Thread by @Snubs

Hey let's talk about the term Lolita!

You've likely heard it in two connotations:

One being the western emphasis on sexualized kids, derived from a book from 1955. I won't go into the details. It's triggering and gross. Wikipedia it if you want. 🤮

It's trending today because of the Epstein case. Also gross. Also won't go into it.

The second meaning is derived from Japanese fashion culture. The term Lolita fashion is used to define cuteness and innocence with Victorian era and Edwardian era inspired clothing.

Natural Kei, later Otome Kei were Japanese fashion styles long before I was born but Otome kei really focused on cuteness culture. Around this time, Sanrio (Hello Kitty!) popped up and it became known as Kawaii style.

After that, doll-kei became a thing, still deriving inspiration from Edwardian and Victorian era styles, but with a shitload more cuteness and much more elaborate outfits. This became known as Lolita fashion after a magazine (I think) called it that.

Tons of folks into Lolita fashion make their own outfits but y'all can buy dresses from places like Angelic Pretty.

angelicpretty.com/en/

I call out that brand because I'm familiar with it. There's a San Francisco store 🤣 though it was started in Japan many decades ago.

You'll notice that Lolita fashion is indeed cute. It's also incredibly conservative. It's also -very- expensive.

From my research, and I'm not a Lolita fashion expert, but I do pay attention to Japanese culture and I love Harajuku (even though takeshitadori is hella overcrowded)... Lolita fashion was sourced from those eras, from Alice in Wonderland, and other innocent extravagant fashions.

The magazine gave it that name. Perhaps the magazine writer used it because they wanted to sexualize the fashion trend, or not? I don't know.

Motives for the fashion trend? Well, take a subway in Japan during rush hour. Everyone wears black, suits and dresses, simple black shoes. Women still wear panty hose. It's like any other street fashion. It's the definition of being different, protesting the norm, etc

While I consider Lolita fashion beautiful and detailed, and I have an appreciation for it, it isn't necessarily my style. Though I have seen some men and women dressed in Lolita fashion in harajuku, and see similar styles at the Charles Dickens Christmas Fair.

In fact, I've seen Lolita fashion at the fair here in America! So cool.

Sadly though, Lolita has been coined to mean pedophilia because of the book from the 1950's. Perhaps the style should have gone by a different name, so westerners wouldn't confuse the two, but here we are, with the Lolita Express and gross old men. 🙄

A lot of Japanese culture (and Asian culture to be general) has been sexualized in Western culture. Look at geisha for example. 🤦

I hope my Twitter thread helps. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.