The RACE for the Gothloli Bottom - A Major Rant
Last year, I faced a squad of young goth lolis trying to sell me clothes at my school's funfair. "Lolita is not cosplay," they were saying, despite the fact that prior to this, I had not said anything about cosplay, and only talked about the sign at their store that said "Lolita =/= cosplay". Listening to their explanations over the shouts of the bubble-tea store owners and trying to figure out what part of my dressing, stance or face had led them to conclude that I was not only a cosplayer but an elitist one at that, I came to the conclusion that it was, quite simply, my noting the sign that had set them off.
They were neither irate nor impolite, indeed they were very friendly. But I was a little struck by the conviction and coaxing in their voices, which reminded me of Christians at my doorstep asking me to consider God.
And I couldn't help but wonder why they had to be so harsh about it all.
But then again it's only true. Since gothloli hit the scene, battlelines have been sewn onto the ends of every booth in a cosplay convention in black lace and some really annoyingly shiny red satin tablecloths. You can touch the merchandise, gawk at the hairpieces, but at the end you're a tourist stepping into the sacred gotholi culture. The gothlolis glare at the cosplayers, the cosplayers glare at the goth lolis. Both vie for the cameras. Both mutter damming statements and rumours like "she only gets her picture taken because she's looks cute." (Forgetting, of course, that thousands of models and pop stars get their pictures taken for exactly that reason.)
But if there is gothloli culture, then what are you doing at a cosplay convention?
There are gay clubs because gay people don't want to go to heterosexual clubs. There are singles bars bcause singles don't want to go to family restaurants and have kids gawking at their tete-a-tetes. By the same vein, why don't gothlolis have gothloli events that don't have cosplayers barging in on their lacy wall hangings? Our hair dyes, huge weapons, and brightly coloured outfits are probably making the roses wilt.
That there are no rose tea parties and labryinths of despair seem to have two important reasons, in my opinion. The first is the culture of gothloli itself. (And if Kaori-Lolita were ever to read this blog post, I will expect poisoned apples in my fruitbowl soon.) The second is, unfortunately, the battlelines and how desperately unclear they are.
Gothic Lolita is to its end a fashion style. And very few fashion styles have events solely dedicated to that fashion style, at least not in Singapore. Normally if there are events, they are accompanied by something else - Hip Hop has the dancing, Rock the culture, and of course every Chinese New Year you wear something different, something red, something new, in a bow to age old traditions. So if you wear Hip Hop to a dance contest, rocker clothes to a concert, you wear your GL outfit... where?
Well, my little black alice, you wear it to the street. Because it's the same as retro clothes, or vintage wraps, or Mango jumpsuits. You're dressed up to go out walking, because there is no performance art or cultural significance to your getup the same way there is no cultural sigificance to bellbottomed jeans. Will people stare at you? Yes. Will people stare at bellbottomed jeans? Yes!
And that brings me back to square one. While there is a Singapore Fashion Show, there is no Vintage ONLY Fashion Show. The culture of a fashion style (unless said fashion style is exceedingly famous) does not allow for conventions held for the sole purpose of that fashion.
But that doesn't mean you should show up at other people's conventions either. I mean, what for? Do people who collect stamps go to conventions about model-train-collecting? If I am someone into Shakespeare, do I go to a new-age poetry recital?
And if I did, would I not be an idiot?
The second point is the barbed wire fencing. I have a bone to pick with this, because for two years I sat around with gothlolis glaring at me at Cosfest and Eoy, and never knew why. And that is my problem. Why can't you come up to me and say something?
You could have said, "I don't like your big straw hat, it is going to rip my lace." This is legit, whether or not your lace cost two dollars (like most) or twenty. Or you could have said, "You think your Mario so great? How much did you actually put into it?" I support little about our political system but I do want Right of Reply. I would love to talk to someone about three hours spent scouring Orchard Road just to find red and green thermal underwear, while the shop girl sniggered at my 'cuteness' and probably thought 'she's completely batty'.
The cosplayers say no to gothic lolita. They make lists and go lolifuckget and all. And at the receiving end of so much hate, is it any wonder that gothic lolitas glare, pout and postelisize(?)?
The whole point of fashion is to be pretty. There's nothing wrong with that. So why have I never heard a single GL say "I like dressing like this so that people will take pictures of me and say I look cute"? What's wrong with admitting that short of a modelling deal or an act of crime that gets you in the papers, your picture is going nowhere fast?
Hey, neither is mine, man. I'm just a cosplayer, and I don't even pout.
So why this need to sneak around with cosplay, hand in hand like NANA gone wrong? Have your own event and be done with it. Or better yet, wear those clothes to Orchard Road or Bugis street like the rest of them. I can respect people who dress up, I can respect people who love fashion, but it's a bit hard to be respectful when both sides at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
In conclusion, Little Black Alice or whatever you call yourself, go back to Japanese Pop-Culture Land where you belong. The cast of the Harajuku Tea Party is waiting for you.
(And I am very, VERY happy that very few people read my lj.)
They were neither irate nor impolite, indeed they were very friendly. But I was a little struck by the conviction and coaxing in their voices, which reminded me of Christians at my doorstep asking me to consider God.
And I couldn't help but wonder why they had to be so harsh about it all.
But then again it's only true. Since gothloli hit the scene, battlelines have been sewn onto the ends of every booth in a cosplay convention in black lace and some really annoyingly shiny red satin tablecloths. You can touch the merchandise, gawk at the hairpieces, but at the end you're a tourist stepping into the sacred gotholi culture. The gothlolis glare at the cosplayers, the cosplayers glare at the goth lolis. Both vie for the cameras. Both mutter damming statements and rumours like "she only gets her picture taken because she's looks cute." (Forgetting, of course, that thousands of models and pop stars get their pictures taken for exactly that reason.)
But if there is gothloli culture, then what are you doing at a cosplay convention?
There are gay clubs because gay people don't want to go to heterosexual clubs. There are singles bars bcause singles don't want to go to family restaurants and have kids gawking at their tete-a-tetes. By the same vein, why don't gothlolis have gothloli events that don't have cosplayers barging in on their lacy wall hangings? Our hair dyes, huge weapons, and brightly coloured outfits are probably making the roses wilt.
That there are no rose tea parties and labryinths of despair seem to have two important reasons, in my opinion. The first is the culture of gothloli itself. (And if Kaori-Lolita were ever to read this blog post, I will expect poisoned apples in my fruitbowl soon.) The second is, unfortunately, the battlelines and how desperately unclear they are.
Gothic Lolita is to its end a fashion style. And very few fashion styles have events solely dedicated to that fashion style, at least not in Singapore. Normally if there are events, they are accompanied by something else - Hip Hop has the dancing, Rock the culture, and of course every Chinese New Year you wear something different, something red, something new, in a bow to age old traditions. So if you wear Hip Hop to a dance contest, rocker clothes to a concert, you wear your GL outfit... where?
Well, my little black alice, you wear it to the street. Because it's the same as retro clothes, or vintage wraps, or Mango jumpsuits. You're dressed up to go out walking, because there is no performance art or cultural significance to your getup the same way there is no cultural sigificance to bellbottomed jeans. Will people stare at you? Yes. Will people stare at bellbottomed jeans? Yes!
And that brings me back to square one. While there is a Singapore Fashion Show, there is no Vintage ONLY Fashion Show. The culture of a fashion style (unless said fashion style is exceedingly famous) does not allow for conventions held for the sole purpose of that fashion.
But that doesn't mean you should show up at other people's conventions either. I mean, what for? Do people who collect stamps go to conventions about model-train-collecting? If I am someone into Shakespeare, do I go to a new-age poetry recital?
And if I did, would I not be an idiot?
The second point is the barbed wire fencing. I have a bone to pick with this, because for two years I sat around with gothlolis glaring at me at Cosfest and Eoy, and never knew why. And that is my problem. Why can't you come up to me and say something?
You could have said, "I don't like your big straw hat, it is going to rip my lace." This is legit, whether or not your lace cost two dollars (like most) or twenty. Or you could have said, "You think your Mario so great? How much did you actually put into it?" I support little about our political system but I do want Right of Reply. I would love to talk to someone about three hours spent scouring Orchard Road just to find red and green thermal underwear, while the shop girl sniggered at my 'cuteness' and probably thought 'she's completely batty'.
The cosplayers say no to gothic lolita. They make lists and go lolifuckget and all. And at the receiving end of so much hate, is it any wonder that gothic lolitas glare, pout and postelisize(?)?
The whole point of fashion is to be pretty. There's nothing wrong with that. So why have I never heard a single GL say "I like dressing like this so that people will take pictures of me and say I look cute"? What's wrong with admitting that short of a modelling deal or an act of crime that gets you in the papers, your picture is going nowhere fast?
Hey, neither is mine, man. I'm just a cosplayer, and I don't even pout.
So why this need to sneak around with cosplay, hand in hand like NANA gone wrong? Have your own event and be done with it. Or better yet, wear those clothes to Orchard Road or Bugis street like the rest of them. I can respect people who dress up, I can respect people who love fashion, but it's a bit hard to be respectful when both sides at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
In conclusion, Little Black Alice or whatever you call yourself, go back to Japanese Pop-Culture Land where you belong. The cast of the Harajuku Tea Party is waiting for you.
(And I am very, VERY happy that very few people read my lj.)