The Lolita Complex: - Scholarly Commons Home

The lolicon is also yet another product stemming from the
“infanticisation” of Japanese culture and youjika which, as discussed, is a
dominating impulse contributing to a patriarchal ordering of society. As I
have previously claimed, the Japanese Lolita movement defies and confronts
this patriarchal construct and therefore also fights against this pornographic
hegemony. The lolicon, as part of a larger pornographic framework that
objectifies and represses women, is merely another element of Japanese
culture that the Gothloli consciously or subconsciously, but symbolically,
resists. Once again, I must stress that the classic, original, authentic Gothloli
image, in its purist untainted form, is intended to represent modesty and
childhood innocence, the polar opposite of “the ‘dirty world’ of adulthood”.
However, as I have stated, the Gothloli’s identity has undeniably
become associated with Japan’s pornography industry, which has corrupted
her reputation. Does this mean that the authenticity of the subculture has
also been debased? Can the Gothloli’s original intentions be projected and
understood? Are these purist motivations still behind participation in the
movement? Although the character of the Gothloli has been tarnished, the
Lolita still determines to combat this sexualised paradigm. But, in light of
this predicament, should the subculture continue?
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