Sweet Lolita can be punk too!

Lolitas can come to the fashion from a wide variety of backgrounds.  There are goths, indies and ravers, girls that never left their childhood frills and girls that never had them in the first place.  There are even self-proclaimed 'Otakus' whose love of all things Japanese brought them to the fashion.  I've noticed that there is one 'genre' from our subculture that is seemingly under-represented in the Lolita world; Punks.

 

(images from lolitafashion.org article on Punk Lolita)

To me, Punk Lolita isn't Punk; it's only a style that has borrowed it's imagery from Punk.

Punk Lolita itself is a defined style within Lolita fashion, and uses the tartans, bondage and crass imagery of 'proper' punk as the crux of it's appearance, but is it really 'punk'?    The original anger and malcontent of punk isn't apparent in these outfits and the ideas behind the punk style have been watered down to teenage melodrama, not rebellion.  Just wearing Lolita clothes with normal punk stylings would work for some, but it's not a fashion that lends itself to frills easily.  Sweet creations by brands like Angelic Pretty don't sit easily amongst torn jeans and spray paint.  A fashion style as dirty and raw as punk doesn't lend itself to perfectly coiffed hair and pristine hairbows.  Maybe the whole idea of Lolita is diametrically opposed to all of the ideals of punk?

Punk, to me, is defying the mainstream and doing your own thing in ways that appeal to you.  By that definition, Lolita is the EPITOME of punk, but then can you really BE punk while wearing $$$-expensive clothes and dressing in a style that's a translation of high-class Rococo and Victoriana?  My opinion?  Why the hell not.  Punk is a mindset.  Punk Lolita is just another style; it's NOT punk.  It's no more edgy than Sweet, no trendier than Classic.  Maybe in these times, Punk is more centred on bucking the trend of everyday style and every Lolita is doing that in her own way.

Take a leaf from the book of Punk; F**K everything else - Do what you love and gain strength from it.

xoxo,