"Lolita" is an English-language term defining a young girl as "precociously seductive." It originates from

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov ( ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian and American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born in Imperial Russia in 1899, Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Rus ...

's 1955 novel ''

Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The protagonist and narrator is a French literature professor who moves to New England and writes under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert. He details his obsession ...

,'' which portrays the narrator Humbert's sexual obsession with and victimization of a 12-year-old girl whom he privately calls "Lolita", the Spanish nickname for Dolores (her given name). Unlike Nabokov, however, contemporary writers typically use the term "Lolita" to portray a young girl who attracts adult desire as complicit rather than victimized. The term's meaning and use in Japanese differs substantially from the English, and has developed instead into a positive synonym for the "sweet and adorable" adolescent girl. The usage stems from the romanticization of Japanese girls' culture, and forms the compounds ''

lolicon In Japanese popular culture, is a genre of fictional media which focuses on young or young-looking girl characters, particularly in a sexually suggestive or erotic manner. The term, a portmanteau of the English-language phrase " Lolita co ...

'' and Lolita fashion.

Nabokov's Lolita

Justifying his attraction to twelve-year-old Lolita, Humbert claims that it was a natural response to the "demoniac" nature of children who attract him: Nabokov, however, does not endorse Humbert's fantasy that Lolita is a seductress. As Perry A. Hinton notes:

At no point is Lolita anything but a typical girl of her age and time: tomboyish (she has a tendency not to wash her hair), interested in movies, celebrities, magazines, and soda pop. She does nothing to attract Humbert in any way. She does not dress or make herself up with any thought to attract him.

Eric Lemay of

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

writes:

Other English-language usage

Young girls who attract adult sexual desire are called "Lolitas" when writers imply the young girl is "precociously seductive", and therefore to blame for the adult's desire. This usage reflects the self-justification of Nabokov's narrator Humbert Humbert, but it is far from Nabokov's portrayal of Lolita, which makes clear she is Humbert's victim, not his seductress. In the marketing of

pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...

, "Lolita" is used to refer to the sexualized presentation of a young girl, frequently one who has only recently reached the

age of consent The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to Human sexual activity, sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is un ...

, appears to be younger than the age of consent, or child exploitation material depicting the

sexual abuse of children Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whe ...

."Protecting our children from abuse and neglect"

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, and the largest psychological association in the world. It has over 170,000 members, including scientists, educators, clin ...

. Retrieved 20 March 2016

Use in Japanese

The meaning of the term "Lolita" in Japanese is divergent from Nabokov's novel, and instead stems from the positive idealization and romanticization of girls' culture (''shōjo bunka'') developed from the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

to the 20th century: an "innocent and ethereal creature, who deserves adoration from others while staying entirely passive". Girls' culture in Japan, reflected in cultural traditions such as the all-female Takarazuka Revue and ''shōjo'' manga (girls' comics), was influenced by the traditions of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

. Nabokov's ''Lolita'', first translated to Japanese in 1956, was interpreted by readers primarily as a story of Humbert entering the peaceful and unearthly world of the ''shōjo'', rather than through the lens of perverse desire and abuse. When discussing Lolita fashion culture, some writers use the term "lolita" or "Lolita" to describe clothing, as in "wearing lolita." Some writers refer to women who wear such clothing as "Lolitas" but with little connection to the Nabokov novel or to sexualized usage of the term:

Actually, there are quite a number of Japanese Lolitas who do not know about the Nabokov novel. I remember explaining it to someone and she was completely disgusted. Lolita is a modest style. Lolitas dress for themselves. It is clothing that reminds us that not everything has to do with trying to attract or please men.

Lolita fashion is a subculture of cute (see '' kawaii'') or delicately feminine appearance reflecting what Hinton suggests is "an idyllic childhood, a girl’s world of frilly dresses and dolls." The style, strongly influenced by Victorian and Roccoco fashions, is characterized by full skirts and petticoats, decorated with lace and ribbons. Words commonly used to describe the style include "porcelain doll", "delicate", and "childlike". Within the general Lolita style are variations of the fashion, such as "Gothic Lolita", "Sweet Lolita", "Hime (or Princess) Lolita", and "Punk Lolita". These few by no means complete the list of variations. Men who dress in the fashion are called "brolitas.""Lolita 101: This Japanese fashion craze is now for everyone"
by Aja Romano, ''

The Daily Dot ''The Daily Dot'' is a digital media company covering the culture of the Internet and the World Wide Web. It was founded by Nicholas White in 2011, and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The site, conceived as the Internet's "hometown newsp ...

'', 17 September 2013

References

External links

''Constructions of Childhood in Art and Media: Sexualized Innocence''
Alexandra Wood.
"Little Deadly Demons: Nymphets, sexuality and a North American girl-child"
Dawson, Kellie, '' American Sexuality Magazine''.
"Lola! Lola! Lola!"
by Jascha Kessler in the ''California Literary Review'', March 2007 {{Pedophilia, state=autocollapse Sexual attraction Sexuality and age Lolita

Nabokov's Lolita

Other English-language usage

Use in Japanese

See also

References

External links