Tomoki Cooper

Abstract:

Japan is an extremely stressful and suffocating society. In response to immense social pressures, the Japanese find artistic forms of expression, one being fashion. A fashion subculture that grew to popularity in the 1990s and early 2000s is the Lolita fashion subculture. Garnering attention for its flashy and unconventional style, as well as its blatantly pedophilic namesake, media coverage of these eccentric women extended to the West. Due to the name Lolita, many misconstrue the intentions of these women to be sexual fulfillment. The reality is quite the opposite. In trying to escape the sexualization that adult women experience, Lolitas portray themselves as pure, innocent, doll-like beings. This attempt is proven futile and counterproductive, as men continue to sexualize these women even as they take on child-like characteristics. The sinister reality is that these women have been manipulated into portraying themselves as children, in order to satiate the sexual desires and pedophilic tendencies of men in Japanese society. This reveals the uncomfortable truth that these women inadvertently become the very dolls that they aspire to portray, only as puppets of the patriarchy. With a growing community in the West, Lolita is essentially promoting soft-core pedophilia on an international scale.