Japanese feminist theater troupe fights misogyny in ‘cute’ Gothic Lolita fashion

Donning doll-like dresses with voluminous skirts, young women on stage roar in rage about rape and the sexism they experienced in Japan, using theater and “cute” fashion to denounce a male-dominated society. Meet TremendousCircus, Japan’s self-described radical feminist theater troupe that embraces the flamboyant Gothic Lolita aesthetic as a powerful symbol of womanhood and defense against sexual violence. The global #MeToo movement didn’t quite catch on in Japan, and many survivors are too scared to come forward despite a handful of high-profile cases that have forced a reckoning.