† Name: Jackie Mills (明美)
† Age: Year of the tiger ;)
† Location: Toronto, Ontario
† How were you introduced to Gothic Lolita fashion?
It came from many places: love for manga, Visual Kei (Mana) and Japanese culture.

† What do you find appealing about GL style and culture?
I wear Lolita because I like the modesty and frills. I wore Gothic for a long time but only Gothic Lolita can give you that real sense of cuteness. As I fell in love with the style more, I began to wear Sweet as well. I love all the styles and how they have their own influences and ideals.
† What are your favorite Gothic Lolita clothing brands?
My favourite brands have to be Baby the Stars Shine bright and Angelic Pretty, but I have a love like no other for Mana’s brand Moi-meme-moitie (if only the prices were a bit cheaper).
† Any other comments (inspiration, tips, favorites)?
A lot of Lolita girls forget this… but you don’t have to fit into the style, the style fits around you. Lolita is another forum of clothing in which to express yourself; don’t let the “rules” design it for you! I love to talk to others interested in Lolita and Gothic fashions so keep in touch (my links are above).

Film of the Week #47: The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief (directed by Jake Clennell.) Oh you elusive, big-haired host boys! They accost you in the streets and try to nudge you into their dim clubs… to do what inside? This riveting documentary takes you into Rokkyu — one of Osaka’s top host clubs — and the lives of the pretty-boys who whisper sweet nothings to their customers as they open up yet another bottle of champagne.

From the start, you’ll be riveted by the techniques the boys use to string clients along: false displays of love, transparent promises. But there are twists in these bizarre relationships: who are these girls, where do they get the spending money, and are they as deluded as you initially think? The cinematography and pacing in Great Happiness Space are flawless; I hope you’ll watch it and tell me what you think! (You can get the DVD on Amazon or see it on Netflix.)

Wow, what a bunch of pricks! It’s no April Fools joke: the photos are from the Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus かなまら祭り) held last weekend. As Dlisted put it, “the small Japanese town of Kawasaki transformed their streets into looking like Gay Al Reynold’s boudoir on a hot summer night.” The bizarre tradition is centered around a penis-venerating shrine once popular among prostitutes who prayed for protection against STDs. Today, the festival is a kitschy tourist draw that raises money for HIV research. The gods would be pleased. (Photos from Dlisted, my favorite gossip blog.)

A new CNNGo article for you: Asia’s 5 most awesome live video streams. Food drooling babies, lazy cats and teen guitarists!

If you would like to be the next Gothloli of the Week, please read the submission instructions here. For all your Lolita shopping needs, check out the links to clothing brands on the right column of my blog.

If you ever buy from Amazon.com, may I ask you to please consider supporting this blog by shopping via my site? Just click here and search for whatever you want from Amazon (there are no extra costs to you).

Thanks so much and please keep in touch (I love hearing from you and try to respond to everyone): RSS feed, posts in your inbox, MySpace, Facebook Group, Facebook Fan page, Twitter, YouTube, Bloglovin and Google Friend Connect (right sidebar of my blog).

† Name: Emiliee Anne
† Age: 16
† Location: Rhode Island, U.S.
† How were you introduced to Gothic Lolita fashion?
Around the time I was in kindergarten, I fell in love with anime because of Pokemon and YuGiOh, and from there I leapt deeper into the world of manga, Pocky, and rice balls. In the process of doing that, I ran into the Lolita fashion, around fifth grade, and I’ve loved it ever since.
† What do you find appealing about GL style and culture?
I like the patterns and lacy things. I cannot go a day without wearing some kind of skirt! It’s different from what you would find everyone else wearing, and that’s why I like to dress that way. I can be easily distinguished, and never forgotten! It has also allowed me to get in touch with my inner child, to have a childhood that I never really got to have.
† What are your favorite Gothic Lolita clothing brands?
I like The White Peacock, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, Metamorphose, Blasphemy’s closet, BlaBlaHospital, basically if you show me a brand I’ll like it. But the brand isn’t all that matters. You could walk into ANY kind of store and find something, you just have to know what to look for.
† Any other comments (inspiration, tips, favorites)?
If you’re contemplating whether or not to be a Lolita, do not hesitate! Take the chance while you can because you do not know what you are missing. It is amazing and fun and unlike anything out there. There’s also so many kinds, so you’re bound to find something to like. And if you are interested, pick up one of the Gothic & Lolita Bibles because they work wonders. Go to meet-ups to meet other Gothic Lolitas, Sweet Lolitas, etc you’ll make tons of friends, and there’s also plenty of tutorial videos up on YouTube concerning Lolita fashion itself.

Film of the Week #46: Pan’s Labyrinth (directed by Guillermo del Toro.) In the height of the Spanish Civil War, sadistic Captain Vidal terrorizes his household and vows to cut apart the rebels. Young Ofelia, frightened for her pregnant mother, escapes into an underground realm and meets Pan the faun, who tests her with tasks. You will remember the feverish visuals (Vidal sewing together his gaping cheek); the sadness softened by hope and imagination… Pan’s Labyrinth is brutal yet irresistible, as fairy tales should be.

In general, I am not a fan of tattoos. The skin art above (courtesy Hello Kitty Hell) is, of course, on the far side of horrid. But too often, I see people end up with banal or badly-inked tattoos, or something “trendy” that quickly devolves into embarrassing…

Here are some general observations. Almost all of my friends who were tattooed in their teens regretted that decision later. Mostly because they went to a sub-par (read: cheap) parlor and didn’t put any thought into the design.

When tattoos are masterfully rendered and have meaning, I think they are rather neat — such as yantra tattoos (above). The sacred art is done by hand in Southeast Asia by shamans or Buddhist monks. The process is more painful, but is considered to be a spiritual experience that conveys powers of protection.

Your thoughts on tattoos: ow or ooh-la-la? Tips on avoiding bad skin art? For more photos of Asian tattoos and ink conventions, check out these articles on CNNGo.

If you would like to be the next Gothloli of the Week, please read the submission instructions here. For all your Lolita shopping needs, check out the links to clothing brands on the right column of my blog.

If you ever buy from Amazon.com, may I ask you to please consider supporting this blog by shopping via my site? Just click here and search for whatever you want from Amazon (there are no extra costs to you).

Thanks so much and please keep in touch (I love hearing from you and try to reply to/add back everyone): RSS feed, posts in your inbox, MySpace, Facebook Group, Facebook Fan page, Twitter, YouTube, Bloglovin and Google Friend Connect (right sidebar of my blog).