"GOTHLOLI"

Gothic Lolita or "GothLoli" (ゴスロリ, gosurori; sometimes alternatively "Loli-Goth") is a subcategory of the Lolita fashion, a street fashion among Japanese female teenagers and, to a lesser extent, men and young women.

Lolita fashion emphasizes Victorian-style and Edwardian fashion girl's clothing and often aims to imitate the look of Victorian porcelain dolls. The Rococo period has also been defined as an influence of Gothic lolita. Gothic Lolita applies the aesthetics of Gothic fashion to the childlike, pretty Lolita fashion. GothLoli's name and origin is a combination of Lolita and Gothic fashion.[1]

Gothic Lolita is the best-known of the various "Lolita" looks. Other categories include "Classic Lolita", which is often more mature-looking and contains more muted colours and floral prints and "Sweet Lolita" which is identified by childish pastel colors and cute prints.

The style
Gothic Lolita style is usually a combination of black and white, often negru with white lace and typically decorated with ribbons and lace trims. Skirts are knee length and may have a crinoline or petticoat to add volume. As in mainstream Japanese fashion, over-knee socks or dresuri are popular. White or black tights are also common. Child-like shoes or boots such as Mary Janes complete the look. Frilly, ruffled or lace-trimmed Victorian blouses are also popular with Gothic Lolitas and designs are usually modest, sometimes with long lace-capped sleeves and/or high-necked blouses.

Some additions may conține mini top hats, parasols, and lace headdresses. Mostly black or white, headgear might consist of a headband with ruffles, ribbons, lace or bows, an alice band with a bow or sometimes even a bonnet. Hair is often curled or a curled wig is worn to complete the porcelain doll look. Blonde or black are the most popular hair colours.

Gothic Lolita outfits may be accessorized with other props like handbags and other bags, sometimes in the shape of bats, coffins, and crucifixes, as well as conspicuous pocket books, pocket watches, and hat boxes. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are also common, and some brands make unic "gothic" teddy bears out of black leather or PVC. Many Gothic Lolita own Super Dollfies and carry them when wearing the style.

History
The typical "GothLoli" style originated sometime around 1998 and became more widely available in various boutiques and some major department stores by 2001. Some observers consider it a reaction to the "Kogal" subculture of Shibuya, though those who participate in the fashion may disagree with this[citation needed]. The popularity of Gothloli as a very distinct style and community peaked around 2004 and 2005 in Tokyo, and now it has settled down as one of many "alternative" youth fashions. Its popularity outside Tokyo is still slowly rising or at its peak in many areas,

Mana, the former leader and guitarist of the Visual Kei band Malice Mizer, is widely credited for having helped popularize 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. Other influential figures in the scene include the singer Kana, who often modeled for Gothloli related fashion magazines, and Mitsukazu Mihara, who drew the first eight covers of the Gothic & Lolita Bible.

"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 & Lolita Bible as a suggested read. Instead, adherents present themselves as children or baby dolls and consider it necessary to look "cute," "beautiful," or "elegant" rather than "sexy." Some people object to the style, finding the child-like look on an adult offensive, but lolitas defend their choice of clothing as modest and of finer quality, and therefore much less offensive than some clothes that modern children are able to wear.[citation needed]

Japanese culture places a higher value upon extremely youthful appearance and behaviour than foreign, and some adult women buy large amounts of products, such as Hello Kitty goods, that are typically marketed only to children abroad. GothLoli is perhaps a more visible extension of this phenomenon.

Gothic Lolita culture
In Japan it is mass-marketed, though not widely worn, but has visibility particularly in the streets of Tokyo and Osaka, on television, in manga (see Paradise Kiss) and computer games. The fashion is being picked up worldwide, thanks to the foreign publication of Japanese magazine anthology FRUiTS, where the outstanding style actually blends in with the other quirky teen trends in Japan. Most regard Gothic Lolita as a fashion but there are still some who consider themselves "gothic lolita" by definition.

[edit] Gothic Lolita outside of Japan
Outside of Japan, the lolita fashion is still a fringe fashion; however, 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 the UK, Australia, France and the United States, although certain individuals truly committed to the fashion will confirm that Gothic Lolita is not a fancy dress costume, rather, a way of life. The style has not yet been mass marketed outside of Japan. Major brands, such as Manifesteange Metamorphose temps de fille, Baby, The Stars Shine Bright and Funhouse, have recognized the international recognition of lolita fashion, and have begun to ship goods to the international market. This is still not very widespread, as many of the clothes produced by non-Japanese designers are not accepted by the gothic lolita community, for being too related to the British 'goth' or french maid look, and not as high quality as the expensive Japanese brand clothes. Gothic Lolita magazines are widely available for purchase on the internet and at Japanese bookstores, which also deal in anime and manga.

Shopping
Currently the commercial center of the Gothic Lolita subculture is 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. Some Gothloli boutiques may be found in the area between Harajuku and Shibuya.

[edit] Goth and Gothloli
"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 and Visual Kei.

In Japan, Goth is a 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 is not integral parts of society.[citation needed] In Japan, people who have heard the term "Goth" usually assume that it is simply a contraction of "Gothic Lolita",[citation needed] except for the Goths themselves, who strongly emphasize the differences. Likewise, some non-Japanese observers assume that "Gothloli" is the Japanese version of "Goth", purely on the similarities in fashion.[citation needed]

Previously in Tokyo, the largest "goth" club events, such as "Tokyo Dark Castle", would also attract a noticeable proportion of gothloli customers. However, since 2005 their numbers have dwindled and such events now primarily attract more typical goth, industrial and metal music fans.[citation needed] Visual kei concerts are often attended by many gothloli, but conversely, few goths.

Anime and Manga

Gothic Lolita costumes appear frequently in anime art.Some prominent manga and anime featuring Gothic Lolita fashion are Paradise Kiss, Coyote Ragtime Show, Le Portrait de Petit Cossette, Rozen Maiden, Sister Princess, Godchild, Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase, Love Hina Again, Othello, Chobits, X-Day, Death Note, xxxHolic, Trinity Blood, Tsubasa Chronicle, Princess Princess, Princess Ai, Pitaten, Fruits Basket, Full Moon wo Sagashite, Karin, many of the works of Kaori Yuki, Q-Ko-Chan and all of the works of Mitsukazu Mihara.

The 2006 anime, Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, also known as The Wallflower, features four sisters who attend the high school of the main characters, who are called The Goth Loli sisters (Lassine, Madeline, Roxanne, and Yvone). They are depicted purely as the subject of much comedy and they always leave the scene chanting "Goth! Goth! Loli! Loli!"

In some manga, such as X-Day and Othello, lolita fashion is portrayed as a method of individualizing and becoming less shy. Most of these titles appeal primarily to male fans rather than the lolitas themselves; however, large numbers of lolita 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 dressing, including cosplay. However, the Gothic Lolita style should not be considered a cosplay, it is an alternative fashion.

Most lolitas, especially those who wear the style on a daily basis, state 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) The comments of this style being cosplay is usually from the otakus that only know of this fashion through anime and manga.

The Marvel Comics miniseries Livewires features a Life Model Decoy that calls herself "Gothic Lolita." "Lol" picked up the fashion while on a mission in Japan. She is described by one of her teammates as liking the idea of being the team's "Ben Grimm in black baby doll lace," Lol minimalistically describes her role as "smashing and bashing duty."

Etiquette and Elitism
Over the last few years, Gothic Lolita fashion has become a world wide affair. Many newcomers are appearing on a widespread basis. Many who come into the fashion have a warped idea of what it is. Too many have the misconception that Gothic Lolita fashion is a fetish culture, and behave accordingly while claiming to be a "Gothic Lolita". These warped notions can have an adverse affect on the community as a whole.

Newcomers to the fashion who try to over sexualize it or do not understand the aesthetics of the fashion are referred to as "Ita-Lolis", which comes from the Japanese phrase "Itai!" meaning "Ouch!". The meaning of the phrase "Ita-loli" is a person who has dressed so badly, they are painful to look at. These people often are just too new to the fashion, and simply do not know enough about it to coordinate an outfit properly.

To combat this growing problem, several communities have materialized on the internet in world wide communities. The sole purpose of these communities is to help newcomers learn the unique style techniques and the strict code of etiquette that goes along with the victorian sensibility of the fashion. They publish informational and instructional articles to help everyone, from a curious researcher up to an avid fashion aficionado, lean and expand their wardrobe.

On the other side of the coin, elitism has begun to sink in as the fashion scene grows. Several communities have appeared solely with the intent of making fun of newcomers and deriding their attempts. These communities are often populated with "internet trolls" who will make vicious remarks in the name of comedy. These communities however, remain in the minority

Elegant Gothic Lolita
Kyshah Hell
An elegant Gothic Lolita, EGL or Gothic Lolita for short, is a Japanese teen or young adult who dresses in amazingly elaborate Gothic looking babydoll costumes. On the weekends these women walk the streets of Tokyo and Osaka and fill Yoyogi Park and Harajuku neighborhood where they pose for tourist’s pictures and sit around looking pretty. They are beautiful, glamorous, doll-like manifestations of their favorite Visual Rock stars.
This subculture’s physical look began around the fall of 1999 as a sort of French Maid meets Alice in Wonderland style and has expanded gradually to encompass many nuances in a Victorian Gothic look. Make no mistake – these women want nothing to do with our Western Gothic ways. They do not listen to our music and they are not Gothic in the American and European sense. (Don’t worry there are Japanese Goths but they are just not a prominent mainstream subculture.) The Lolita’s music of choice, for the visuals and sometimes the sounds, is a version of Heavy Metal with gothic hints. Visual Kei or Visual Rock is a form of Japanese pop rock music where the musicians dress in elaborate costumes. Anything from a twinge of glam to full blown female impersonation can be called Visual Rock. These artists feel they must dress up to act out their music. X Japan seems to be the band that started it all. Visual Rock is a blanket term that encompasses J-Rock or J-Pop. J-Rock is not usually the music Gothic Lolita’s listen to. J-Rock is very influenced by the American Heavy Metal Glam bands like Motley Crue. Gothic Lolitas want to emulate the Visual bands that dress the most feminine. There are male fans of all forms of V-Rock but men do not participate in the Gothic Lolita culture. Male fans are uninterested in looking feminine and it is the women who want to look like their idols. Dir en Grey and Malice Mizer are the most popular and authentic of the bands the Gothic Lolitas follow. Malice Mizer’s (pronounced Marisu Miseru) guitar player, Mana, is commonly given credit for starting the Gothic Lolita look. Sometimes he wears a kind of modern Victorian mourning style with large elaborate dresses, big hair, and dark make-up. The amount of time, energy, and money all these people put into their appearance is truly amazing and inspiring at the same time.
In recent years, Japan has bred a youth culture with a passion for costume and dressing up. This is referred to as Cosplay or Costume Play and it has already made its way all across the world. (Most people Cosplay Anime characters.) Perhaps harkening back to the historic days of Kabuki, Japanese youth want to continue the tradition of escape through dress and style. The Gothic Lolita look is an amazing contrast of innocence and sexuality. The child-like physical look of young Japanese women contributes to this alluring illusion. As we all know, the Japanese have some of the most interesting fetishes and sexual habits of any culture on Earth. Female youth have long been exciting to older Japanese males and the innocence of looking like a child may appeal to these women because of the powerful sexual allure but also because it presents a way for them to escape growing up at least for the moments they are dressed in the Gothic Lolita style. The attention these women get must validate them in some way; it must make them feel special. Or it could just be that they dress this way to be closer to their idols.
The uniqueness of a subculture like this is quickly eaten up by the Japanese mass-market mind. Many stores and magazines like the Gothic & Lolita Bible (Issues 1 through 4 can be purchased at Fujisan.com, just click on “English” at the top center) cater to the women who want to dress in the Gothic Lolita style. A person can look at an EGL in Yoyogi Park and walk across the street to one of the many mall stores and purchase that look from head to toe. This is of course a curious and magnificent alură of all mass marketed subcultures. Even though some costumes are partially or all homemade, the Gothic Lolita style is quite rigidly followed. All of the photographs I viewed for this article represent these women in the same style elements. Here is a basic rundown of the look:
Mini to knee length frilly poofy skirts, most likely with a crinoline that does not show under it.
Ruffled elegant Victorianesque blouses.
Mostly black blouses sometimes with white Peter Pan collars, cuffs and sleeves. White lace can be at the bottom of the capped sleeves and at the collar. Both plain or embellished blouses.
Babydoll dresses, sometimes below the knee but mostly mini to knee length.
Colors for these separates are mostly black or white or a combination of both. Sometimes red, pastel pink, and pastel blue. The later two colors worn only with white.
The French Maid look or Alice in Wonderland look of a white apron over a black babydoll dress was an original Gothic Lolita look. It is not seen as much now.
These dresses and skirts are worn with knee-high or thigh high stockings. Some times white with little bows and ruffles at the top or in black fishnet with holes and without. Mostly black opaque stocking material.
Headdresses are a must. Mostly in black or black and white. A small rectangular headband headdress made of ruffles, ribbons, and lace. Can be worn with a bow under the chin. It is worn at the crown of the head, just above where bangs are. Can be used to hold hairpieces in.
Sometimes the headpiece can extend over the forehead like a small bonnet, this happens most often in white.
A small top hat worn askew on the head is sometimes seen.
Shoes are Mary Jane type platform heels or large platform shoes. Very chunky and clog-like.
Women wear long or short large curls on either side of the head, or a full head of curls ala Shirley Temple. Long straight hair worn sometimes with bangs is a common look as well. Many wear wigs and hairpieces to achieve these looks. Hair is mostly black but can be any shade of brown.
Little to no make-up is worn. The look requires a pale complexion, which many Japanese women already have. Any shade of red lipstick is fine with black eyelashes and a small amount of black eyeliner. Fresh faced and young.
Large pocketbooks are carried. Some are huge container-like suitcases in a variety of forms from the carpetbag to the circular hatbox. Some women carry handbags in the shape of bats and coffins.
A parasol is a must on sunny days in the park.
On occasion lace gloves and lace opera length arm warmers complete this look.
When the look begins to lean towards Victorian mourning, with long dresses and ghouly make-up, it is Visual Kei or Gothic and not Gothic Lolita. But the grațios Victorian look with a long skirt is still Lolita.
The women who dress in the Gothic Lolita style do so only on weekends and for “Lives” or concerts. This is a form of escape for them; a way for them to look like their idols and to attract attention. Trying to look young and elegant all at once is a purely Japanese phenomenon. Can you imagine today’s American Teens emulating J-Lo and looking dichisit doing it? I didn’t think so. Possibly this Lolita look holds the same allure for them as does the “Romantic Goth”, Victorian or Renaissance, style in the West. That allure of a more cordial and better dressed time in history. Or perhaps these young Japanese women are just following a trend to be a part of the conformity of a bigger crowd. Either way this style is a welcomed look in the American Gothic scene.

"GOTHLOLI" "GOTHLOLI"