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[dorky-nerd-01]

Hypothesis on the Etymological Origin of Lolita Fashion

As most of those familiar with the fashion know, it was allegedly coined by Japanese Musician Mana (Technically, it was said that the term he stated was “Elegant Gothic Lolita”). While some others deemed that it first appeared in 1994 in a Japanese newspaper / fashion magazine. Nevertheless, one still wonders: why was it given the name “Lolita”?

The general concession is that no one really knows why it was called by that name. For those who wear the fashion, it was agreed that whoever used “Lolita” in order to describe/name/call the fashion thought that it is merely a cute-sounding name. This argument is based on the idea that the Japanese GENERALLY adheres to the “kawaii” or cute(sy) aesthetic. On the other hand, for those who do not wear / know of the fashion, it was named after the book by Vladimir Nabokov.

In my opinion, all arguments are PROBABLY true. (With regards to the third one, before you get mad at me, please do hear me out first.)

I would like to first point out that the author of the said book, Nabokov, as most literature fanatics or fans of his know, is also famous for being a lepidopterist, which is a person who studies or collects butterflies and moths. Because of this, he is also known for associating butterflies or anything related thereto in his works. In the novel “Lolita” in particular, he made use of the word “nymph”, which aside from its usual connotation of minor Greek mythological beings, refers as well to the young form of butterflies.

Specifically, the said novel coined the term “nymphet”. Modern dictionaries define it as “a sexually precocious girl barely in her teens”, also as “a sexually attractive young woman”. In the book, the narrator (i.e. the character Humbert Humbert, a.k.a. the monstrous pedophile we all hate) proposed that the said term refers to those “Between the age limits of nine and fourteen … maidens who, to certain bewitched travelers, twice or many times older than they, reveal their true nature which is not human, but nymphic (that is, demoniac) …”. Moreover, said character, because of his obsession with such girls, also muses about the idea that “nymphets” should stay that way or remain as such. For him, “nymphets” (girls) should not become “nymphs” (women). In other words, he wishes that they should not grow up.

Meanwhile, the fashion was said to have started or gained popularity as a form of social revolution / feminist movement in Japan, wherein women denounce the rampant female sexualization, as well as escape from the harsh reality (back then) that Japanese women are expected to get married, forego of their careers, and become housewives and mothers. This resulted in the said women to wear a style that is reminiscent of childhood, i.e. cutesy motifs, the silhouette of Alice from Disney’s 1951 film Alice in Wonderland (which is inspired by Victorian children’s clothing among others) and the inordinate and extravagant outfits of European Royalty and High Society (particularly those of the Rococo era).

Here is where book relates to the fashion. As mentioned above, the book’s main character believes that “nymphets” (girls) should not become “nymphs” (women), or that girls, specifically the “nymphets”, should not grow up. On the other hand, the proponents of the fashion sought to not embrace the traditional roles expected of Japanese women (back then) that comes with adulthood. In a sense, they wish to not grow up.

In conclusion, I THINK that whoever used “Lolita” in order to describe/name/call the fashion PROBABLY took inspiration from the book, notwithstanding the connotations it has in the West/America, not only because it sounds cute, but also because of the not-growing-up concept.

Now, I agree that it can also be argued that if the inspiration for the name of the fashion was the said book, the term that was used should have been “nymphet”. This is because (1) it was the word therein that was used to refer to certain girls who are alluring for some men, and (2) the name “Lolita” was only used therein as the title of the book and as a nickname given by the narrator to the character of Dolores Haze. (In fact, other characters in the novel do not call her Lolita, but usually refer to her either as Lola or Dolly.)

However, I think that this argument can in turn be rebutted by the simple fact that “Lolita” sounds cuter than “Nymphet”. This is consistent with the idea that the Japanese GENERALLY adheres to the “kawaii” or cute(sy) aesthetic.

Moreover, the statement that “whoever used “Lolita” in order to describe / name / call the fashion thought that it is merely a cute-sounding name” DOES NOT necessarily NEGATE the statement that “ ‘Lolita fashion’ was named after the book by Vladimir Nabokov”, and vice-versa. This is in turn consistent with the fact that “no one really knows why ‘Lolita Fashion’ is called by that name”. In other words, because no one knows why it was called that, BOTH of the aforementioned arguments MAY BE TRUE.

What do you think?

NOTE:

Before the said book was published in 1955 or became popular, the name “Lolita” was merely referred to as one of the diminutive forms of “Dolores”, which means sorrow(ful) in Spanish. Nowadays, because of the said book, it means “a young girl who has a very sexual appearance or behaves in a very sexual way”.

The latter definition was because of the unfortunate misunderstanding of mainstream media and society. To be precise, the novel “Lolita” NEITHER sexualizes young girls, NOR justifies / normalize / romanticize pedophilia. Rather, it denounces these. The author only used flowery words in writing the story to catch the reader’s attention, and to show how something so beautiful on the outside, can be actually so horrible on the inside (i.e. it was written quite beautifully by Nabokov, but tells a truly horrible story; also the narrator, Humbert Humbert, uses beautiful words in describing what is happening, but is actually doing horrible things).

In fact, Nabokov himself stated that no little girl should be portrayed or shown in the cover of his books. (Unfortunately for him, most reprints are the opposite.)

Sources:

https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/younker/files/lolita_-_dreaming_despairing_defying.pdf?mc_cid=15cb58d940&mc_eid=0445bc0484

http://www.fyeahlolita.com/2013/11/why-is-lolita-called-lolita-does-lolita.html

https://www.britannica.com/topic/nymph-Greek-mythology

[[https://ansp.org/exhibits/online-exhibits/butterflies/lifecycle/#:~:text=The%20young%20(called%20a%20nymph,adults%20but%20without%20the%20wings.&text=There%20are%20four%20stages%20in,larva%2C%20pupa%2C%20and%20adult](https://ansp.org/exhibits/online-exhibits/butterflies/lifecycle/#:~:text=The%20young%20(called%20a%20nymph,adults%20but%20without%20the%20wings.&text=There%20are%20four%20stages%20in,larva%2C%20pupa%2C%20and%20adult)](https://ansp.org/exhibits/online-exhibits/butterflies/lifecycle/#:~:text=The%20young%20(called%20a%20nymph,adults%20but%20without%20the%20wings.&text=There%20are%20four%20stages%20in,larva%2C%20pupa%2C%20and%20adult](https://ansp.org/exhibits/online-exhibits/butterflies/lifecycle/#:~:text=The%20young%20(called%20a%20nymph,adults%20but%20without%20the%20wings.&text=There%20are%20four%20stages%20in,larva%2C%20pupa%2C%20and%20adult)).

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nymphet

https://pdf.pdfread.net/titleauthor/Lolita%20By%20Vladimir%20Nabokov-pdfread.net.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPANXxV1iFo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFqyNd3HlgU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLV0zTIvaig

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/lolita

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/dolores