Background of

Stakeholders

By: Lauren Brener

Lolitas
Lolita fashion began in the 1970s-1980s and
was first referred to as doll fashion.
Independent stores like Jane Marple and
Emily Temple Cute inspired teenage girls to
attend indie band concerts wearing these
outfits. Rock bands such as X Japan
embraced visual kei, or feminine makeup,
outlandish apparel and an obsession with
the visual, as stated by the Asianbeats
website.
As popularity grew, new stores opened that
offered the latest fashions to these pop icons,
as well as their adoring fans. Branches of
Lolita emerged as time went on, heavily
characterized by kawaii (cute) culture
represented in Japan.

Early Nagomu Girls

admired fashion and
music from
independent bands

Mana, leader of the

Japanese band Malice
Mizer was one of the
founding figures of Goth
Lolita fashion. He used a
feminine appearance as
a means of visual
expression.

Main Types of Lolitas

Sweet Lolitas are characterized by:

Pastel colors
Lace, ribbons, youthful dress
patterns
Hair accessories, wigs and bows
Notable Sweet Lolita: Princess
Peachie (pictured above)

Gothic Lolitas are characterized by:

Black, silver, white dresses and lace
Motifs such as bats, skulls and
vampires
Often-muted wig colors
Dark Victorian appearance
Notable Gothic Lolita: Lillith Gray

Classic Lolitas are characterized by:

Victorian and Rococo styles
Floral and muted hues, velvets
Parasols, handkerchiefs, gloves
A love for classical music
Notable Classic Lolita: Stephanie (Mari),
above

Other Styles of Lolita

Country Lolita

Ouji (mens
style)

Hime
(princess)

Pastimes and Activities

Typically, Lolitas enjoy participating in
meetups, or gatherings with other members
of their subculture.
Popular places are:

Tea Houses

Bakeries

Craft stores

Parks or museums

Concerts featuring music enjoyed by mostto-all participants, such as Kyary Pamyu

Pamyu, Emilie Autumn and Ali Project
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Living Dolls

Women who are living dolls may not embrace the same activities that Lolitas do.
Dolls often create makeup tutorials and model for fashion brands with ethereal
marketing concepts. They feel that plastic surgery and Circle contact lenses
achieve a plastic appearance, which is perceived as flawless in their community.
Some living dolls like Venus Palermo (Venus Angelic) recreate a childlike,
Japanese-inspired image for their skin to appear similar to porcelain.

Venus Angelic

Anastasiya Shpaginas
many faces of makeup
talent

Lolita

and

Living Doll

Blogs

Tumblr blogs are common online places where Lolitas and living dolls share outfit
decisions, meet-up locations and inspire prospective members to join their subculture.

Princess Peachies Tumblr

Blog

The Doll House, by lifeinplastic21

Cosplayers
Cosplay originated in the United States during the late 1930s. Instead
of dressing as a particular character, convention participants
coordinated their outfit with the event in which they were attending,
such as Forrest J. Ackermans futuristic attire for a sci-fi gathering.
Both the manga series Urusei Yatsura and the animated television
show Mobile Suit Gundam encouraged Japanese college students to
support their favorite entertainment by dressing as characters and
performing re-enactments. In 1984, the term cosplay was created
by reporter Nobuyuki Takahashi after he attended Worldcon in Los
Angeles, California. Originally meant to be referred to as
masquerading, Takahashi combined the words costume and
play to reference the idea.
Throughout the years, cosplay has become the most popular way for
fans of media and entertainment to express themselves and
communicate with others who appreciate their interests.
Source: http://the-artifice.com/cosplay-overview/

Forrest J. Ackerman and his

girlfriend Myrtle Douglas
(Morojo) at the Worldcon, circa
1939. Douglas is considered the
First Lady of Cosplay for her
initial creations

Famous Cosplayers

Alexia Jean Grey as Motoko

Kusanagi
Jeff Siegert as Raiden
Alodia Gosiengfiao as Hatsune
Miku

Activities Outside of Conventions

When not attending a convention,
cosplayers usually construct outfits and
props to prepare for their next events.
People like CosplayMandy and A.R.
Shrewsberry manage online stores on Etsy
to sell their handmade designs.
If a certain character is very popular,
cosplayers may choose to construct their
outfits or discuss the series in video
tutorials on Twitch and YouTube. Many
people in this community play video games
and record their adventures for fans to see.
Soul Gems inspired by the
Madoka Magica anime
created by WTFcharms
(Etsy)

YouTube stars like El Gamer Cosplayer

re-enact scenes from beloved anime
shows while in cosplay

Most Popular Conventions

Conventions are great places for cosplayers to display their artwork, meet voice
actors and attend panels where creators discuss the entertainment industry unique
to the event.

San Diego Comic Con

Dragon Con (Atlanta, GA)

Miami Supercon

Paradise City Comic Con (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

New York Comic Con (New York, NY)

Animate! Miami

All-Con (Dallas, TX)

RuffleCon (Stamford, CT)

Salt Lake Comic Con (Salt Lake City, UT)

Cosplayer Blogs and Online Stores

Cosplayers enjoy sharing their creations with others, as well as selling products that aid
fellow convention attendees with their outfits. Handmade costume elements unique to a
certain anime or movie are in high demand as convention season rolls around.

You Can Cosplay Tumblr blog

Some of A.R. Shrewsberrys Etsy

products

Anime Enthusiasts
Anime enthusiasts are present all around the globe, as Japanese
cartoons have changed the ways that they perceive and interact with
the world. The genres of anime (animated television series) and
manga (graphic novel format) are endless, as authors fuse different
combinations and worlds together.
After World War II, a young cartoonist named Osamu Tezuka released
his first creation, Shintakarajima (New Treasure Island) after
becoming fascinated with western cartoons like those of Walt Disney.
He later created Astro Boy, and is considered the Father of Anime
and Manga for his new approach to Japanese entertainment.
As the years progressed, new artists and producers, such as Hayao
Miyazaki, of Studio Ghibli, and Masashi Kishimoto, creator of the
Naruto manga, produced films that are widely respected by anime
enthusiasts.

Osamu Tezuka holding

an Astro Boy figurine

Hayao
Miyazaki,
pictured in
front of his
most
beloved
characters

Most-Celebrated
Anime/Manga/Movies

My Neighbor Totoro

Cowboy Bebop

Fullmetal Alchemist

Naruto

Clannad

Black Butler

Genres of Anime/Manga

Shonen marketed towards boys ages 10-18 involving action, quest and comedy. (One Piece,
Dragon Ball Z, InuYasha)

Shojo/Shoujo aimed at girls of the same age as Shonen, involving romance/relationships (La
Corda DOro, Cardcaptor Sakura, Fruits Basket)

Seinen primarily for adult men and is characterized by darker or mature themes (Black
Lagoon, Battle Angel Alita, One Pound Gospel)

Josei catering to adult women, which involves romantic themes and realistic portrayals of
life (Legend of Chun Hyang, Antique Bakery, Paradise Kiss)

Manhwa Korean comics depicting people with more realistic physical attributes. Read left to
right, which is opposite of manga. (The Breaker, Cant See Cant Hear But Love, Angel Cup)

Manhua Chinese comics that are the least well-known of Asian graphic novels. Read right to
left like traditional Japanese manga. (Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword, Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon, The Other Side of the Mirror)
Source: Kalen, Elizabeth F.S. Mostly Manga: A Guide to Popular Manga, Manhwa, Manhua, and Anime. ABC-CLIO,
LLC, 2012. Print. 4 December 2016.

Anime Enthusiast Blogs/Channels

People who are passionate about anime and manga update their blogs with fan art, discussions about stories,
as well as possible alternate endings that may have improved a series. These blogs usually consist of daily
messages, videos and GIFs of favorite shows.

Anime Obsession 101, a Tumblr

blog

An anime Vlog on YouTube by

Einshine

The End