It is a lifestyle. And it is quite shocking to people who are not accustomed to this very secretive sort of subculture.
It´s like you are a member of an exclusive society.
It´s kind of like living a double life
The reason we do this in secret, is so that our mum doesn´t find out.
She suspects us. But… for he if she just doesn´t see it, she won´t investigate it.
Most people don´t know that I do this.
We are letting you in just to represent who we really are.
When we are all dressed up in Lolita it makes us feel… it feels as if you are high.
When I wear Lolita, I feel more feminine than I usually do
And it´s like an armour in a way, just gives you a feeling of confidence
People define me as a lifestyle Lolita
I specifically travel to meet new Lolitas
I travel interstate, I attend the events. Occasionally I do international trips.
Lolitas is worldwide. In almost every country you go to, you find girls wearing Lolita.
There are many different styles of Lolita but the main three are gothic, classic and sweet Lolita.
Some people are frightened and off put by the fashion
I can understand most people would get confused
Looking at Lolita and misreading it´s some kind of age play that extends into become living dolls or a sexual fetish
I think that´s primarily why we don´t see lots of Lolitas out on the street these days. It´s because it´s just not safe.
I´ve had a number of guys wanting to have sexual relations with me specifically saying they wanted me to wear Lolita, to look like a little girl.
Everyone thinks I´m this girl who promotes paedophilia.
I´ve been researching Japanese fashion subcultures now for almost 4 years
The Lolita community in Australia primarily operates online
We used to have open forums on places like livejournal until some very creepy people tried to gatecrash our meets.
We get a lot of creepers, like a lot of Lolitas have problems with stalkers.
That´s one of the reasons why we prefer to keep our community closed.
My Lolita name is Phantasmafloria
Phanty for short
I can´t reveal my identity as a male because my family don´t know I´m a Lolita
I mean… it´s very controversial coming from a conservative Cambodian family
There is a possibility they will cut me off but I´m prepared for the consequences
People generally think we are weird, strange, or freaks or maladjusted…
No, I wouldn´t go that far
All right, all right…
People don´t know my identity as a male. I do think I’m taking a risk by being on camera
But it´s time to let people know who I am.
I would describe to a degree as coming out as a Lolita
And being able to show it as part of community is a very big moment for me
Most of the things that Brolitas like me do are the same as Lolitas would do
So we do the hair, we do the make up
When I´m dolling up I feel more connected because it´s a way of representing how I am on the inside. It´s far more than just wearing a pretty dress.
The fact that we are perceived like living dolls is disappointing.
And I´ve had a few instances where people wanted to have sex with me because I looked like a little girl.
I´ve previously dated as a Lolita but I´ve been single for the last year and a bit.
I´ll get the parasols
I´ll get the bags
I first met Phanty online through an online Lolita community.
I kind of fell in love with Lotti after our first conversation
We had a lot in common, she is very smart and she is really beautiful.
And I kind of knew we needed to be together.
I was attracted to him as Phanty. Because even though I didn´t see him in pants until the third time we met in person, I saw through it.
To me the dress didn´t matter. I just love him as a man under Lolita.
I´d say I see him as more beautiful and cute rather than sexy when he is in Lolita.
I wear Lolita because I really like dresses. I just like it because it´s cute.
I really enjoy dressing Phanty up. Like… it´s just really fun.
Yeah… she sees me as a white canvas
Ohh… more than that. I just want you to look good.
-Hello! Hi! -Come in!
You are in one of our Lolita houses. This is the first time ever we let anyone delve to enter into our community.
So we are showing everything that there is to us
Thank you everyone for coming. Today we are going to do a bit of a photo-shoot to showcase the different styles of Lolita.
Ok, Let´s do the two hands by your face sort of pose
I own and operate a shop called Chiffon Rose. I´m the only online retailer who has such a broad collection of items that appeal to the Lolita aesthetic.
So cute…
To me Lolita started out as something to boost my confidence.
I didn´t like the way I looked. I think Lolita made me feel more beautiful, more attractive.
I don´t feel I´m being someone else. Because I still behave, talk and do all the things I do wether I´m wearing something I bought from target or whether I´m in Lolita fashion.
I travel to Adelaide once every three or so months just to go to meets, and it´s going to be very entertaining and very fun to catch up with everyone.
Does anyone need hairspray_
It´s covered in cat fur; I´m the worst.
So we have in the Adelaide community a couple of Brolitas come through
Some of them might identify as females for the day
We have one at the moment who is very active. Her name is Tilly, from Melbourne, She comes regularly down from Melbourne, she is a lovely person.
Tilly! Hi! How are you doing?
How are you? How was your trip?
It was good, it was good
That dress is adorable.
Mum doesn´t really approve of Lolita. So usually we pack our things and we go into the city to change before any event.
My sister and I, we are very passionate about this subculture.
It´s opened up doors and so many opportunities for us.
And unfortunately our Mum is not so convinced about the style.
She doesn´t want us to be ridiculed.
I think Lolita fashion is a very enclosed subculture because they´ve had so much judgement on the streets.
People often say nasty things, you know the guys …… some kind of sexual innuendo or something highly inappropriate.
So you just want to avoid that situation altogether.
Girls come one, come on
No, no, it´s ok
Heeeeyyy…
It´s been a big build up to get here and it´s taken a long time but being here with my Lolita community is my coming back home again. And that´s special.
I guess my message to people who find Lolita a bit weird is I think the more you know, the more accepting you´lll be of it. You might even want to be a Lolita yourself.
You know… I wish we could be a more accepting society and just let people be different
I think Lolita subculture in Australia is just going to get bigger.
Maybe one day we´ll have our own convention.
The Lolita subculture has really helped me grow as a person.
I think to everyone who misjudges us or has misconceptions about Lolita subculture
Coco Channel sums up our sentiments perfectly.
I don´t care what you think about me. I don´t think about you at all.