Japansk populärkultur bland unga i svensk kontext: Lolitastilen som förhandling om ålder och genus

An increasing interest in Eastern Asian popular culture can be discerned among Swedish youth. When cultural elements are used in new contexts, meanings are partly transformed and reenacted in new ways. This article explores how the Japanese fashion style Lolita is negotiated in a Swedish context. T...

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Main Authors: Cecilia Björck, Anette Hellman
Format: Article
Language:Danish
Published: Malmö University Press 2016-03-01
Series:Educare
Subjects:
Online Access:https://publicera.kb.se/educare/article/view/49183
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author Cecilia Björck
Anette Hellman
author_facet Cecilia Björck
Anette Hellman
author_sort Cecilia Björck
collection DOAJ
description An increasing interest in Eastern Asian popular culture can be discerned among Swedish youth. When cultural elements are used in new contexts, meanings are partly transformed and reenacted in new ways. This article explores how the Japanese fashion style Lolita is negotiated in a Swedish context. The data are based on observations and interviews at Swedish conventions for Eastern Asian popular culture, and a group interview with five teenagers using Lolita style. For analysis, we use concepts relating to age, gender and gaze. The results show that Lolita style offers possibilities for the young people in our study, female as well as male, to explore a certain form of feminine girlishness. However, this process involves negotiation about age, gender and bodies in public spaces, and by its use of childish femininity, the Lolita style seen through a spectator’s gaze may generate ridicule. Its radicality and provocation seem to lie in the way Lolitas challenge norms about gender, age and expectations about “growing up”.
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institution DOAJ
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language Danish
publishDate 2016-03-01
publisher Malmö University Press
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series Educare
spelling doaj-art-72002e9f1fb5430298aedf20655295702025-08-20T02:49:20ZdanMalmö University PressEducare2004-51902016-03-01110.24834/educare.2016.1.1075Japansk populärkultur bland unga i svensk kontext: Lolitastilen som förhandling om ålder och genusCecilia Björck0Anette Hellman1University of GothenburgUniversity of Gothenburg An increasing interest in Eastern Asian popular culture can be discerned among Swedish youth. When cultural elements are used in new contexts, meanings are partly transformed and reenacted in new ways. This article explores how the Japanese fashion style Lolita is negotiated in a Swedish context. The data are based on observations and interviews at Swedish conventions for Eastern Asian popular culture, and a group interview with five teenagers using Lolita style. For analysis, we use concepts relating to age, gender and gaze. The results show that Lolita style offers possibilities for the young people in our study, female as well as male, to explore a certain form of feminine girlishness. However, this process involves negotiation about age, gender and bodies in public spaces, and by its use of childish femininity, the Lolita style seen through a spectator’s gaze may generate ridicule. Its radicality and provocation seem to lie in the way Lolitas challenge norms about gender, age and expectations about “growing up”. https://publicera.kb.se/educare/article/view/49183agegenderJapanese popular cultureLolita styleSwedish youth culture
spellingShingle Cecilia Björck
Anette Hellman
Japansk populärkultur bland unga i svensk kontext: Lolitastilen som förhandling om ålder och genus
Educare
age
gender
Japanese popular culture
Lolita style
Swedish youth culture
title Japansk populärkultur bland unga i svensk kontext: Lolitastilen som förhandling om ålder och genus
title_full Japansk populärkultur bland unga i svensk kontext: Lolitastilen som förhandling om ålder och genus
title_fullStr Japansk populärkultur bland unga i svensk kontext: Lolitastilen som förhandling om ålder och genus
title_full_unstemmed Japansk populärkultur bland unga i svensk kontext: Lolitastilen som förhandling om ålder och genus
title_short Japansk populärkultur bland unga i svensk kontext: Lolitastilen som förhandling om ålder och genus
title_sort japansk popularkultur bland unga i svensk kontext lolitastilen som forhandling om alder och genus
topic age
gender
Japanese popular culture
Lolita style
Swedish youth culture
url https://publicera.kb.se/educare/article/view/49183
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AT anettehellman japanskpopularkulturblandungaisvenskkontextlolitastilensomforhandlingomalderochgenus