Lolita Promotes Feminism in U.S. Society: Introduction

Disclaimer: This argument paper was written for my English class in May, and I've been arguing with myself over whether or not to put this out in public since then. I did my best to educate myself in these topics within a short time span. All content is truthful as best as I could research. The origins of lolita fashion (which will be addressed in this series' future) is certainly going to be an arguable point, but it was the clearest answer I could provide from a source which has yet to be disproved. If any of the information in this series is wrong, please respectfully inform me specifically what is wrong so that I may look into it and correct it. Until then, please enjoy the hook:

I am a lolita. I wear the volumized, knee length skirts and frills of lolita fashion most days mostly because I like it (and who doesn't like feeling good in their clothes?) and partially because our choice in clothing makes a broad visual statement about us as individuals, whether we like it or not. It doesn't help my case that lolita fashion was created and named “lolita” in Japan, where the meaning (which is essentially youthful and cute) skewed from the connotations “lolita” possesses in the western world (seductive pre-teens). Even people who don't know the name of the fashion are so befuddled when they see the silhouette created by a lolita’s petticoat that it takes courage to wear the rest of the fashion’s mainstays—head bows or bonnets, large waist-ties tied behind the back, and dress prints that may be adorned with carousel horses or sweets or fairy tale themes. What do you think of when you picture these things? If you are like most Americans, you will think of either victorian-era children or dolls.

Japanese model Misako Aoki, an icon of lolita fashion, taken from her blog “ribbon-misa.”

The American public’s reaction to seeing adults in these clothes is not always positive. Most Americans are seeing something new, unusual, and very distinct. I have now gotten so used to strangers taking pictures of me that I am familiar with the strange silence that comes from people taking breaks in their conversation to angle camera phones my way—followed by a tiny bee-beep-chk sound. I recently went to a local restaurant, Brother’s Burritos, and heard the awkward pause in a man and woman’s conversation (the conversation, additionally, had not been at all quiet and I could hear them talking about me) fast enough that I was able to spin around and smile for the picture. They were so shocked that neither of them were able to speak for several seconds. I made a statement with my clothes when I got dressed that morning, and here, two people were giving me their responses.

This essay will assist those unfamiliar with fashion’s socio-psychological effects in learning how the clothes we wear every day make broad statements about our personal beliefs regarding our places as individuals and collectives within society. Lolita fashion is, unintentionally, a tool that emphasizes the purpose of subculture and fights the damaging consequences of mass conformity to damaging social norms simply by appearing the way it does. It is easy to say “they're just clothes, they’re not that important,”  but take a moment to honestly assess the last time you reacted to how someone else presented themselves. Did you unthinkingly roll up your window because someone with a red shirt and gold-plated teeth walked by? Perhaps it was more subtle: you felt confident that someone was responsible because his shirt was pressed and his shoes were clean. Most fashion historians and enthusiasts can arrive at the conclusion that fashion has both reflected and shaped society since humans began wearing clothes, and the truth is that psychological science agrees.

Next in this series: Origins of Fashion

Sources can be found here.