I hope that Ita doesn't die off as a term, and we need to use it more. Part of the appeal of Lolita for me is actually looking good in a style and if we don't gatekeep the hell out of it it will be watered down by TikTok tourists in cheap Amazon replicas with no blouse or petti

I think the Jirai culture is basically like old Lolita culture, sortof in the same way that 2020s Twitter became early 2010s Tumblr with the toxic woke shit while Tumblr actually chilled out a lot imo, the normies start to get influenced by the autists eventually but they're always a little behind. Like how a lot of 4chan slang is now Zoomer brainrot shit, trends are set by autists and normies eventually copy it. Jirai is cheaper and more fast fashion so it's easier to get into for normies, so you get more normies invading and trying to be Different, and they're discovering the joys of gatekeeping that we have forgotten

I'm just some dude who's been observing EGL through conventions and this board for the past decade without participating in it, so feel free to discard my opinions.

>Brand whore as a concept nearly disappearing in the west
This will somewhat apply to several of the other questions asked in the OP, but basically with zoomers onward there's been a generational shift in fandoms in general to where being a poser is now seen as the cool thing to do, and fandoms have become primarily for peacocking on social media instead of for community. "Brand whoring" as you put it, ero, it's all done for views on Insta and TikTok now. For example, regarding ero you really see it in the goth space (not EGL but just G) now where the modern goth is just wearing skimpy shit but making sure it's black. The music, occult stuff and other things goths did 10+ years ago aren't in the picture.

>is the jirai culture online our fault?
It would be cool if someone ITT would explain this to me, this is something I haven't been exposed to very much. As I understood it, the western concept of jirai kei is basically e-girls that borrow aesthetic elements from EGL.

>Why do you think EGL as a whole has moved away from cgl?
Discord

>is the time of the Lolita influencer over?
Right now is probably the best time to be an influencer in general, but you basically need to maximize selling out to posers to blow up.

>>10972307
>2020s Twitter became early 2010s Tumblr with the toxic woke shit
This was true for a while with early 2020's Twitter, but most woke people have by now fucked off to Bluesky which is why you barely see any rainbow avatars on Twitter right now despite it being pride month. Depending on how you influence your account's algorithm, late 2020's Twitter will read like /pol/ or /aco/ or both.

the simple answer OP is, this is a female dominated hobby in a male dominated forum. Of course cgl was always meant to die down as other more female dominated forums appeared.

On a side note, I suspect the day there is such thing as a male dominated goth lolita trend we could expect /cgl/ to explode in popularity once again. (ouji and jirai ain't it)

>is the jirai culture online our fault?
Not sure why this would be lolitas' fault; it seems like the majority of jirai wearers weren't ever lolitas and/or in the lolita community. Their craziness is all their own.

>-Why do you think EGL as a whole has moved away from cgl?
Discord/Tiktok.

>-is the time of the Lolita influencer over?
Please god let it be true.

>Ero is back, and becoming popular, but why? Male infiltration, or are we finally reclaiming ero as a community?
A fad. I'm guessing some tiktok got popular or the discourse on twitter got people interested so now more people are taking a stab at it. It's like the 2 dresses trend or everyone photoshopping themselves to look like they are in a kera/brand ad, it's a trend and once people will get bored, will move onto the next viral thing. Not sure what men have to do with it...

>gooning and its effects on our psychology, how it has stopped many of us from posting publicly
Never heard of anyone doing this. There's people that are mad about or don't post because of ageplayers or sissies or other fetishists, sure, but never heard of anyone specifically mentioning because of "gooning" or gooners or w/e. And fetishists have been a problem since the beginning, so not something new.

>is Lolita even a community anymore?
Just because there isn't a central internet "hub" for lolita like there used to be, doesn't mean it's not still a community. It's just more fragmented and private due to stupid corporations deciding saying the word "lolita" is a ban-able offense.

>>10972302
>Why is ita mostly dying as an insult? Are we not using it enough, or is it past it's time?

My personal theory is that - particularly in American EGL culture - Conservatives and Democrats both participate in the fashion, but there's a definitive push from the left towards inclusivity, which translates to zero criticism of poorly disguised trans and by extension itas. In contrast, conservatives don't appreciate values that don't apply to them being pushed on them, and in the worst cases they lash out and end up banned or ostracized by local comms. Especially in the trans space there is evidence of abuse from predatory males, which makes it all the worse for genuinely transitioning individuals who want to find their community.

Constructive criticism has been prevalent in the EGL space for a long time, as it has been proven to be one of the most difficult fashions to "pull off" and one needs a strong sense of proportion, color theory, and visual knowledge of the fashion's history consistently create successful coordinates. However, constructive criticism has gained a poor reputation after the popup of gossip sites, and the idea of publicly shaming peoples' coordinates has obviously pushed people away from the space, or at least participating in the space publicly. If you're wondering why you're seeing less gossip online, it's because no one wants their shit smeared online.

Let's say we move away from the "safe space" mentality towards one of constructive criticism with the intention of genuinely helping itas develop their sense of style. No matter where they come from, itas are typically newcomers to the fashion and could use a kind word of advice when requested. And should they never improve, every person has the right to freely associate with whomever they choose to.

>>10972360
>Brand whore as a concept nearly disappearing in the west
I disagree, it's just a generational difference where millennials still value classic brands and zoomers have fewer resources and therefore choose more affordable options. Devil Inspired and other crappy brands also advertise way more on social media sites, versus AP, Meta, and BtSSB secretly requiring more money and effort to acquire.

>gooning and its effects on our psychology, how it has stopped many of us from posting publicly
Gooning sucks for sure but try avoiding your family and co-workers find your coords insta. Nearly impossible to keep accounts private with Meta's suggestion algorithm. Easy to get rid of and block unwanted strangers but when someone you know sees your ero or full goth coord when they're not used to it opens up the floodgates of annoying comments.

>Ero is back, and becoming popular, but why? Male infiltration, or are we finally reclaiming ero as a community?
Especially in con scenes but additionally in clubs, festivals, and etc. slut culture is in full swing. Ladies in barely there booty shorts, showing tummy and leaving little to the imagination. Ero lolita is the sexy option for ladies who still primarily "cover up" - and I'm happy that a refined, yet still sexy option exists for EGL wearers.

>is Lolita even a community anymore?
Are you my community? TF you mean? Find people on Insta and Discord and try being a friend instead of a salty bitch.

>>10972360
I want to be inclusive and super lib but my lived experience of interacting with trans individuals has always been eventually negative. Men are socialized a lot differently growing up, so when I treat a trans girl like a girl and give them a compliment on their appearance, the male socialization kicks in like a sleeper agent and they take it as flirting and it gets weird, when girls just... compliment each other sometimes??? Or if they're in a relationship, the vibe will be so foul and they'll be really passive aggressive towards cis women/anyone they're not dating. When all that comes pre-loaded in a conversation, even mentioning that they could be ita is a fucking minefield

>>10972361
>Find people on Insta and Discord and try being a friend instead of a salty bitch.
I don't think they're asking this in a salty way, I think they are genuinely asking considering how /cgl/'s traffic has plummeted and the old places the lolita community used to use (the EGL livejournal group, facebook groups) have also died out.