Japanese Gothic Costumes (& other related frillies) Gallery - Page 2

This subculture’s physical look began around the fall of 1999 as a sort of frilly ruffled French Maid costumes meets Alice in Wonderland dresses and has expanded gradually to encompass many nuances in a lacy Victorian Gothic look. Make no mistake – these women want nothing to do with our Western Gothic ways. They do not listen to our music and they are not Gothic in the American and European sense. (Don’t worry there are Japanese Goths but they are just not a prominent mainstream subculture.)

In the wake of 1995, the the similar kinderwhore look quickly spread across the world and was worn by many female artists.

American female musicians that adopted the kinderwhore look were, Nina Gordon and Louise Post of Veruca Salt, Los Angeles' Kim Shattuck of The Muffs, (original Sugar Baby Doll member) Jennifer Finch from L7, New York's Lunachicks, while Florida's Jessicka from Jack Off Jill and San Francisco's Switchblade Symphony took a more Goth approach to the look. In the UK, bands like Fluffy, and Daisy Chainsaw's KatieJane Garside wore dirty torn Victorian Baby Doll dresses with knee high socks and Mary Jane (shoe)s. Further, the male Kinderwhore, Twiggy Ramirez of Marilyn Manson, adopted his look from then girlfriend Jessicka (from Jack Off Jill and later of Scarling.) and a desire to ridicule Courtney Love.

After the riot grrrl movement and grunge became passe, the kinderwhore look died out very quickly soon after. Courtney Love, one of the prime exponents of both Riot Grrrl and Kinderwhore, moved into acting. When she returned from the acting world for Hole's last album, 1998's Celebrity Skin, she had dropped her controversial Kinderwhore image, though she has remained controversial through her actions and statements. Kat Bjelland took a leave of absence from music after Babes In Toyland broke up to have her son Henry in 1999. The new mom adopted a new darker longer hairstyle and less childlike attire when she remerged as founder of the band Katastrophy Wife.