Japanese culture places a higher value upon extremely youthful appearance and behaviour
than Western, and some adult women buy large amounts of products, such as Hello Kitty
goods, that are typically marketed only to children in the West. GothLoli is perhaps a more
visible extension of this phenomenon.
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Goth Loli culture

In Japan it is mass-marketed and has wide visibility particularly in the streets of Tokyo
and Osaka, on television, in manga (see Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa for an example of
gothloli inspired manga) and computer games. Outside of Japan it is still a fringe fashion
although it has slowly begun to spread to other countries. Gothic Lolita, along with Cosplay
and other Japanese cultural phenomena, can sometimes be seen at concerts and anime
conventions throughout Europe and the United States. The style has not yet been mass
marketed outside of Japan. However, there are plenty of dedicated fans filling the gap.
Gothic Lolita magazines are widely available for purchase on the internet and at Japanese
bookstores, which also deal in anime and manga. Adherents in Europe and the United States
often sew their own homemade Gothic Lolita outfits, sometimes offering them for sale to
make up for the difficulty of acquiring them from Japan.
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Gothic Lolita in the West

Many Goth girls in the west, have borrowed from the Japanese goth loli style, and have
created a market for this style of clothing (particulary in online auctions). Americas
Tokyopop recently comissioned, along with performer Courtney Love (who is not goth/goth
loli herself, but is a former Japanese resident) an original manga in the goth loli style, called
Princess Ai. This was the first (at least publicised) Japan/West goth loli collaboration.
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Gothic & Lolita Bible

One magazine in particular, the irregularly published Gothic & Lolita Bible, has played an
instrumental role in promoting and standardizing the style. The 100+ page magazine includes
fashion tips, photos, sewing patterns, catalog descriptions, decorating ideas, and even recipes.
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Shopping

Currently the heart of the Gothic Lolita subculture, at least commercially, is the Marui Young
department store in Shinjuku, after its predecessor Marui One closed at the end of August 2004.
This large youth-fashion oriented department store has 4 floors entirely devoted to Gothloli and
related fashions.
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Malice Mizer

Malice Mizer was a Japanese band in the visual kei music scene, active from
August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by Mana and Közi, the band's name
stands for malice and misery – their answer to the question "what is human?".
Malice Mizer were as famous for their one-of-a-kind music as for their spectacular 'live shows, featuring lavish historical costumes and stage sets, whimsical dance routines and band members flying suspended from wires. During their rocky
history, the band went through several different lineups and three drastic image changes but their work always maintained the highest professional standards.
On December 11, 2001, it was announced that Malice Mizer would begin an
indefinite hiatus, and the members went their separate ways - effectively
disbanding the group.
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Lolita Genre- Lolita can be classified into "Classical Lolita", "Gothic Lolita",
"Sweet Lolita", "Kimono Lolita",  "Elegant Gothic Aristocrat" and "Kodona".

Classic Lolitas are more traditional, and the fashion has a more Victorian, mature look featuring
light-colored clothing.  Traditional Maid-style clothing and Alice in Wonderland-style aprons may
be classfied into this genre. 

Gothic Lolitas, influenced by certain elements of gothic fashion, have  probably become the most popular style within Lolita fashion and certainly the most recognized in the west. This style started
as a youth subculture sometime around 1997/1998 and became a well-established genre available
in various boutiques and some major department stores by around 2001. Some observers consider
it a reaction to the "Kogal" aesthetic.

Gothic Lolita clothes are usually black in color, or with a dark theme. Makeup is usually dark in
color, in contrast with other Lolita genre where lovely and light color makeup is preferred. Black eyeliner is typical. A pale complexion is preferred, so white foundation might be used. Red or
black lipstick is usually seen.

Goken Lolita outfits may be accessorized with other props like conspicuous pocketbooks, hatboxes, handbags and other bags, sometimes in the shape of bats, coffins, and crucifixes. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are also common, and some brands make special "goken" teddy bears out of black leather or PVC. Also, many Goken Lolita own Super Dollfies and carry them around.

Gothic Lolita was influenced and popularised by the imagery of more feminine Visual Kei (or "visual rock") bands. Visual Kei is a Japanese form of rock music defined by bands featuring performers in elaborate costumes but whose musical style varies. Mana, the crossdressing former leader and guitarist of the Visual Kei band Malice Mizer is widely credited for having helped popularise Gothic
Lolita. He coined the terms "Elegant Gothic Lolita" (EGL) and "Elegant Gothic Aristocrat" (EGA) to describe the style of his own fashion label Moi-même-Moitié, which was founded in 1999 and
quickly established itself as one of the most coveted brands of the Gothic Lolita scene. 

Sweet Lolitas, also known as Ama Lolitas are generally clad in light-colored, (although there are black/white sweet lolitas), outfits containing a fairly high amount of lace and frill. The length of
the dresses tends to be around the knees or a little shorter and concentrate on looking "sweet"
and as cute as possible. The fabric used may consist of not just solid colours but floral and fruit
prints as well, the end result being something sweet, little-girlish and doll like.  ( Such as Momoko
in Shimotsuma Monotagari aka Kamikazwe girls )

Kimono Lolita, or Wa Lolitas are, as the name suggests, the combination of Kimono syles and
Lolita fashion. Often a simplified Kimono top will be worn with a Lolita skirt. "Wa Lolita" comes
from the reference to Japan as "The Land of Wa" (harmony). There are also "Qi Lolitas", which 
are a combination of Lolita style and Chinese clothing such as the qipao. 

The Elegant Gothic Aristocrat style strays away from the shorter frilly dresses and leans
more towards the floor length dresses with bustles and collars that reach to your chin. The
Elegant Gothic Aristocrat or EGA is more refined and mature than the child like essence the
general Lolita fashion holds. They look lengthing and thin with their fully covering garb and
corsettes.  You wouldn't catch one with a peter-pan collar and puff sleeves. They are the
embodiment of 1800's era elegance.  

The Kodona style is almost barely lolita. A good shop to properly show what it is would be
Putumayo. The Kodona style is more of a masculine version of gothic lolita. With Platform
shoes, trousers,striped socks and male style blouses, the style leans to a more casual gothic lolita/visual kei look.

Anime and Manga Characters dressed in Lolita style may be found in numerous anime and manga, some of the most prominent being Kamikaze Girls, Card Captor Sakura, Paradise Kiss, Le Portrait de Petit Cossette, Rozen Maiden, Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase, Othello, Chobits and xxxHOLiC.