Misconceptions About Lolita

My most recent attempt at putting together a Sweet Lolita outfit. Includes: A cheap long brown wig, a white dress from H&M, a frilly underskirt from America Apparel, a pair of knee high socks from Primark, and my beloved red shoes from TK Max. 

Misconceptions About Lolita

There are many misconceptions of what Lolita is. Many people do not understand what it is. Some people mistakenly associate Lolita with a novel written by Vladamir Nabokov of the same name. Some people think Lolita is dressing up childishly in order to sexually attract older men. Lolita in context of fashion does not relate to sex.

Lolita by Vladamir Nobokov

The book is called 'Lolita' because it is a pet name for someone called Delores. The young girl in the story is nicknamed Lolita but her real name is Delores. The main character Humbert Humbert already expresses an attraction to younger girls because of the psychological damage he faces after the death of his childhood sweetheart while being a child himself. It is ONLY because of THIS BOOK that LOLITA IS ASSOCIATED WITH SEDUCTIVE, PROVOCATIVE YOUNG GIRLS!!

I do not think Vladamir Nabokov intended for this misconception to happen. He did have this book published in 1955. He died in 1977 which was a VERY VERY long time before the fashion movement came into being. I do not blame Nabokov, he never knew that it would also be the name of a type of fashion that I love so much. He could of just as easily decided to call it 'Loli', 'Lol', or even 'Delores'. He might have even just liked the sound of the name Lolita.

Then why IS the fashion movement also called Lolita?

The answer is quite simple. The early Japanese Lolitas knew it as a Portuguese given name. They assumed that it meant something 'cute' and that is why they chose it as the name for there very adorable fashion movement (I will explain Lolita fashion in more detail later).

So what does the name Lolita mean?

Lolita is a female given name of Spanish origin, which I assume must have later been also used in Portugal.

It is the diminutive form of 'Lola', a form of the given name 'Delores'

Then what does the name Delores mean, is THAT something in which its meanings suggest a sexually suggestive child?

No! Delores means 'Virgin Mary of Sorrows', in which I could assume could appeal to the sadness that the Virgin Mary felt in child-birth or after her son Jesus was crucified.

Ok ok, so what is this fashion movement that you keep rambling on about?

Lolita fashion is a fashion subculture that originated in Japan in the late 1990s. It is based on Victorian-era clothing as incorporating costumes of the Rococo period. 

But does the clothing look sexy?

In most circumstances, no it is not designed to. The cleavage and shoulders are often covered up. The dresses often stop just above the knees. An the legs covered by over-the-knee socks or knee-high socks.

It is designed to look CUTE, CHILDISH AND INNOCENT, it is NOT supposed to be sexy! Any older men who find it sexy (an succumb to acting on it) should seek mental health support very soon. Everyone has their own deviants, but NO MAN SHOULD EVER TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMEONE YOUNGER AND MORE VULNERABLE.