WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU WEARING? HOW BLACK AMERICAN WOMEN ON YOUTUBE INTERPRET THE LOLITA FASHION SUBCULTURE

Abstract

Lolita is a fashion subculture that initially started as a street fashion trend in Japan. In the 1990’s, Japanese alternative fashion magazines such as CUTiE, Olive, and FRUiTs depicted young women wearing Lolita fashion. As these fashion magazines received global distribution, women around the world were introduced to Lolita fashion. As a result, women outside of Japan began to wear Lolita fashion—they created communities to share their passion for Lolita both in-person and online. Although Lolita is a notable fashion subculture amongst women, studies have yet to recognize how Black American women engage with the fashion subculture. This study therefore explores how Black Lolita content creators on YouTube interpret the Lolita fashion subculture, sees to understand Black women's experiences within it. Additionally, this research maps how they experience a sense of belonging within the Lolita fashion subculture. The data was collected from a predominantly Black online Lolita community named “Kawaii Melanin.” By performing a reflexive thematic analysis on seven video interviews from this community, this research offers fresh insights into how Black women experience the Lolita fashion subculture, such as how the sweet Lolita substyle acts as a way for Black women to renegotiate their sense of femininity.