Hardy Bernal, K. A. (2017, July 10 - 11). Latina lolita: Gender politics and the gothic and lolita subculture in Mexico [conference paper presentation, abstract]. 8th Annual International PopCAANZ Conference, College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand. (original) (raw)

From its inception, the subcultural movement known as Gothic and Lolita has displayed an exchange of ideas between Japan and Euro-American cultures. More recently, however, the subculture has shifted, not only in regard to traditional meanings, and the way that it operates, but also geographically, into communities on the periphery of its original sites of major interest. In the past few years, Latin-American nations, particularly Mexico, have become conspicuous “hotspots” for participation in the movement. This transition raises questions about differing socio-politics and cultural understandings, particularly regarding gender. As a girls’ subculture, Gothic and Lolita broke with historical, stereotypical frameworks that positioned subcultural movements from a male-dominated perspective. In Japan, it also demonstrated a resistance to established roles for, and expectations of, women. As such, it has been argued that the original Japanese Gothic and Lolita movement represented a new type of feminism. Over time, as the subculture transmigrated into other sites, especially the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and North-Western Europe, this context became less pertinent. However, the relatively recent growth of Gothic and Lolita communities in Mexico exhibits a new phase of the movement, which shakes up past meanings and understandings, yet again, especially in terms of gender politics. How is gender understood within the Gothic and Lolita movement in a Mexican environment? What does this context mean to, and for, Mexican participants? How is the movement observed by friends, family, and outsiders? Why is this movement becoming prevalent in Mexico? How does it operate? Why does it resonate with participants? How is it relevant? And how is it transformed from its Japanese origins? As both an “insider” and “outsider” researcher of the Gothic and Lolita subcultural movement, this paper reveals some of the outcomes to these questions via a critical analysis of ethnographic studies undertaken with members of the movement in Mexico.