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Gothic Lolita or "'''GothLoli'''" ('''ゴスロリ''', ''gosurori''; sometimes alternatively "''Loli-Goth''") is a youth fashion among Japanese Teenagers and young women. It emphasizes Victorian-style and Edwardian fashion girl's clothing and often aims to imitate the look of Victorian porcelain Doll s. ''Gothloli's'' name and origin is a combination of Lolita Fashion —appearing deliberately cute to the point of looking childish—and certain styles found within Gothic Fashion . The style started as a youth subculture sometime in the 1980's and 1990's and became a subcultural genre available in various boutiques and some major Department Store s by around 2001. Some observers consider it a reaction to the promiscuousity of the "Kogal" subculture of Shibuya. It is not considered a normal branch of teen-style in Japan, and Gothic Lolitas tend to be rare, although they tend to gather in places like Harajuku. Gothic Lolita can be compared to Goth culture in the west, and rather than a type of fashion, might be considered more of a way of dressing to celebrate "outsider" status. Often, Gothic Lolitas are thought of as anime-geeks or otaku. The popularity of Gothloli as a very distinct style peaked around 2004, and now it has settled down as one of many "alternative" youth fashions in Japan. Gothic Lolita is one of the subcategories of the Lolita look. Other categories include "Classic Lolita" (more traditional, light-coloured, also more mature-looking) and "Sweet Lolita" (childish pastel-coloured clothes, lots of lace and ribbons). Gothic Lolita was influenced and popularised by the imagery of more feminine Visual Kei (or "visual rock") bands. Visual Kei is a Japanese form of Rock Music defined by bands featuring performers in elaborate Costume s but whose musical style varies. Mana , the Crossdressing former leader and guitarist of the Visual Kei band Malice Mizer is widely credited for having helped popularise Gothic Lolita. He coined the terms "Elegant Gothic Lolita" (EGL) and "Elegant Gothic Aristocrat" (EGA) to describe the style of his own fashion label Moi-même-Moitié , which was founded in 1999 and quickly established itself as one of the most coveted brands of the Gothic Lolita scene. Earlier examples of this style of dress can be seen on musical artists of the 70 's and 80 's. For example, Lene Lovich with her pigtails and braids, doll like makeup, large hairbows, and petticoats. The same was true of the band Strawberry Switchblade with their trademark polkadotted bows and clothing, with ruffles galore (though they are much, much more popular in the positive punk and gothic scenes, and not really popular with lolita). There were also others who gave it more of a mourning Victorian, French Maid or Little Bo Peep spin. But the style has been suggested in Rococco magazine as a development of the merging of styles worn by fans of Nagomu and Trance record label bands, both indigenous to Japan. THE STYLE ]] Gothic Lolita style is usually a combination of black and white, often black with white Lace and typically decorated with ribbons and lace trims. Skirt s are knee length and may have a Crinoline or petticoat to add volume. As in mainstream Japanese fashion, over-knee socks or stockings are extremely popular. Black Fishnet Stockings and white or black tights are also common. Shoes or boots with high heels - though not usually Stiletto Heels - such as Mary Jane s, complete the look. Frilly, ruffled or lace-trimmed Victorian Blouse s are also popular especially with "EGL" types, who may also favour long skirts and jackets rather than the overtly "childish" designs of typical gothloli's. Apart from the occasional shortness of skirts, designs are usually Modest , sometimes with long lace-capped sleeves and/or high-necked blouses. Some additions may include an '' Alice In Wonderland ''-style Apron , tiny Top Hats , Parasols , lace gloves, and lace headpieces. Mostly black or white, Headgear might consist of a headband with ruffles, ribbons, lace or bows. Sometimes even Bonnets are worn. Hair may be curled to complete the porcelain doll look. The naturally dark Japanese hair color may be lightened to Blonde or kept black. Some may choose to wear wigs as well. Makeup is used sparingly and is seen more often with EGL styles than with other gothloli styles. Black eyeliner is typical. A pale complexion is preferred, so white foundation might be used. Red or black Lipstick is seen but lighter makeup is the rule. Gothic Lolita outfits may be accessorized with other Prop s like conspicuous pocketbooks, hatboxes, handbags and other bags, sometimes in the shape of Bat s, Coffin s, and Crucifix es. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are also common, and some brands make special "gothic" teddy bears out of black leather or PVC . Also, many Gothic Lolita own Super Dollfie s and carry them around. "LOLITA" Although " Lolita " is a reference to Vladimir Nabokov 's famous novel, and Lolita is often worn by teens, followers of the style do not consider it overtly sexual. In fact, in Japan many of them were unaware of the connection to the book until it was introduced to them in the Gothic and Lolita Bible as a suggested read. Moreover, connections to sex, anime, or anything that will define them in this light will get a large number of lolita extremely upset. Instead, adherents present themselves as Children or baby Dolls and consider it necessary to look "cute," "beautiful," or "elegant" rather than "sexy". Thus many Lolitas rightly claim that the term 'lolita' doesn't actually have anything to do with sex at all. They may have boyfriends, but to want to date a lolita simply because of her clothes is considered disgusting. The usage of the word may also be considered Wasei-eigo . Most Lolitas will refuse the concept of sexuality in their dress. Treating the style in a sexual manner will put most lolitas, especially amalolis ("sweet lolita") on guard. Girls who dress in the style try to avoid sexuality, often in response to the erotic "kogal" style. Japanese culture places a higher value upon extremely youthful appearance and behaviour than Western, and some adult women buy large amounts of products, such as Hello Kitty goods, that are typically marketed only to children in the West. GothLoli is perhaps a more visible extension of this phenomenon. GOTH LOLI CULTURE In Japan it is Mass-marketed to some degree (well, not really at all), though not widely worn, but still has visibility particularly in the streets of Tokyo and Osaka , on television, in Manga (see '' Paradise Kiss '' by Ai Yazawa for an example of gothloli inspired manga) and Computer Games . Because of an incident back in 2002 involving a gothic lolita girl and her boyfriend killing her family, along with a book by right-wing activist Amemiya (co-writer of gothic lolita referencing movie "Peep Show") outlining her involvement in a 50-girl Gothic lolita "self-help" wrist cutting and body mutilation group where 5 girls actually died, some people still see gothic lolita as dangerous and crazy to this day. At the time of the incident gothic lolita faced social hardships. Now, however, with the fashion being picked up worldwide, it is slowly becoming more widely accepted and seen as more of a fashion than a culture or lifestyle. For many girls it is just a fashion, but there are still some who consider themselves "gothic lolita" by definition. Outside of Japan it is still a fringe fashion although it has slowly begun to spread to other countries. Gothic Lolita, along with Cosplay and other Japanese cultural phenomena, can sometimes be seen at concerts and Anime conventions throughout Europe and the United States. The style has not yet been mass marketed outside of Japan. However, there are plenty of dedicated fans filling the gap. Gothic Lolita magazines are widely available for purchase on the internet and at Japanese bookstores, which also deal in Anime and Manga . Adherents in Europe and the United States often sew their own homemade Gothic Lolita outfits, sometimes offering them for sale to make up for the difficulty of acquiring them from Japan . Japanese people make their own clothing too, but the attention to fabric and lace is a lot more precise. If something has cheap lace, lolita really into the culture will notice automatically. Because of this, they consider the clothing brand Bodyline cheap, cosplay, and inauthentic. Some don't care and wear it anyway though, or are more related to the cosplay or bandgirl cultures and do not know the lolita stance taken towards the brand. There is not much cohesion amongst style participants. GOTHIC LOLITA IN THE WEST Many Goth girls in the west, have borrowed from the Japanese goth loli style, and have created a market for this style of clothing (particulary in online auctions). Americas Tokyopop recently commissioned, along with performer Courtney Love (who is not goth/goth loli herself, but is a former Japanese resident) an original Manga in the goth loli style, called Princess Ai . This was the first (at least publicised) Japan/West goth loli collaboration. ''Gothic & Lolita Bible'' One magazine in particular, the irregularly published ''Gothic & Lolita Bible'', has played an instrumental role in promoting and standardizing the style. The 100+ page magazine includes Fashion tips, photos, sewing patterns, catalog descriptions, Decorating ideas, and even Recipe s. Shopping Currently the heart of the Gothic Lolita subculture, at least commercially, is the basement of the Laforette building in Harajuku. After it comes the ''Marui Young'' department store in Shinjuku , after its predecessor ''Marui One'' closed at the end of August 2004. This large youth-fashion oriented department store has 4 floors entirely devoted to Gothloli and related fashions. Crossover with Goth "Gothloli" as a fashion is not as strongly associated with a particular style of music or outside interests as goth, and individual followers of Gothloli fashion may listen to a wide variety of music including regular Japanese pop. Between 2001 and 2004, Gothloli was a popular subculture which took inspiration from elements of Goth, and therefore some club events featured a crossover of customers. However, this has become rare now, and Gothloli has found its own position simply as a youth fashion style. In Japan, Goth is a very minor subculture with few followers, partly because the emphasis upon visual identity in Japanese youth culture makes other factors such as music and literature less important signifiers and perhaps partly because Christianity and Germanic culture are not integral parts of society. In Japan, people who have heard the term "Goth" usually assume that it refers to "Gothic Lolita", except for the Goths themselves, who strongly emphasize the differences. Lolita can be found at events, but by even going to the events they are most likely part of the gothic subculture.(Likewise, some western observers incorrectly assume that "Gothloli" is the Japanese version of "Goth".) Anime and Manga Due to the popularity of this cute style with many fans of Japanese animation and comics, characters dressed in the "Gothloli" style may be found in numerous anime and manga. Some of the most prominent are Paradise Kiss , Le Portrait De Petit Cossette , Rozen Maiden , Sister Princess , Godchild , Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase , Othello , Chobits , Death Note , XxxHOLiC , Princess Princess , and Pitaten . In some manga, such as X-Day , lolita is portrayed as a method of individualizing and becoming less shy. Most of these titles appeal primarily to male fans rather than the gothlolis themselves. However, large numbers of gothloli girls are visible at manga events such as Comiket . They often buy Doujinshi based upon their favourite bands, dolls and movie characters; and some are interested in other kinds of Cosplay apart from goth loli style. Some lolita, however, hate any reference to gothic lolita as a manga fashion. Manga is linked to cosplay, which is linked to artificiality, unoriginality, and attention-seeking. Meanwhile, these lolita have given up on mass media on the whole, simply stating that "we say we're not cosplay, but they don't listen. Of course we're not happy, but there's nothing we can do about it." (translated from the 2ch lolita fashion messageboard introduction) Movies and Real Life Series The main character in Shimotsuma Monogatari (or ''Kamikaze Girls'' as it is known in the English language release) dressed in the "Sweet Lolita" style. The movie "Peep Show" also features a lolita as one of the main characters. There is currently a television program being aired in Japan called "Gothic Lolita," but the lolita have stated it is boring and AV, and not many appear to be interested in it. Before that a program called "Heaven a go go!" was aired at around 1am featuring a band comprising a punk, lolita, goth, and the herion. The band released a single, but not much developed from that. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
Gothic Lolita outlets
Costume outlets Other outlets
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