Here are a few things I’ve been reading lately…
Lolita style, explained: Why the Japanese-born, Victorian-inspired street style enchants women around the world (CNN, January 25th 2024)
This article is surprisingly accurate, well rounded and well researched. One of the best mainstream media pieces I’ve ever seen on lolita fashion.
Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style by W. David Marx (2015)
This is a book I picked up a copy of based on someone else mentioning they were reading it. I’m only part of the way through the intro and already it’s a wonderful experience. Well written, well researched, and has a lot of information that is really hard to find online. This book is not about lolita fashion, it’s about “American” fashions, but if you are interested in the history of street fashion in Japan, and street fashion subcultures in Japan in general, I think it would be an enjoyable read.
The Conformity and Subversion of Lolita Fashion to Male Chauvinism from the Perspective of Gramsci’s “Hegemony” Theory (Yuxin Cong College of Arts, University of Jinan, China, 2022)
This is an academic paper which is specifically looking at gender in relation to the Chinese lolita community. It isn’t very long (~3 pages) and only cites 7 sources, but it’s really rare to have English language glimpses into the Chinese community and it’s interesting to compare to American pieces.
Some of the sources include a thread about what Chinese guys think of Chinese girls who wear lolita, an article about wearing lolita after 40 and the results of a survey called “The Localized Development of “Lolita” Subculture in China.“