The Lolita Complex: - Scholarly Commons Home

Many international Gothloli demonstrate a synergy with Japanese
Lolita in regard to their attachment to dolls. Says 22-year-old “Kasutei”
from Scotland:
I have an old doll, pale blue porcelain and soft bodied, called Massao. I used to
make clothing for her…. I also have a… Momoko fashion doll…. I tried to make a
dress (inspired by Angelic Pretty) for her, but it was difficult for her scale/size. Also,
I have one… male ball-jointed doll, Sakuya…. I made Sakuya an Innocent World
inspired blouse, as well as a blue haori, deep green striped kimono and light blue
bubble looking print nagajuban. *
As to whether she considers this as playing with dolls, she asks, “What is
†
considered playing these days?”.
She replies:
I might pose the dolls, sort their hair/wig, take photos, make clothes, dress them,
[sometimes but] rarely take one out shopping with me. In a way I guess I might be
playing. Yet it’s not the same as the way a child might play with a doll in an
imaginative way, possibly with a storyline and talking.
§
To “Kasutei”, “dolls are an art form” rather than mere playthings.
However, although she claims that she does not talk to them, she also sees
“them in a Shinto way, believing they might have souls”. **
* Personal communication between “Angelic Lolita” and “Kasutei” (Kirkcaldy, Scotland) on
MySpace, www.myspace.com/botticelliangel_nz, 17 January, 2010.
† Ibid.
‡ Ibid.
§ Ibid.
** Ibid.
‡
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