The Modern Lolita: Why Are We So Obsessed?

Barely an actual adult herself, 20-year-old Eileen Kelly, better known as Instagram star @killerandasweetthang, most directly embodies the Lolita image. She's already been accused of encouraging pedophilia with her risqué photos and doe-eyes, but retorts that she just "has a young face."

Kelly wants to grow up to become a sex-ed teacher - how cute, how fitting. Regardless of her own intentions, Kelly's social media fame is the result of a darker societal value towards sexualized young girls. Lollipop in mouth white baby-doll top strap slipping off shoulder, Kelly is the realization of Nabokov's reductionist fantasy, something pure and beautiful to corrupt.

We don't love Kelly because of her good-intentions, we love her because she makes something taboo about our culture feel normalized, glamorous even. Her attempts to own her sexuality, while valid and empathetic, largely fall flat and media-claims that she encourages the sexualization of young girls, the very demographic she attempts to empower, are not without base.

[Photo via @killerandasweethang]