Lolita's Postmodern Appeal- Part I

What is postmodernity? That is a question I have been wrestling with since my graduate study days in the late 1990's.  The best definitions I have seen focus on postmodernity's critique of the modern using pastiche, simulacra, and irony. Simply put, the postmodern is (was) a movement beyond the modern by taking pieces of the modern out of context, then reconfiguring it to create a not-quite-accurate recreation as a means of commentary or critique. For me, the postmodern is best understood through architecture, where the pastiche and ironic qualities are self-evident:

 Kengo Kumo, K2 Buildings, Building Tokyo 1991

If you "get" this building, you "get" postmodernism. Look at all of those historical styles, jumbled together. Look at the outsized Ionic column at the center of the composition, just begging you to contemplate the centrality of Western culture and it's impact on the world we live in. And if this crazy trainwreck of a building doesn't make you smile (or at least shake your head in bemusement), you are truly dead to irony.

There are some who argue that we are  beyond postmodern- "post-postmodern"- and in the larger society, this may be true. There is one place, however, that I believe the postmodern aesthetic and spirit live on, and that is the world of Lolita fashion.

Lolita fashion came about in the 1970's in Japan as an extension of the worldwide fascination with romanticized Victorian historical dress (think Gunne Sax here in the west)- and I contend- as an extension of the new postmodern ethic. It is no surprise that Japan was the home to Lolita, as their rich history of "cultural borrowing" made them supremely comfortable with cherry-picking the most appealing parts of western historical dress, and reassembling them into a frothy pastiche that bore the unmistakable mark of Japanese kawaii aesthetics. Lolita grew to worldwide fame in the 1990's- at exactly the same time postmodernism was reaching its zenith- and became recognizable as the fashion subculture that exists today.

Top: "Otome" or maiden style from 1979- this is very in-line with the whole historical romantic/Pairie Style movement in the west (even though true "historical" Japanese maidens would have been rocking yukatas and kimono!) 

Bottom: 90's Lolita from the pages of Fruits Magazine. Notice how "Gunne Sax-y" the top still looks.  Both pictures are from this blog post, which is a great succinct history of Lolita.

Lolita has become much more than just a tweaking of western Victorian-era styles. Today, Baroque, Rococo, Empire, Regency, Edwardian, post WWII  "New Look", traditional Asian, punk, and even 1980's children's wear influences can all be clearly seen in Lolita style. With all of that historical input, the resulting pastiche is not unlike the building above, in fashion form: 

http://theheianprincess.tumblr.com/image/71857471294

She's wearing an Empire/Regency bonnet, very Rococo-esque sleeves and frills(including a faux stomacher of sorts), the print on the dress appears to be hoop-skirted Victorian ladies at a ball, done in a style reminiscent of children's "Holly Hobbie" bedsheets of the 70's-80's, on top of a poofy skirt held aloft by 50's New Look-esque petticoats that cuts off at the knees like an early 60's dress. Whew! If that doesn't make you smile, or at least shake your head in bemusement, you are truly dead to irony.

So, the pastiche/simulacra side of Lolita is pretty easy to understand. But, what about the commentary/criticism? Is the above outfit intentionally ironic, or did it just end up that way? I would argue that the look above is very intentional, and that ultimately, that is the heart of Lolita's appeal. 

Before I move on, I would like to concede that every designer (and wearer) of Lolita is not making a conscious choice to incorporate elements from exactly the eras represented above, in exacting combination, to make a specific comment on society/fashion/women's roles, etc. In the same way that many pieces of postmodern art or architecture have been made as general commentary, or to appeal to a real, but perhaps unexamined impulse of the popular culture, so are many Lolita outfits a visceral interpretation of the zeitgeist of the 21st century global community from which they arise. That being said, for those inside the Lolita community, the commentary is profound, moving, and deeply embedded in the constant tension between their self-concept and the larger society's definition of their roles.