Gothic Lolita is Gothic
Being a goth and feminine is hard. I’m not talking about hard it is to find
makeup products in the right color or how expensive goth clothes and shoes can
be (can we call it the black tax?).
Even those who know goth is a style of dress and separate
from the music these days have problems with gothic Lolita. And boy, do the bullies who can’t separate
them love to bully and scream at you if they find you.
It could easily stem form racism, or it could stem from fans
of anime who take things a bit too far.
History will tell you a different story. Goth music began in the 70’s. Goth fashion hit the big screen in the 80’s,
especially with the Adams family, The Crow, and some sitcoms. In the 90’s, Hot topic and other goth stores
really ushered in the style, as well as the trend of being antisocial and
rebelling against the popular kids.
But something else happened in the 90’s. The Us got a large influx of media form
Japan. Not just animated television and movies, but music and fashion as well
as other media. It also went the other
way.
J-Pop, a contemporary genre of music in Japan, was all the
rage in its home country and was gaining admiration overseas. One Band, named Malice Mizer (I don’t name
Japanese bands) had a guitarist named Mana.
Mana fell in love with the goth style.
So much so he created a new style specifically ‘to combine gothic and
Lolita styles’.
Too often people forget ‘that gothic is part of the
combination, and insist that it’s just Lolita that’s black or styled after
goth, but doesn’t count as goth. So why
not trust the experts? The people who
create fashion styles?
Part of it is racism, in wanting to keep goth style as a
western subculture. While the style has
long been divorced from its music root, many still carry the need to keep it
similar to them, meaning denying other influences besides western movies. It’s still a need to keep the style
‘pure’. Another part wants to keep it
‘adult’. Lolita fashion is has a strong ‘cute’ aspect to it.
And that’s the biggest problem with refusing to acknowledge
gothic Lolita. Not only is it often not
allowed within the style culture it belongs in, but because of that, so many
people miss out. Lolita, especially
gothic Lolita comes in so many beautiful forms.
Black, black and more black.
Black with striking colorful accents.
Lace and jewel accents, every kind of waist and sleeve type you can
think of. Beautiful celestial patterns
on fabric. From stark lines and forms to
amazing ethereal flowing translucent fabric and ribbons. Everybody of every size and color can find
something in Lolita, especially gothic Lolita. You’re encouraged to mix and
match, show off or cover up whatever you want.
And yes, since half of it comes from the west, people of
every race are encouraged to wear it.
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