scatterbrain
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2025
Lolicon is actually short for Lolita Complex, and Lolita Complex refers to the romantic or sexual infatuation with little girls, inspired by the obsessive romanticization of the book Lolita.Lolicon and lolis originally came from the book Lolita, which is a very disturbing book about a man sexulizing his step daughter, whom he marries the mother of to get close to her. He uses flowery language to trick the reader into sympathizing with him. He's manipulative and is obsessed with the girl. You can see the objectification he has for her, as her name is Dolores but he names her Lolita.
How it got so popular in Japan is beyond me though, I knew Lolita was a fashion trend there, but I have no clue how it ended up as a love for little anime girls.
Lolita as a fashion trend on the other hand is, I want to say, unintentionally named such. The trend is inspired by Alice in Wonderland, which is inspired by the Lolita Complex. As for why they named it Lolita isn't exactly clear according to my research from however many months ago, but it likely has to do with the term "Lolita" being used as a term of endearment to little girls (without any sexual or romantic connotation, despite being based off of the book. A "lost in translation" appropriation issue?). Many Japanese lovers of Lolita fashion are unaware of this, and are disgusted upon finding out the truth behind the term. Many argue that Lolita (as a fashion trend) is about reclaiming feminine innocence in objection of sexualization.
You might be surprised upon learning that people didn't just romanticized Lolita back then, but also defended Humbert, going as far as calling the little girl the "real" abuser for being oh so mean.
Sorry if this was already explained somewhere, I was backreading and wanted to contribute. I hope I provided at least one fun fact.