'Lolita' outside Japan

[gobbledonk]

Hi All,

 

First, a disclaimer. This post has nothing to do with child pornography, at least not directly - 'lolita' is an acknowledged fashion subculture in Japan, a country rich in eccentricity. I accept that KS may elect to remove it, on the basis that many of the characters are associated with Hentai/Lolicon, and these have been criticised in the West as promoting the exploitation of children due to their frequent depiction of women as having child-like features.

 

Only in Japan, or is it ?

 

Kamui's post re 'no Xmas in Japan' reminded me of a bizarre encounter I had recently in the Brisbane CBD - I ran into Little Bo Peep. Not sure what had happened to her sheep or her cane, but the rest of her was immaculately accessorised, and she was Japanese. I guess its possible that she is a local, but I'm not aware of any groups beyond the 'Goths' who go to that much effort to wear a costume in public on a regular basis.If she was a tourist, it must have been an extroadinary effort to pack that outfit into a suitcase - none of it looked like it came off a rack down at Target.

 

Amusingly, everyone in the bookstore made an effort *not* to stare at her, but its hard to suppress a grin when you run into someone who has gone to this much effort to look like a character from a fairytale. I cant remember the last time I saw anyone wearing a pink bonnet - that and all the accessories had to be ex-Japan. I've never been to Harajuku, but maybe I wont have to - definitely a colourful addition to the often bland landscape of our little town.

 

 

The closest thing on the Wikipedia page would be the photo of the two 'Sweet Lolitas' - not sure what motivates a woman in her early 20s to dress like this in public, and I didnt think they did it outside Japan - thoughts ?

 

Cheers,

 

Gobble

[chuckwoww]

 

... what motivates a woman in her early 20s to dress like this in public, and I didnt think they did it outside Japan - thoughts ?

 

Cheers, Gobble

 

It's fun to dress up. But it's sexual too. That mixture of innocence and naughtiness is always a turn on. Of course men who find it attractive are all perverts.

[drogon]

Hentai and lolicon are two different things while both are mangas/doujinshis -> drawings

 

While hentai is legal in almost every civilized country, lolicon has been very recently banned...

(Example: UK)

 

Problem is of course what is a lolicon and a lolicon...(deemed illegal all depictions of characters under 18) -> go tell from a drawing if a character is below 18 or not

 

lolita and kawai are more in relation with "fashion" and real life people.

 

For my part I never saw Japanese girls wearing a "fairy" costumer, kawai, schoolgirl or whatever except:

- JAV of course

- Once a group of 20 something Japanese ladies in Paris at the "Champs de Mars" -> they asked me something in Japanese...as the one speaking was giving me a camera I took it and photographed them

(note: the discussion afterwards took place in English) :grin:

 

They were all wearing schoolgirls uniform -> found out it was a "bride to be trip" and they wanted to wear funny clothes...

 

I dig the subject a bit later and found out that until 20 something many young Japanese ladies like to sometimes wear "unusual clothes" which are not that unusual in some places in Japan...

 

Let's call that alternative culture.

 

Except this one shot, the only kawai, idol imitation etc... I ever saw were...were Thai BG.

 

Maybe your Japanese girl was an "alternativeculture girl" from Australia -> imitating her sisters in Japan?

 

PS: Little Bo Peep is closer to the "fairy" theme than kawai or whatever...

 

You are lucky she wasn't doing a girl pissing contest in public

[unit731]

. . . and I thought this post was about Lolita's!

 

I'll leave it there.

[jonjon058]

Quite common to see the Bo Peep brigade in Harajuku any Sunday when the weather is nice. There is a side street across from Harajuku station where every girl I saw was wearing that type of costume. Literally hundreds of young women all dressed that way.

 

It seemed to me that the Bo Peep thing was more popular than the Goth outfits. Also, it seemed like the prettier girls went Bo Peep and the less attractive girls tended to go Goth.

 

The Bo Peep costumes fit well with the Japanese fixation on all things cute. Although I do see the cosplay stuff spreading to other Asian countries like Singapore.

 

I enjoy seeing the girls dressed up although I wouldn't want a girlfriend who went out of the house dressed like that. Inside the house is a different story.