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63-681: Lolita fashion ( ロリータ・ファッション , rorīta fasshon ) is a subculture from Japan that is highly influenced by Victorian clothing and styles from the Rococo period. A very distinctive property of Lolita fashion is the aesthetic of cuteness . This clothing subculture can be categorized into three main substyles: ' Gothic ', 'Classic', and 'Sweet'. Many other substyles such as 'Sailor', 'Country', 'Hime' (princess), 'Guro' ( grotesque ), 'Qi' and 'Wa' (based on traditional Chinese and Japanese dress, respectively), 'Punk', 'Shiro' (white), 'Kuro' (black), and ' Steampunk ' Lolita also exist. This style evolved into

126-486: A blouse (long or short sleeves) with a skirt or a dress, such as a jumperskirt (JSK), or a one-piece (OP), which usually come to the knees. Lolitas frequently wear wigs in combination with other headwear such as hair bows or bonnets (similar to poke bonnets ). Lolitas can also wear Victorian style drawers under their petticoats. For further effect, some Lolitas use knee socks, ankle socks, or tights, together with either high heels or flat shoes, often decorated. Although

189-426: A majority , "which passively accepted commercially provided styles and meanings, and a 'subculture' which actively sought a minority style ... and interpreted it in accordance with subversive values ". In his 1979 book Subculture: The Meaning of Style , Dick Hebdige argued that a subculture is a subversion to normalcy. He wrote that subcultures can be perceived as negative due to their nature of criticism to

252-520: A blend between the aesthetic of kawaii and sexual themes in fiction. Another common confusion is between the Lolita fashion style and cosplay . Although both originated in Japan, they are different and should be perceived as independent from each other. one is a fashion style while the other is role-play, with clothing and accessory being used to play a character. However, there may be some overlap between

315-786: A common hobby or interest but lack permanent social bonds to become a brand community . The sexual revolution of the 1960s led to a countercultural rejection of the established sexual and gender norms in the Western world , particularly in the urban areas of Europe, North and South America, Australia, and white South Africa. A more permissive social environment in these areas led to a proliferation of sexual subcultures —cultural expressions of non-normative sexuality . As with other subcultures, sexual subcultures adopted certain styles of fashion and gestures to distinguish themselves from mainstream Western culture. Lesbian , gay , bisexual , and transgender ( LGBT ) people express themselves through

378-622: A person or group based on their culture or subculture. In the United States and the United Kingdom, the concept of subculture has always been the main explanatory tool for sociological and criminological understanding of deviant behavior. In 2013, the Greater Manchester Police in the United Kingdom began to classify attacks on subcultures such as goths , emos , punks , and metalheads as hate crimes, in

441-562: A reduction in the consumption of street fashion. FRUiTS ceased publication while the Gothic & Lolita Bible was put on hiatus in 2017. As of May 2023, FRUiTS has been brought back as an ePublication with an English-language version. European culture has influenced Lolita fashion. The book Alice in Wonderland (1865), written by Lewis Carroll , has inspired many different brands and magazines, such as Alice Deco . The reason that

504-462: A result, the company Sanrio began experimenting with cute designs. The cuteness style, known as kawaii style , became popular in the 1980s. After Otome Do-It-Yourself became popular, which led to the emergence of a new style called 'dolly-kei', the predecessor of Lolita fashion. Between 1977 and 1998, a large part of the Harajuku shopping district closed for car traffic on Sundays. The result

567-433: A short period. Even religious groups can be seen as subcultures. In his research on British punk rock in the late 1970s, Hebdige proposed a controversial proposition at the time: punk portrayed the entire history of post-war working-class youth culture in a "cut" form, blending elements that originally belonged to completely different eras. Some subcultures reject or modify the importance of style, stressing membership through

630-472: A solution. In the work of John Clarke, Stuart Hall , Tony Jefferson, and Brian Roberts of the Birmingham CCCS ( Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies ), subcultures are interpreted as forms of resistance. Society is seen as being divided into two fundamental classes, the working class and the middle class , each with its own class culture, and middle-class culture being dominant. Particularly in

693-460: A subcultural model will furnish him/her with growing status within this context but it will often, in tandem, deprive him/her of status in the broader social context outside where a different model prevails. Cohen used the term 'Corner Boys' which were unable to compete with their better secured and prepared peers. These lower-class youths didn't have equal access to resources, resulting in the status of frustration , marginalization , and search for

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756-476: A subgroup." Some subcultures are formed by members with characteristics or preferences that differ from the majority of society, who generally have a preference for body modifications such as tattoos , punctures, and certain forms of plastic surgery. Unlike mainstream social relationships, subcultural communities are characterized by transience, informality, and a lack of typical social kinship relationships. As early as 1950, David Riesman distinguished between

819-431: A typical example of an "urban tribe". In the context of consumer culture , the notion of consumer tribes indicate ephemeral groups of individuals that often share a common interest and a share a subculture. Unlike traditional tribes that share kinship and language, consumer tribes are elective and ephemeral because they disperse without necessarily building long-term relationships. Consumer tribes often fluctuate around

882-449: A way for people with similar backgrounds, lifestyles, professions or hobbies to connect. According to a co-founder and executive creative strategist for RE-UP, as technology becomes a "life force," subcultures become the main bone of contention for brands as networks rise through cultural mash-ups and phenomenons. Where social media is concerned, there seems to be a growing interest among media producers to use subcultures for branding. This

945-413: A widely followed subculture in Japan and other countries in the 1990s and 2000s although its popularity has waned in Japan as of the 2010s as alternative fashions fell in popularity. The main feature of Lolita fashion is the volume of the skirt, created by wearing a petticoat or crinoline . The skirt can be either bell-shaped or A-line shaped. Components of the Lolita wardrobe consist most importantly of

1008-429: A woman, or they are single. In a 2011 study, Brady Robards and Andy Bennett said that online identity expression has been interpreted as exhibiting subcultural qualities. However, they argue it is more in line with neotribalism than with what is often classified as subculture. Social networking websites are quickly becoming the most used form of communication and means to distribute information and news. They offer

1071-402: Is about a middle-aged man, Humbert Humbert, who grooms and abuses a twelve-year-old girl nicknamed Lolita. Because the book focused on the controversial subject of pedophilia and underage sexuality, "Lolita" soon developed a negative connotation referring to a girl inappropriately sexualized at a very young age and associated with unacceptable sexual obsession. In Japan, however, discourse around

1134-788: Is frowned upon by many in this community. A Chinese replica manufacturer that is famous for her replica design is Oo Jia. Second-hand shopping is also an alternative to buying new pieces as items can be bought at a lower price (albeit with varying item condition) and is the sole method of obtaining pieces that are no longer produced by their respective brand. Many Lolitas consider being photographed without permission to be rude and disrespectful; however, some rules differ or overlap in different parts of this community. Lolitas often host meetings in public spaces such as parks, restaurants, cafes, shopping malls, public events, and festivals. Some meetings take place at members' homes, and often have custom house rules (e.g. each member must bring their own cupcake to

1197-408: Is seen most actively on social network sites with user-generated content , such as YouTube . Subcultures can be and have been successfully targeted by firms commercially. A stream of academic research in consumer culture shows the multiple ways in which companies and firms target subcultures with commercial offerings. Discrimination -based harassment and violence are sometimes directed towards

1260-572: The Internet as a place to share information, leading to an increase in worldwide shopping and the opportunity for enthusiastic foreign Lolitas to purchase fashion items. JK uniforms , hanfu and Lolita are the three most popular types of clothing among China's Gen Z consumers. The origin of Japanese cultural influence in the West can be traced back to the late nineties when cultural goods such as Hello Kitty , Pokémon , and translated mangas appeared in

1323-648: The Kansai region and finally reached Tokyo . Partly due to the economic difficulties, there was large growth in the cuteness and youth cultures that originated in the seventies. In the late nineties, the Jingu Bashi (also called the Harajuku Bridge) became known as a meeting place for youth who wore Lolita and other alternative fashion, and Lolita became more popular, causing a surge in warehouses selling Lolita fashion. Important magazines that contributed to

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1386-479: The LGBT culture , considered the largest sexual subculture of the 20th and 21st centuries. With the ever-increasing acceptance of homosexuality in the early 21st century , including its expressions in fashion, music, and design, the gay culture can no longer be considered a subculture in many parts of the world, although some aspects of gay culture like leathermen , bears , and chubs are considered subcultures within

1449-469: The 1990s, Lolita became more accepted, with visual kei bands like Malice Mizer and others rising in popularity. These band members wore elaborate clothes that fans began to adopt. During this time Japan went through an economic depression, leading to an increase in alternative youth and fashion cultures such as gyaru, otaku, visual kei, and Lolita, as well as visual-kei-inspired clothing such as Mori, Fairy Kei, and Decora. The Lolita style spread quickly from

1512-540: The Harajuku style, and Shizuka Fujioka, who represents the school-uniform-styled fashion. Another way that Japan tries to popularize Japanese street fashion and Lolita is by organizing the international Harajuku walk in Japan, potentially leading other countries to organize similar walks. Possible reasons for the popularity of Lolita fashion outside of Japan include a growing interest in Japanese culture as well as use of

1575-588: The Lolita world." Mana is a musician who is known for popularizing Gothic Lolita fashion, which he calls "EGL," or "Elegant Gothic Lolita." He played in the rock band Malice Mizer (1992–2001) and founded the heavy metal band Moi dix Mois (2002–present). Both bands—whose members are known for eccentric expressions and elaborate costumes—are a part of the visual kei movement. Mana founded his own fashion label, known as Moi-même-Moitié in 1999, which specializes in Gothic Lolita. Both bands are very interested in

1638-518: The Rococo period. The government of Japan has also tried to popularize Lolita fashion. The Minister of Foreign Affairs in February 2009 assigned models to spread Japanese pop culture. These people were given the title of Kawaa Taishi (ambassadors of cuteness). The first three ambassadors of cuteness were model Misako Aoki , who represents the Lolita style of frills-and-lace, Yu Kimura, who represents

1701-605: The Tribes (1988). In 1996, this book was published in English. According to Maffesoli, neo tribes are microgroups of people who share common interests in urban areas. The members of these relatively small groups tend to have similar worldviews, dress styles and behavioral patterns. Their social interactions are largely informal and emotionally laden, different from late capitalism 's corporate - bourgeoisie cultures, based on dispassionate logic. Maffesoli claims that punks are

1764-504: The United States, down-low is a slang term specifically used within the African-American community to refer to Black men who usually identify as heterosexual but actively seek sexual encounters and relations with other men , practice gay cruising , and frequently adopt a specific hip-hop attire during these activities. They avoid sharing this information even if they have female sexual partner(s), they are married to

1827-454: The West. Anime was already being imported to the West in the early nineties, and scholars also mention that anime and manga caused the popularity of Japanese culture to rise. This is supported by the idea that cultural streams have been flowing both from Japan to the West, and from the West to Japan. Lolita originated as a reaction against stifling Japanese society , in which young people are pressured to strictly adhere to gender roles and

1890-569: The adoption of an ideology which may be much more resistant to commercial exploitation. The punk subculture 's distinctive (and initially shocking) style of clothing was adopted by mass-market fashion companies once the subculture became a media interest. Dick Hebdige argues that the punk subculture shares the same "radical aesthetic practices" as the Dadaist and Surrealist art movements: Like Duchamp's 'ready mades' - manufactured objects which qualified as art because he chose to call them such,

1953-457: The character Alice was a source of inspiration for Lolita fashion is that she was an ideal icon for the Shōjo (shoujo)-image, meaning an image of eternal innocence and beauty. The first complete translation of the book was published by Maruyama Eikon in 1910, translated under the title Ai-chan No Yume Monogatari (Fantastic stories of Ai). Another figure from Rococo that served as a source of inspiration

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2016-422: The cheek, ear or lip ... fragments of school uniform (white bri-nylon shirts, school ties) were symbolically defiled (the shirts covered in graffiti, or fake blood; the ties left undone) and juxtaposed against leather drains or shocking pink mohair tops. In 1985, French sociologist Michel Maffesoli coined the term urban tribe or neotribalism . It gained widespread use after the publication of his The Time of

2079-441: The cultural industry and mass media, as Steve Redhead and David Muggleton emphasize. The very idea of a unique, internally homogeneous, dominant culture is explicitly criticized. Thus forms of individual involvement in subcultures are fluid and gradual, differentiated according to each actor's investment, outside clear dichotomies. The ideas of different levels of subcultural capital ( Sarah Thornton ) possessed by each individual, of

2142-521: The culture industry is often capable of re-absorbing the components of such a style and once again transforming them into consumer goods for the mass society . At the same time the mass media , while they participate in building subcultures by broadcasting their images, also weaken subcultures by depriving them of their subversive content or by spreading a socially stigmatized image of them and their members. The most recent interpretations see subcultures as forms of distinction. In an attempt to overcome

2205-536: The dominant societal standard. Hebdige argued that subculture brings together like-minded individuals who feel neglected by societal standards and allow them to develop a sense of identity. In 1995, Sarah Thornton , drawing on Pierre Bourdieu , described "subcultural capital" as the cultural knowledge and commodities acquired by members of a subculture, raising their status and helping differentiate themselves from members of other groups. In 2007, Ken Gelder proposed to distinguish subcultures from countercultures based on

2268-582: The dress of the subculture simply because it is fun and not as a protest against traditional Japanese society. Other motives could be that wearing the fashion style increases their self-confidence or to express an alternative identity. Many of the very early Lolitas in the 1990s hand-made most of their clothing, and were inspired by the Dolly Kei movement of the previous decade. Because of the diffusion of fashion magazines people were able to use Lolita patterns to make their own clothing. Another way to own Lolita

2331-453: The expectations and responsibilities that are part of these roles. Wearing fashion inspired by childhood clothing is a reaction against this. This can be explained from two perspectives. Firstly, that it is a way to escape adulthood and to go back to the eternal beauty of childhood. Secondly, that it is an escape to a fantasy world, in which an ideal identity can be created that would not be acceptable in daily life. Some Lolitas say they enjoy

2394-555: The gay movement itself. The butch and femme identities or roles among some lesbians also engender their own subculture with stereotypical attire, for instance drag kings . A late 1980s development, the queer movement can be considered a subculture broadly encompassing those that reject normativity in sexual behavior, and who celebrate visibility and activism. The wider movement coincided with growing academic interests in queer studies and queer theory . Aspects of sexual subcultures can vary along other cultural lines. For instance, in

2457-1023: The groups. This can be seen at anime conventions such as the convention in Göteborg in which cosplay and Japanese fashion is mixed. For some Lolitas, it is insulting if people label their outfit as a costume. Subculture A subculture is a group of people within a cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, political, and sexual matters. Subcultures are part of society while keeping their specific characteristics intact. Examples of subcultures include BDSM , hippies , hipsters (which include 1940s original parent subculture and nipster ), goths , steampunks , bikers , punks , skinheads , gopnik , hip-hoppers , metalheads , cosplayers , otaku , otherkin , furries , hackers and more. The concept of subcultures

2520-555: The idea of subcultures as forms of deviance or resistance, they describe subcultures as collectivities which, on a cultural level, are sufficiently homogeneous internally and heterogeneous with respect to the outside world to be capable of developing, as Paul Hodkinson points out, consistent distinctiveness, identity, commitment and autonomy. Defined by Sarah Thornton as taste cultures, subcultures are endowed with elastic, porous borders, and are inserted into relationships of interaction and mingling, rather than independence and conflict, with

2583-623: The level of immersion in society. Gelder further proposed six key ways in which subcultures can be identified through their: Sociologists Gary Alan Fine and Sherryl Kleinman argued that their 1979 research showed that a subculture is a group that serves to motivate a potential member to adopt the artifacts, behaviors, norms, and values characteristic of the group. Contemporary subcultures typically refer to popular culture, including animation, comics, video games, and popular music. The evolution of subcultural studies has three main steps: The earliest sociological studies on subcultures came from

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2646-632: The mainstream culture and developing imaginary solutions for structural problems. However, the Birmingham School believes that the symbolic rejection of mainstream bourgeois lifestyles by subcultures is illusory. As Paul Willis and Dick Hebdige underline, identity and resistance in subcultures are expressed through the development of a distinctive style which, by a re-signification and " bricolage " operation, use cultural goods and services as standardized products to buy and consume , in order to communicate and express one's own conflict. Yet

2709-551: The mainstream culture, proposing different ones in their place—thereby becoming, depending on circumstances, innovators, rebels, or retreatists ( Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin ). Subcultures, however, are not only the result of alternative action strategies but also of labelling processes on the basis of which, as Howard S. Becker explains, society defines them as outsiders. As Cohen clarifies, every subculture's style, consisting of image, demeanour and language becomes its recognition trait. And an individual's progressive adoption of

2772-425: The meeting). Lolita meetings are thus a social aspect of the Lolita fashion community, serving as an opportunity for members to meet one another. Many Lolitas also used to use Livejournal to communicate, but many have since switched to Facebook groups. Lolita fashion emerged decades after the publication of Vladimir Nabokov 's novel Lolita (1955). The first Japanese translation was published in 1959. The novel

2835-457: The most unremarkable and inappropriate items - a pin, a plastic clothes peg, a television component, a razor blade, a tampon - could be brought within the province of punk (un)fashion ... Objects borrowed from the most sordid of contexts found a place in punks' ensembles; lavatory chains were draped in graceful arcs across chests in plastic bin liners. Safety pins were taken out of their domestic 'utility' context and worn as gruesome ornaments through

2898-480: The name refers to cuteness and elegance rather than to sexual attractiveness. Many Lolitas in Japan are not aware that Lolita is associated with Nabokov's book and they are disgusted by it when they discover such a relation. The Japanese sense of "Lolita" also appears in lolicon (from "Lolita complex"), a term associated with Russell Trainer's novel The Lolita Complex (1966, translated 1969) and associated with otaku culture. The concept and genre of media reflects

2961-440: The novel instead built on the country's romanticized girls' culture ( shōjo bunka ), and came to be a positive synonym for the "sweet and adorable" adolescent girl, without a perverse or sexual connotation. Lolita was made into a movie in 1962, which did not show the disinterest that the titular character had in being sexualized. Another film adaptation was released in 1997 . The 17-year-old Amy Fisher , who attempted to murder

3024-442: The origin of the fashion is unclear, at the end of the 1970s a new movement known as Otome (乙女) was founded, which slightly influenced Lolita fashion since Otome means maiden and maiden style looks like a less elaborated Lolita style. Before Otome-kei emerged, there was already a rise of cuteness culture in the earlier seventies; during this period there was a strong emphasis on cute and childish handwriting in Japanese schools. As

3087-512: The overall organisational culture. In some instances, subcultures have been legislated against, and their activities regulated or curtailed. British youth subcultures had been described as a moral problem that ought to be handled by the guardians of the dominant culture within the post-war consensus . It may be difficult to identify certain subcultures because their style (particularly clothing and music) may be adopted by mass culture for commercial purposes. Businesses often seek to capitalize on

3150-641: The publisher Tokyopop , and FRUiTS publishing an English picture book of Japanese Street Fashion in 2001. As the style became further popularized through the Internet, more shops opened abroad, such as Baby, The Stars Shine Bright in Paris (2007) and in New York (2014). Over time, the youth that gathered in Harajuku or at Harajuku Bridge disappeared. One possible explanation is that the introduction of fast fashion from retailers H&M and Forever 21 caused

3213-711: The same way they record abuse against people because of their religion, race, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity. The decision followed the murder of Sophie Lancaster and beating of her boyfriend in 2007, who were attacked because they were goths. In 2012, human rights activists have denounced the occurrence of emo killings in Iraq , which consisted of between at least 6 and up to 70 teenage boys who were kidnapped, tortured, and murdered in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq , due to being targeted because they dressed in

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3276-683: The so-called Chicago School , who interpreted them as forms of deviance and delinquency. Starting with what they called Social Disorganization Theory , they claimed that subcultures emerged on one hand because of some population sectors' lack of socialization with the mainstream culture and, on the other, because of their adoption of alternative axiological and normative models. As Robert E. Park , Ernest Burgess , and Louis Wirth suggested, by means of selection and segregation processes, there thus appear in society "natural areas" or "moral regions" where deviant models concentrate and are re-inforced; they do not accept objectives or means of action offered by

3339-450: The spread of the fashion style were the Gothic & Lolita Bible (2001), a spin-off of the popular Japanese fashion magazine KERA (1998), and FRUiTS (1997). It was around this time that interest in and awareness of Lolita fashion began entering countries outside of Japan, with the Gothic & Lolita Bible being translated into English and distributed outside of Japan through

3402-564: The subversive allure of subcultures in search of Cool , which remains valuable in the selling of any product. This process of cultural appropriation may often result in the death or evolution of the subculture, as its members adopt new styles that appear alien to mainstream society. Music-based subcultures are particularly vulnerable to this process; what may be considered subcultures at one stage in their histories – such as jazz , goth , punk , hip hop , and rave cultures  – may represent mainstream taste within

3465-474: The supermarket of style ( Ted Polhemus ) and of style surfing (Martina Böse) replace that of the subculture's insiders and outsiders – with the perspective of subcultures supplying resources for the construction of new identities going beyond strong, lasting identifications. The study of subcultures often consists of the study of symbolism attached to clothing , music , hairstyles , jewellery , and other visible affectations by members of subcultures, and also of

3528-490: The ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture. Dick Hebdige writes that members of a subculture often signal their membership through a distinctive and symbolic use of style, which includes fashions , mannerisms , and argot . Subcultures can exist at all levels of organizations, highlighting the fact that there are multiple cultures or value combinations usually evident in any one organization that can complement but also compete with

3591-468: The wife of the 35-year-old man who had initiated a sexual relationship with her and whose crime was made into a film called The Amy Fisher Story (1993), was often called the Long Island Lolita. These films reinforced the sexual association. Other racy connotations were created by Lolita Nylon advertisements (1964) and other media that used Lolita in sexual contexts. Within Japanese culture

3654-498: The working class, subcultures grow out of the presence of specific interests and affiliations around which cultural models spring up, in conflict with both their parents' culture and mainstream culture . Subcultural groups emphasize voluntary, informal, and organic subordinate relationships formed in unregulated street public spaces. Facing a weakening of class identity, subcultures are then new forms of collective identification , expressing what Cohen defined "symbolic resistance" against

3717-463: Was Marie Antoinette ; the manga The Rose of Versailles (Lady Oscar), based on her court, was created in 1979. People who have popularized the Lolita fashion include Yukari Tamura , Mana , and Novala Takemoto . Takemoto wrote the light novel Kamikaze Girls (2002) about the relationship between Momoko, a Lolita girl, and Ichigo, a Yanki . The book was adapted into a movie and a manga in 2004. Takemoto claims that "There are no leaders within

3780-549: Was an increase in interaction between pedestrians in Harajuku. When brands like PINK HOUSE (1973), Milk (1970), and Angelic Pretty (1979) began to sell cute clothing, it resulted in the emergence of a new style that would later become known as 'Lolita'. The term 'Lolita' first appeared in the fashion magazine Ryukou Tsushin in the September 1987 issue. Shortly after that, Baby, The Stars Shine Bright (1988), Metamorphose temps de fille (1993), and other brands emerged. In

3843-420: Was developed in sociology and cultural studies . Subcultures differ from countercultures . The Oxford English Dictionary defines subculture, in regards to sociological and cultural anthropology, as "an identifiable subgroup within a society or group of people, esp. one characterized by beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger group; the distinctive ideas, practices, or way of life of such

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3906-399: Was quickly divided into multiple components: one which purchases mainly from Japanese or Chinese internet marketplaces, the other making use of shopping services to purchase Japanese brands, with some communities making larger orders as a group. Not every online shop delivers quality Lolita (inspired) products , a notorious example being Milanoo (2014). Some web shops sell brand replicas, which

3969-399: Was to buy it second-hand. The do-it-yourself behaviour can be seen more frequently by people who cannot afford the expensive brands. Once more retail stores began selling Lolita fashion, it became less common for Lolitas to make their own clothing. Partly due to the rise of e-commerce and globalization , Lolita clothing became more widely accessible with the help of the Internet. The market

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