.{{dubious|date=November 2024}} Before Otome-kei emerged, there was already a rise of cuteness culture in the earlier seventies; during this period there was a strong emphasis on cute and childish handwriting in Japanese schools.{{harvnb|Coombes|2016|p=28}}{{cite journal |url=http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/element/bwmeta1.element.desklight-5ce7475b-0ff6-4d82-8767-082e9ba5cdf1/c/ |last=Koma |first=K. |year=2013 |title=Kawaii as Represented in Scientific Research: The Possibilities of Kawaii Cultural Studies |journal=Hemispheres, Studies on Cultures and Societies |issue=28 |pages=103–117 |access-date=10 February 2018 |archive-date=12 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812213605/http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/element/bwmeta1.element.desklight-5ce7475b-0ff6-4d82-8767-082e9ba5cdf1/c/ |url-status=live }}{{harvnb|Christopherson|2014|p=5}} As a result, the company Sanrio began experimenting with cute designs.{{harvnb|Coombes|2016|p=29}} The cuteness style, known as kawaii style, became popular in the 1980s.{{harvnb|Valdimarsdótti|2015|p=29}}{{harvnb|Onohara|2011|p=35}} After Otome Do-It-Yourself became popular, which led to the emergence of a new style called 'dolly-kei', the predecessor of Lolita fashion.{{harvnb|Hardy Bernal|2011|pp=119–121}}

Between 1977 and 1998, a large part of the Harajuku shopping district closed for car traffic on Sundays. The result was an increase in interaction between pedestrians in Harajuku.{{harvnb|Valdimarsdótti|2015|p=13}} When brands like {{Lang|ja|PINK HOUSE}} (1973),{{harvnb|Hardy Bernal|2011|p=119}} Milk (1970), and Angelic Pretty (1979){{harvnb|Christopherson|2014|p=24}} began to sell cute clothing, it resulted in the emergence of a new style that would later become known as 'Lolita'.{{harvnb|Coombes|2016|p=35}}

The term 'Lolita' first appeared in the fashion magazine Ryukou Tsushin in the September 1987 issue. Shortly after that, Baby, The Stars Shine Bright (1988), Metamorphose temps de fille (1993),{{cite web|url=http://www.metamorphose.gr.jp/english/_aboutus/index.htm|title=About Metamorphose|publisher=Metamorphose|access-date=25 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040923200754/http://www.metamorphose.gr.jp/english/_aboutus/index.htm|archive-date=23 September 2004|url-status=dead}} and other brands emerged. In the 1990s, Lolita became more accepted, with visual kei bands like Malice Mizer and others rising in popularity. These band members wore elaborate clothes that fans began to adopt. During this time Japan went through an economic depression,{{harvnb|Hardy Bernal|2011|p=168}} leading to an increase in alternative youth and fashion cultures such as gyaru, otaku, visual kei, and Lolita, as well as visual-kei-inspired clothing such as Mori, Fairy Kei, and Decora.{{harvnb|Gatlin|2014|pp=37, 61}} The Lolita style spread quickly from the Kansai region and finally reached Tokyo.{{citation needed|reason=Unknown statement?|date=February 2018}} Partly due to the economic difficulties, there was large growth in the cuteness and youth cultures that originated in the seventies.

In the late nineties, the Jingu Bashi (also called the Harajuku Bridge) became known as a meeting place for youth who wore Lolita and other alternative fashion,{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1177/0011392106066816|title = Japanese Teens as Producers of Street Fashion|journal = Current Sociology|volume = 54|issue = 5|pages = 784–801|year = 2006|last1 = Kawamura|first1 = Yuniya|s2cid = 144670266}}{{Cite book |last=Kawamura |first=Yuniya |doi = 10.2752/9781474235327/KAWAMURA0006a|chapter = Geographically and Stylistically Defined Japanese Subcultures|title = Fashioning Japanese Subcultures|year = 2012|pages=43–50 |isbn = 9781474235327}}{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1111/j.1548-1395.2008.00006.x|title = Urban Princesses: Performance and "Women's Language" in Japan's Gothic/Lolita Subculture|journal = Journal of Linguistic Anthropology|volume = 18|pages = 130–150|year = 2008|last1 = Gagné|first1 = Isaac}} and Lolita became more popular, causing a surge in warehouses selling Lolita fashion.{{cite web|url=http://www.maridari.com/2007/11/29/tokyo-day-7-part-3-gothic-lolita-marui-one-marui-young-shinjuku/|title=Tokyo Day 7 Part 3 – Gothic Lolita, Marui One, Marui Young Shinjuku|access-date=8 August 2017|archive-date=22 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022124047/http://www.maridari.com/2007/11/29/tokyo-day-7-part-3-gothic-lolita-marui-one-marui-young-shinjuku/|url-status=live}} Important magazines that contributed to the spread of the fashion style were the Gothic & Lolita Bible (2001), a spin-off of the popular Japanese fashion magazine {{Lang|ja|KERA}} (1998), and FRUiTS (1997).{{cite web|url=https://thebolditalic.com/pretty-in-pink-the-bold-italic-san-francisco-b550e88cd14c|title=Pretty in Pink|publisher=The Bold Italic Editors|access-date=9 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808220110/https://thebolditalic.com/pretty-in-pink-the-bold-italic-san-francisco-b550e88cd14c?gi=6c9be6ac07a6|archive-date=8 August 2017|date=2010-04-08}}{{harvnb|Onohara|2011|p=33}} It was around this time that interest in and awareness of Lolita fashion began entering countries outside of Japan, with the Gothic & Lolita Bible being translated into English and distributed outside of Japan through the publisher Tokyopop,{{cite web|url=http://manga.about.com/od/mangaartistswriters/a/JWinterberg.htm|title=Interview: Jenna Winterberg and Michelle Nguyen – Page 1, Aoki, Deb.|publisher=Manga About|access-date=11 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080330003651/http://manga.about.com/od/mangaartistswriters/a/JWinterberg.htm|archive-date=30 March 2008|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.japanesestreets.com/reports/428/gothic-lolita-bible-soon-in-english|title=Gothic & Lolita Bible in English|publisher=Japanese Streets|access-date=8 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808213007/http://www.japanesestreets.com/reports/428/gothic-lolita-bible-soon-in-english|archive-date=8 August 2017}} and FRUiTS publishing an English picture book of Japanese Street Fashion in 2001. As the style became further popularized through the Internet, more shops opened abroad, such as Baby, The Stars Shine Bright in Paris (2007) and in New York (2014).{{cite web|url=http://aramajapan.com/news/baby-stars-shine-bright-tokyo-rebel-open-retail-locations-new-york/936/|title=Baby, the Stars Shine Bright and Tokyo Rebel to open retail locations in New York|publisher=Arama! Japan|access-date=8 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808213532/http://aramajapan.com/news/baby-stars-shine-bright-tokyo-rebel-open-retail-locations-new-york/936/|archive-date=8 August 2017|date=July 2014}}

Over time, the youth that gathered in Harajuku or at Harajuku Bridge disappeared. One possible explanation is that the introduction of fast fashion from retailers H&M and Forever 21 caused a reduction in the consumption of street fashion.{{cite web|url=http://aramajapan.com/news/fashion-magazine-kera-to-end-print-publication/73164/|title=Fashion Magazine KERA to End Print Publication|publisher=Arama! Japan|access-date=8 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808112828/http://aramajapan.com/news/fashion-magazine-kera-to-end-print-publication/73164/|archive-date=8 August 2017|date=2017-03-30}}{{cite news|url=https://qz.com/909573/japans-wild-creative-harajuku-street-style-is-dead-long-live-uniqlo/|title=Japan's wild, creative Harajuku street style is dead. Long live Uniqlo|work=Quartz|access-date=8 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808125758/https://qz.com/909573/japans-wild-creative-harajuku-street-style-is-dead-long-live-uniqlo/|archive-date=8 August 2017}} FRUiTS ceased publication while the Gothic & Lolita Bible was put on hiatus in 2017.{{cite magazine|url=https://i-d.co/article/what-the-closure-of-fruits-magazine-means-for-japanese-street-style/|title=What the Closure of FRUiTS Magazine Means for Japanese Street Style|magazine=Vice|access-date=13 June 2018|date=2017-02-06|archive-date=13 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613184409/https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/ywvz3g/what-the-closure-of-fruits-magazine-means-for-japanese-street-style|url-status=live}} As of May 2023, FRUiTS has been brought back as an ePublication with an English-language version.{{Cite news |last=Garcia-Furtado |first=Laia |date=May 8, 2023 |title=FRUiTS, the legendary Japanese Street Style Magazine, is back |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/fruits-magazine-90s-street-style-english-translation |access-date=May 18, 2024 |work=Vogue}}

File:Wedding lolita.jpg

European culture has influenced Lolita fashion. The book Alice in Wonderland (1865),{{harvnb|Coombes|2016|pp=33, 37}}{{harvnb|Hardy Bernal|2011|p=199}} written by Lewis Carroll,{{harvnb|Younker |2011|p=106}}{{harvnb|Coombes|2016|p=7}} has inspired many different brands and magazines,{{Cite thesis |doi = 10.20381/ruor-4249|year = 2015|last1 = Atkinson|first1 = Leia|title = Down the Rabbit Hole: An Exploration of Japanese Lolita Fashion |publisher=University of Ottawa |hdl=10393/32560}} such as Alice Deco. The reason that the character Alice was a source of inspiration for Lolita fashion is that she was an ideal icon for the Shōjo (shoujo)-image,{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1080/09555803.2014.900511|title = Being Alice in Japan: Performing a cute, 'girlish' revolt|journal = Japan Forum|volume = 26|issue = 2|pages = 265–285|year = 2014|last1 = Monden|first1 = Masafumi|s2cid = 143270185}} meaning an image of eternal innocence and beauty.{{harvnb|Hinton|2013|p=1589}} The first complete translation of the book was published by Maruyama Eikon in 1910, translated under the title Ai-chan No Yume Monogatari (Fantastic stories of Ai).{{harvnb|Coombes|2016|p=45}} Another figure from Rococo that served as a source of inspiration was Marie Antoinette;{{harvnb|Younker |2011|p=103}} the manga The Rose of Versailles (Lady Oscar), based on her court, was created in 1979.

File:Mana catwalk moi meme moitie.jpg, pictured at a 2019 fashion show for his brand Moi-même-Moitié, is credited with helping to popularize Gothic Lolita.]]

People who have popularized the Lolita fashion include Yukari Tamura, Mana, and Novala Takemoto. Takemoto wrote the light novel Kamikaze Girls (2002){{harvnb|Staite|2012|p=51}} about the relationship between Momoko, a Lolita girl, and Ichigo, a Yanki. The book was adapted into a movie{{harvnb|Gatlin|2014|p=29}}{{harvnb|Coombes|2016|p=31}}{{harvnb|Staite|2012|p=53}}{{harvnb|Monden|2008|p=25}}{{Excessive citations inline|date=December 2022}} and a manga in 2004. Takemoto claims that "There are no leaders within the Lolita world."{{sfn|Hardy Bernal|2007}}{{harvnb|Hardy Bernal|2007|p=3}} Mana is a musician who is known for popularizing Gothic Lolita fashion, which he calls "EGL," or "Elegant Gothic Lolita." He played in the rock band Malice Mizer (1992–2001) and founded the heavy metal band Moi dix Mois (2002–present). Both bands—whose members are known for eccentric expressions and elaborate costumes—are a part of the visual kei movement. Mana founded his own fashion label, known as Moi-même-Moitié in 1999, which specializes in Gothic Lolita.{{harvnb|Hardy Bernal|2007}}{{harvnb|Hardy Bernal|2011|pp=72–73}}{{harvnb|Coombes|2016|p=39}}{{harvnb|Valdimarsdótti|2015|p=22}} Both bands are very interested in the Rococo period.

The government of Japan has also tried to popularize Lolita fashion. The Minister of Foreign Affairs in February 2009{{cite web|url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/press/2009/2/0226.html|title=Press Conference, 26 February 2009|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan|access-date=12 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812081139/http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/press/2009/2/0226.html|archive-date=12 August 2017}} assigned models to spread Japanese pop culture.{{Cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/31/national/association-formed-to-pitch-lolita-fashion-to-the-world/|title=Association formed to pitch 'Lolita fashion' to the world|access-date=11 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811084344/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/31/national/association-formed-to-pitch-lolita-fashion-to-the-world/|archive-date=11 August 2017|newspaper=The Japan Times |date=2013-05-31}}{{cite journal |last=Borggreen |first=G. |year=2013 |title=Cute and Cool in Contemporary Japanese Visual Arts |journal=The Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=39–60|doi=10.22439/cjas.v29i1.4020 |doi-access=free }}{{Cite book |last=Kawamura |first=Yuniya |doi = 10.2752/9781474235327/KAWAMURA0015|chapter = The Globalization of Japanese Subcultures and Fashion: Future Possibilities and Limitations|title = Fashioning Japanese Subcultures|year = 2012|pages=126–135 |isbn = 9781474235327}} These people were given the title of Kawaa Taishi (ambassadors of cuteness). The first three ambassadors of cuteness were model Misako Aoki, who represents the Lolita style of frills-and-lace, Yu Kimura, who represents the Harajuku style, and Shizuka Fujioka, who represents the school-uniform-styled fashion.{{cite web|url=http://web-japan.org/trends/09_culture/pop090827.html|title=The Kawaii Ambassadors (Ambassadors of Cuteness)|publisher=Trends in Japan|access-date=11 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811101528/http://web-japan.org/trends/09_culture/pop090827.html|archive-date=11 August 2017}} Another way that Japan tries to popularize Japanese street fashion and Lolita is by organizing the international Harajuku walk in Japan, potentially leading other countries to organize similar walks.{{harvnb|Gatlin|2014|p=66}}

Possible reasons for the popularity of Lolita fashion outside of Japan include a growing interest in Japanese culture as well as use of the Internet as a place to share information,{{harvnb|Valdimarsdótti|2015|p=32}}{{harvnb|Mikami|2011|p=46}} leading to an increase in worldwide shopping and the opportunity for enthusiastic foreign Lolitas to purchase fashion items.{{cite journal |url=http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/23676/ |last1=Kang |first1=Z. Young |last2=Cassidy |first2=T. Diane |year=2015 |title=Lolita Fashion: A transglobal subculture |journal=Fashion, Style & Popular Culture |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=371–384 |doi=10.1386/fspc.2.3.371_1 |access-date=11 February 2018 |archive-date=19 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819040638/http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/23676/ |url-status=live }} JK uniforms, hanfu and Lolita are the three most popular types of clothing among China's Gen Z consumers.{{cite web|url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_15332009|title=JK汉服Lolita，"三坑少女"这个冬天有点冷|work=The Paper|date=2021-11-12|language=zh-cn}} The origin of Japanese cultural influence in the West can be traced back to the late nineties when cultural goods such as Hello Kitty, Pokémon,{{harvnb|Mikami|2011|p=34}} and translated manga appeared in the West.{{harvnb|Mikami|2011}} Anime was already being imported to the West in the early nineties,{{harvnb|Plevíková|2017|p=106}} and scholars also mention that anime and manga caused the popularity of Japanese culture to rise.{{harvnb|Mikami|2011|pp=46–55}} This is supported by the idea that cultural streams have been flowing both from Japan to the West, and from the West to Japan.{{harvnb|Hardy Bernal|2011|pp=75–118}}

Lolita originated as a reaction against stifling Japanese society, in which young people are pressured to strictly adhere to gender roles and the expectations and responsibilities that are part of these roles.{{harvnb|Hinton|2013}}{{harvnb|Younker |2011|p=100}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2008/08/07/national/tokyos-lolita-scene-all-about-escapism/|title=Tokyo's Lolita scene all about escapismn|access-date=11 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811100238/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2008/08/07/national/tokyos-lolita-scene-all-about-escapism/ |archive-date=11 August 2017|newspaper=The Japan Times |date=2008-08-07|last1=Talmadge|first1= Eric}}{{cite web|title=Resistance and Self-Expression: Fashion's Power in Times of Difference|url=https://www.notjustalabel.com/editorial/resistance-and-self-expression-fashions-power-times-difference|website=notjustalabel.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-03|archive-date=25 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225015607/https://www.notjustalabel.com/editorial/resistance-and-self-expression-fashions-power-times-difference|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Fashion As Resistance: The Everyday Rebellion|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fashion-as-resistance-the-everyday-rebellion_b_58a5c061e4b0fa149f9ac258|date=2017-02-16|website=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=2020-05-03|archive-date=30 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130183139/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fashion-as-resistance-the-everyday-rebellion_b_58a5c061e4b0fa149f9ac258|url-status=live}}{{Excessive citations inline|date=December 2022}} Wearing fashion inspired by childhood clothing is a reaction against this.{{Cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/07/02/style/lets-talk-100-percent-kawaii/|title=Let's talk 100 percent kawaii!|access-date=6 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806085648/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/07/02/style/lets-talk-100-percent-kawaii/|archive-date=6 August 2017|newspaper=The Japan Times |date=2013-07-02|last1=Thomas|first1=Samuel}}{{harvnb|Robinson|2014}}{{harvnb|Hardy Bernal|2011|p=185}} This can be explained from two perspectives. Firstly, that it is a way to escape adulthood{{harvnb|Hardy Bernal|2011|p=51}}{{cite journal |last=Park |first=J. Joohee |year=2010 |title=Japanese Youth Subcultures Styles of the 2000s |journal=International Journal of Costume and Fashion |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=1–13|doi=10.7233/ijcf.2010.10.1.001 }}{{harvnb|Staite|2012|pp=10–12}}{{harvnb|Mikami|2011|p=64}} and to go back to the eternal beauty of childhood.{{harvnb|Hinton|2013|p=1598}}{{harvnb|Younker |2011|pp=100, 106}} Secondly, that it is an escape to a fantasy world, in which an ideal identity can be created that would not be acceptable in daily life.{{harvnb|Peirson-Smith|2015}}{{Cite journal |doi = 10.2752/175174111X12858453158066|title = "Lolita": Imaginative Self and Elusive Consumption|journal = Fashion Theory|volume = 15|pages = 7–27|year = 2011|last1 = Rahman|first1 = Osmud|last2 = Wing-Sun|first2 = Liu|last3 = Lam|first3 = Elita|last4 = Mong-Tai|first4 = Chan|s2cid = 145769507| url=https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/21691850 }}

Some Lolitas say they enjoy the dress of the subculture simply because it is fun and not as a protest against traditional Japanese society. Other motives could be that wearing the fashion style increases their self-confidence{{harvnb|Haijima|2013|p=40}}{{Cite book |last=Kawamura |first=Yuniya |doi = 10.2752/9781474235327/KAWAMURA0012|chapter = Individual and Institutional Networks within a Subcultural System: Efforts to Validate and Valorize New Tastes in Fashion|title = Fashioning Japanese Subcultures|year = 2012|pages=99–114 |isbn = 9781474235327}}{{harvnb|Berry|2017|p=55}}{{Citation|title=Sugar Coated – A short documentary about Lolita Fashion| date=9 September 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0QSyv8tEgg&list=PLyR_PYYKsy2Wy1ziAHKzP11_iGA_g3v2c|language=en|access-date=2020-05-03|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308160047/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0QSyv8tEgg&list=PLyR_PYYKsy2Wy1ziAHKzP11_iGA_g3v2c|url-status=live}} or to express an alternative identity.{{harvnb|Staite|2012|pp=81–86}}{{harvnb|Mikami|2011|pp=62–63}}

Many of the very early Lolitas in the 1990s hand-made most of their clothing, and were inspired by the Dolly Kei movement of the previous decade. Because of the diffusion of fashion magazines people were able to use Lolita patterns to make their own clothing.{{Citation needed|reason=Where has this been said again?|date=March 2018}} Another way to own Lolita was to buy it second-hand.{{harvnb|Robinson|2014|p=47}} The do-it-yourself behaviour can be seen more frequently by people who cannot afford the expensive brands.{{harvnb|Staite|2012|p=69}}

Once more retail stores began selling Lolita fashion, it became less common for Lolitas to make their own clothing.{{Citation needed|reason=

Where has this been said again?|date=March 2018}} Partly due to the rise of e-commerce and globalization, Lolita clothing became more widely accessible with the help of the Internet. The market was quickly divided into multiple components: one which purchases mainly from Japanese or Chinese internet marketplaces, the other making use of shopping services to purchase Japanese brands, with some communities making larger orders as a group.{{harvnb|Robinson|2014|p=38}} Not every online shop delivers quality Lolita (inspired) products, a notorious example being Milanoo (2014).{{harvnb|Robinson|2014|p=61}} Some web shops sell brand replicas, which is frowned upon by many in this community.{{harvnb|Gatlin|2014|p=93}} A Chinese replica manufacturer that is famous for her replica design is Oo Jia. Second-hand shopping is also an alternative to buying new pieces as items can be bought at a lower price (albeit with varying item condition) and is the sole method of obtaining pieces that are no longer produced by their respective brand.

Many Lolitas consider being photographed without permission to be rude and disrespectful;{{harvnb|Robinson|2014|p=85}}{{harvnb|Gatlin|2014|pp=104–107}}{{harvnb|Hardy Bernal|2011|p=221}} however, some rules differ or overlap in different parts of this community.{{harvnb|Robinson|2014|p=57}} Lolitas often host meetings in public spaces such as parks, restaurants, cafes, shopping malls, public events, and festivals.{{harvnb|Gatlin|2014|pp=103–104}} Some meetings take place at members' homes, and often have custom house rules (e.g. each member must bring their own cupcake to the meeting).{{harvnb|Gatlin|2014|p=68}} Lolita meetings are thus a social aspect of the Lolita fashion community, serving as an opportunity for members to meet one another.{{Citation needed|reason=Where has this been said again?|date=March 2018}} Many Lolitas also used to use Livejournal to communicate, but many have since switched to Facebook groups.{{harvnb|Gatlin|2014|pp=70–72}}

Lolita fashion emerged decades after the publication of Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita (1955).{{harvnb|Christopherson|2014|p=23}} The first Japanese translation was published in 1959. The novel is about a middle-aged man, Humbert Humbert, who grooms and abuses a twelve-year-old girl nicknamed Lolita.{{harvnb|Hinton|2013|p=1584}}{{harvnb|Robinson|2014|p=28}}{{harvnb|Gatlin|2014|p=67}} Because the book focused on the controversial subject of pedophilia and underage sexuality, "Lolita" soon developed a negative connotation referring to a girl inappropriately sexualized at a very young age{{harvnb|Hinton|2013|p=1585}} and associated with unacceptable sexual obsession.{{harvnb|Robinson|2014|p=30}} In Japan, however, discourse around the novel instead built on the country's romanticized girls' culture (shōjo bunka), and came to be a positive synonym for the "sweet and adorable" adolescent girl, without a perverse or sexual connotation.

Lolita was made into a movie in 1962, which did not show the disinterest that the titular character had in being sexualized.{{harvnb|Hinton|2013|pp=1584–1585}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/05/25/lolita-fashion/|title=Lolita Fashion|magazine=The Paris Review|access-date=6 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806085224/https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/05/25/lolita-fashion/ |archive-date=6 August 2017|date=2017-05-25}} Another film adaptation was released in 1997. The 17-year-old Amy Fisher, who attempted to murder the wife of the 35-year-old man who had initiated a sexual relationship with her and whose crime was made into a film called The Amy Fisher Story (1993), was often called the Long Island Lolita. These films reinforced the sexual association.{{harvnb|Hinton|2013|pp=1586–1587}} Other racy connotations were created by Lolita Nylon advertisements (1964){{cite web|url=http://www.knijp.com/nylons_pantys.htm|title= Lolita Nylon Advertisements|access-date=6 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710032001/http://www.knijp.com/nylons_pantys.htm|archive-date=2016-07-10|url-status=live}} and other media that used Lolita in sexual contexts.{{harvnb|Monden|2008|p=34}}

Within Japanese culture the name refers to cuteness and elegance rather than to sexual attractiveness.{{harvnb|Peirson-Smith|2015|p=10}}{{Cite book |doi = 10.2752/BEWDF/EDch6063|chapter = Street and Youth Fashion in Japan|volume = 6|year = 2010|last1 = Tidwell|first1 = Christy| title=East Asia | pages=398–403 |isbn = 9781847888556}} Many Lolitas in Japan are not aware that Lolita is associated with Nabokov's book and they are disgusted by it when they discover such a relation.{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1017/S0040557418000522|title = "Maiden's Armor": Global Gothic Lolita Fashion Communities and Technologies of Girly Counteridentity|year = 2019|last1 = Carriger|first1 = Michelle Liu|journal = Theatre Survey|volume = 60|pages = 122–146|s2cid = 166076744|doi-access = free}} The Japanese sense of "Lolita" also appears in lolicon (from "Lolita complex"),{{harvnb|Coombes|2016|p=33}}{{harvnb|Hinton|2013|p=1593}} a term associated with Russell Trainer's novel The Lolita Complex (1966, translated 1969) and associated with otaku culture. The concept and genre of media reflects a blend between the aesthetic of kawaii and sexual themes in fiction.{{cite book |last1=Zank |first1=Dinah |editor1-last=Berninger |editor1-first=M. |editor2-last=Ecke |editor2-first=J. |editor3-last=Haberkorn |editor3-first=G. |title=Comics as a Nexus of Cultures: Essays on the Interplay of Media, Disciplines and International Perspectives |date=2010 |publisher=McFarland & Company |location=Jefferson, NC |isbn=978-0-7864-3987-4 |chapter=Kawaii vs. rorikon: The reinvention of the term Lolita in modern Japanese manga |pages=211–222}}

Another common confusion is between the Lolita fashion style and cosplay.{{Cite journal|last=Hardy Bernal|first=Kathryn|date=2016|title=Performing Lolita: The Japanese Gothic and Lolita Subculture and Constructing Identity through Virtual Space|journal=Journal of Asia-Pacific Pop Culture|volume=1|issue=1|pages=79–102|doi=10.5325/jasiapacipopcult.1.1.0079|jstor=10.5325/jasiapacipopcult.1.1.0079|s2cid=194483476|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/675394}} Although both originated in Japan, they are different and should be perceived as independent from each other.{{harvnb|Staite|2012|p=2}} One is a fashion style while the other is role-play, with clothing and accessory being used to play a character. However, there may be some overlap between the groups.De opkomst van de mangacultuur in België. Een subcultuuronderzoek., Lora-Elly Vannieuwenhuysen, p. 48, KU Leuven, 2014–2015. This can be seen at anime conventions such as the convention in Göteborg in which cosplay and Japanese fashion is mixed.{{harvnb|Mikami|2011|pp=5–12}} For some Lolitas, it is insulting if people label their outfit as a costume.{{harvnb|Gatlin|2014|p=30}}

File:Lolita dresses at IDO32 (20200118120309).jpg|Hime Lolita

File:Girl in pink lolita fashion.jpg|Classic Lolita

File:Gothic lolita takeshita street.jpg|Shiro/White Lolita (left) and Kuro/Black Lolita (right)

File:Nana Kitade.jpg|Sweet Lolita (Nana Kitade)

File:Misako Aoki à Japan Expo 2014 (14506329019).jpg|Sweet Lolita (Misako Aoki)

File:Sweet Lolita Style Women.jpg|Sweet Lolita

File:Pink gothlolita.jpg|Sweet Lolita

File:Nana Kitade 20070707 Japan Expo 22.jpg|Country Lolita (Nana Kitade)

File:Pirate loli.JPG|Pirate Lolita

File:Punk Lolita, V&A Museum.JPG|Punk Lolita

File:Stands and items at Japan Impact 2018, Switzerland; February 2018 (03).jpg|Old-School Lolita

File:Waloli.JPG|Wa-Lolita with characteristics of Guro Lolita (eyepatch)

File:Dark Lolita (Kodona Style).jpg|Ouji (a similar fashion with a more masculine appearance)

File:Two gothic lolitas in Harajuku 20050427.jpg|Gothic Lolita

File:Petit Fancy 33 Day 1 Gothic Lolita.jpg|Gothic Lolita

File:Classicloli.JPG|Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (left) and Gothic Lolita (right)

File:Light blue Qi Lolita outfit.jpg|Qi Lolita (Chinese/Cheongsam inspired Lolita fashion)

File:CWT51 cosplay 20190216 (1).jpg|Hanfu inspired Qi Lolita fashion.

• Kamikaze Girls
• Kogal
• Gyaru
• Novala Takemoto

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin|30em}}

• {{cite thesis |url=http://fau.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fau%3A39739 |last=Berry |first=B. |year=2017 |title=Ethnographic Comparison of a Niche Fashion Group, Lolita |publisher=Florida Atlantic University }}
• {{cite thesis |url=https://dspace.carthage.edu/handle/123456789/2121 |last=Christopherson |first=M. |year=2014 |title=The Power of Cute: Redefining Kawaii Culture As a Feminist Movement |publisher=Carthage College |access-date=10 February 2018 |archive-date=11 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811183627/https://dspace.carthage.edu/handle/123456789/2121 |url-status=dead }}
• {{cite thesis |url=http://repository.wellesley.edu/thesiscollection/391/ |last=Coombes |first=K. |year=2016 |title=Consuming Hello Kitty: Saccharide Cuteness in Japanese Society |publisher=Wellesley College }}
• {{cite thesis |url=http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/anthro_theses/87/ |last=Gatlin |first=Chancy J. |year=2014 |title=The Fashion of Frill: The Art of Impression Management in the Atlanta Lolita and Japanese Street Fashion Community |publisher=Georgia State University }}
• {{cite thesis |url=https://eltalpykla.vdu.lt/1/32351 |last=Haijima |first=A. |year=2013 |title=Japanese Popular Culture in Latvia: Lolita and Mori Fashion |publisher=University of Latvia }}
• {{cite conference |url=http://www.aut.ac.nz/profiles/test/senior-lecturers/kathryn-hardy-bernal |last=Hardy Bernal |first=Kathryn A. |year=2007 |title=Kamikaze Girls and Loli-Goths |conference=Fashion in Fiction Conference, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia |access-date=11 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811054849/http://www.aut.ac.nz/profiles/test/senior-lecturers/kathryn-hardy-bernal |archive-date=11 August 2017 |url-status=dead }}
• {{Cite thesis|last=Hardy Bernal|first=Kathryn Adele|hdl=10292/2448|title=The Lolita Complex: A Japanese fashion subculture and its paradoxes|year=2011|publisher=Auckland University of Technology|type=MPhil Thesis|url=https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10292/2448/HardyBernalKA2.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y}}
• {{cite journal |url=http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/1333 |last=Hinton |first=Perry R. |year=2013 |title=Returning in a Different Fashion: Culture, Communication, and Changing Representations of Lolita in Japan and the West |journal=International Journal of Communication |volume=7 |pages=1582–1602 }}
• {{cite thesis |url=http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-62778 |last=Mikami |first=K. |year=2011 |title=Cultural Globalization in People's Life Experiences: Japanese Popular Cultural Styles in Sweden |publisher=Stockholm University }}
• {{Cite journal |last=Monden |first=Masafumi |year=2008 |title=Transcultural Flow of Demure Aesthetics: Examining Cultural Globalisation through Gothic & Lolita Fashion, The Japan Foundation Sydney |journal=New Voices |volume=2 |pages=21–40 |doi=10.21159/nv.02.02 |doi-access=free }}
• {{cite journal |last=Onohara |first=N. |year=2011 |title=Japan as fashion: Contemporary reflections on being fashionable |journal= Acta Orientalia Vilnensia|volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=29–41 |doi=10.15388/AOV.2011.0.1095 |doi-access=free }}
• {{cite thesis |url=http://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw/handle/140.119/79821 |last=Peirson-Smith |first=A. |year=2015 |title=Hey sister, can I borrow your style?: a study of the trans-cultural, trans-textual flows of the Gothic Lolita trend in Asia and beyond |publisher=City University of Hong Kong }}
• {{cite thesis |url=http://is.muni.cz/th/402388/ff_m/ |last=Plevíková |first=I. |year=2017 |title=Lolita: A Cultural Analysis |publisher=Masarykova Univerzita }}
• {{cite thesis |url=http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/anthro_hontheses/11/ |last=Robinson |first=K. |year=2014 |title=Empowered Princesses: An Ethnographic Examination of the Practices, Rituals, and Conflicts within Lolita Fashion Communities in the United States |publisher=Georgia State University }}
• {{cite thesis |url=http://eprints.utas.edu.au/15944/ |last=Staite |first=S. Abigail |year=2012 |title=Lolita: Atemporal Class-Play With tea and cakes |publisher=University of Tasmania }}
• {{cite thesis |url=https://skemman.is/handle/1946/22798 |last=Valdimarsdótti |first=I. Guðlaug |year=2015 |title=Fashion Subcultures in Japan. A multilayered history of street fashion in Japan |publisher=University of Iceland }}
• {{cite journal |url=http://www.asia-studies.com/sjeaa2011.1.html |last=Younker |first=T. |year=2011 |title=Lolita: Dreaming, Despairing, Defying |journal=Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=97–110 }}

{{refend}}

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV3OtzUwcPg Lolitas Of Amsterdam | Style Out There | Refinery29 (documentary) at YouTube]
• [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTsSNI3b0jOeGic1vLxZFkfTj586iCyho Lolita Fashion documentaries (documentaires) playlist at YouTube]
• [http://lolita-tips.tumblr.com/post/83160633039/where-to-buy-lolita-fashion List of Lolita brands at Tumblr] (archived version at [https://web.archive.org/web/20161119221739/http://lolita-tips.tumblr.com:80/post/83160633039/where-to-buy-lolita-fashion archive], 14 August 2017 version)
• [https://www.academia.edu/19955055/Rebels_in_Frills_a_Literature_Review_on_Lolita_Subculture Rebels in Frills: a Literature Review on Lolita Subculture at Academia (thesis) from South Carolina Honors College] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704212253/https://www.academia.edu/19955055/Rebels_in_Frills_a_Literature_Review_on_Lolita_Subculture |date=4 July 2019 }}
• [http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/nightair/shoichi-aoki-interview/3525068 Shoichi Aoki Interview (2003) founder of the street fashion magazine FRUiTS at ABC Australia] (archived version at [https://web.archive.org/web/20170814072639/http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/nightair/shoichi-aoki-interview/3525068 archive], 14 August 2017 version)
• [http://www.jame-world.com/uk/articles-90985-the-tea-party-club-s-5th-anniversary-starring-juliette-et-justine-q-a.html The Tea Party Club's 5th Anniversary starring Juliette et Justine: Q&A (2012) at Jame World] (archived version at [https://web.archive.org/web/20170814074205/http://www.jame-world.com/uk/articles-90985-the-tea-party-club-s-5th-anniversary-starring-juliette-et-justine-q-a.html archive], 14 August 2017 version)
• [http://www.jame-world.com/us/articles-98079-innocent-world-tea-party-in-vienna-q-a.html Innocent World Tea Party in Vienna: Q&A (2013) at Jame World] (archived version at [https://web.archive.org/web/20170814074004/http://www.jame-world.com/us/articles-98079-innocent-world-tea-party-in-vienna-q-a.html archive], 14 August 2017 version)
• [http://www.jame-world.com/us/articles-111951-the-tea-party-club-presents-revelry-q-a.html The Tea Party Club Presents: Revelry Q&A (2014) at Jame World] (archived version at [https://web.archive.org/web/20170814073942/http://www.jame-world.com/us/articles-111951-the-tea-party-club-presents-revelry-q-a.html archive], 14 August 2017 version)

{{Commons}}

• [https://lolibrary.org/ Lolita library of brands]

{{Lolita fashion}}

{{Japanese subcultures}}

{{Gothic}}

{{Goth subculture}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lolita fashion}}

Category:21st-century fashion

Category:Fashion aesthetics

Category:Gothic fashion

Category:Japanese fashion

Category:Japanese subcultures