Lolita (term)

The term "Lolita" is used to define a young girl as "precociously seductive." It is derived from Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel "Lolita," which depicts the narrator's sexual obsession with and victimization of a 12-year-old girl named Dolores, for whom his nickname is Lolita. Unlike Nabokov, however, contemporary writers typically use the term "Lolita" to portray a young girl who attracts adult desire as complicit rather than victimized.
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 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, "Lolita" is used to refer to the sexualized presentation of a young girl, frequently one who has only recently reached the age of consent, appears to be younger than the age of consent, or child exploitation material depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Lolita fashion.
In Japanese culture, 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."