Difference between revisions of "/cgl/"
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Several resources originating in this thread continue to be used outside of /cgl/, including the [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15vbDSkXqM8t91-fE-kwE3jVbMP6G-hQh2SPm1nEYWmY/edit#gid=0 Taobao Dictionary], [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i3UsTVfwJF3UP_D43TpJmq2qEQRu7r1WEP6xy_5mtbQ/edit?usp=sharing Taobao Budget Sheet], and [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1blGT09mNzgs0qCZFB3a1vwKTpkNtV-uIGaQV6z80UX0/edit#gid=1424412643 Store Directory] | Several resources originating in this thread continue to be used outside of /cgl/, including the [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15vbDSkXqM8t91-fE-kwE3jVbMP6G-hQh2SPm1nEYWmY/edit#gid=0 Taobao Dictionary], [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i3UsTVfwJF3UP_D43TpJmq2qEQRu7r1WEP6xy_5mtbQ/edit?usp=sharing Taobao Budget Sheet], and [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1blGT09mNzgs0qCZFB3a1vwKTpkNtV-uIGaQV6z80UX0/edit#gid=1424412643 Store Directory] | ||
[[File:FCGLScreencap.jpg|thumb|''"F---, I'm on CGL",'' a parody song posted to EGL by user ellejayvee <ref>{{Cite web|first=ellejayvee|date=December 7, 2011|title=F---, I'm on CGL: A Lolita Parody|url=https://egl.livejournal.com/17994049.html|url-status=live|access-date=December 21, 2022|website=EGL Livejournal}}</ref>]] | [[File:FCGLScreencap.jpg|thumb|''"F---, I'm on CGL",'' a parody song posted to EGL by user ellejayvee <ref>{{Cite web|first=ellejayvee|date=December 7, 2011|title=F---, I'm on CGL: A Lolita Parody|url=https://egl.livejournal.com/17994049.html|url-status=live|access-date=December 21, 2022|website=EGL Livejournal}}</ref>]] | ||
'''Ita thread''' - Perhaps the most infamous of /cgl/'s ongoing topics, this thread would anonymously post 'itas' or photos of lolitas the user thought had tacky or embarrassing coords without their consent. Discussion of these images would typically either mock or defend the subject, or often a combination of both from different users. Being featured in this thread or more generally referred to as 'getting posted to /cgl/', was at the time considered simultaneously a common annoyance and badge of honour for lolitas active in the community. | '''Ita thread''' - Perhaps the most infamous of /cgl/'s ongoing topics, this thread would anonymously post 'itas' or photos of lolitas the user thought had tacky or embarrassing [[Coordinate|coords]] without their consent. Discussion of these images would typically either mock or defend the subject, or often a combination of both from different users. Being featured in this thread or more generally referred to as 'getting posted to /cgl/', was at the time considered simultaneously a common annoyance and badge of honour for lolitas active in the community. | ||
'''Mail thread''' - Sometimes titled "What's in the mail?", this ongoing thread was a way to share with other lolitas what purchases you had recently made or were excited to receive, as well as reviews of items users had recently received. A spiritual successor to this thread now exists on Facebook as the group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/249672442601351/ i just bought the thing (lolita)] | '''Mail thread''' - Sometimes titled "What's in the mail?", this ongoing thread was a way to share with other lolitas what purchases you had recently made or were excited to receive, as well as reviews of items users had recently received. A spiritual successor to this thread now exists on Facebook as the group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/249672442601351/ i just bought the thing (lolita)] | ||
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'''Help thread''' - One of the few discussions shared between the cosplay and lolita sides of the board, this was the catchall thread for beginner questions and advice. | '''Help thread''' - One of the few discussions shared between the cosplay and lolita sides of the board, this was the catchall thread for beginner questions and advice. | ||
'''Drawthread''' - Lolitas post photos of their own coords for artists to draw, who respond with the results. | '''Drawthread''' - Lolitas post photos of their own [[Coordinate|coords]] for artists to draw, who respond with the results. | ||
=Controversy= | =Controversy= | ||
Latest revision as of 20:45, 16 September 2023
 | Disclaimer This page is included for historical and informational purposes only; it does not constitute an endorsement by Lolibrary, nor by its staff. Lolibrary bears no responsibility for the content or legality of the external site should you choose to access it. |
 | |
 Screenshot of /cgl/ on December 21, 2022 | |
| Available in | English |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
/cgl/ (pronounce see-gee-ell) is an English-language 4chan board, popular in the early 2010s for discussion of lolita fashion and infamous for how its anonymity spawned both memes and the rise of "saltiness"/bullying within the fashion, as well as the development of a variety of references still used today.
History
/cgl/ was launched on April 6, 2006 as one of several new sub-boards of Japanese-hosted anonymous messageboard 4chan[1][2] The board was infamous for being one of the few boards primarily female-dominated (later confirmed by an anonymous survey of board participants)[3] and as such was often the target of trolling and sexual advances from other male-dominated boards, notably /fit/ and /r9k/. Habitual users of the board would refer to themselves as "seagulls", stemming from a pronunciation of the board name acronym, and as such seagull imagery could commonly be associated with lolita drama, memes and criticism, especially within Lolita Secrets/Behind the Bows.
In March 2015, several /cgl/ users collaborated to launch the Lolita Guidebook on Tumblr[4], a spiritual successor the lolita handbook originally hosted and ultimately abandoned on Livejournal.
Usage/Common Threads
While /cgl/ was infamous for the criticism and cattiness that anonymity allowed, the very same anonymity and ability for forum-style discussion also, in the 2010s interim between the fall of typical forums and Discord servers, made it a common place for FAQs, resource development and community reflection.
Commonly maintained threads during its peak of usage included:
Lolita general - For general discussion of the fashion, community events and brand releases.
Taobao thread - Users would share resources, links, review and commentary on purchasing from Chinese marketplace Taobao, as well as post collage-style images of their 'hauls' when placing an order. While this thread was primarily lolita-dominated due to the influx of Chinese indie brands available on the platform, cosplay supplies and other j-fashions were often shared as well, including mori-kei, otome and larme.
Several resources originating in this thread continue to be used outside of /cgl/, including the Taobao Dictionary, Taobao Budget Sheet, and Store Directory
Ita thread - Perhaps the most infamous of /cgl/'s ongoing topics, this thread would anonymously post 'itas' or photos of lolitas the user thought had tacky or embarrassing coords without their consent. Discussion of these images would typically either mock or defend the subject, or often a combination of both from different users. Being featured in this thread or more generally referred to as 'getting posted to /cgl/', was at the time considered simultaneously a common annoyance and badge of honour for lolitas active in the community.
Mail thread - Sometimes titled "What's in the mail?", this ongoing thread was a way to share with other lolitas what purchases you had recently made or were excited to receive, as well as reviews of items users had recently received. A spiritual successor to this thread now exists on Facebook as the group i just bought the thing (lolita)
Dream Dresses - Users would post collage images of their dream dresses (not exclusively limited to dresses but typically main pieces) along with whether or not they were actively searching for the pieces/in a place to acquire them. Other users would then typically help these active searchers to locate sale listings for their dream dresses across the secondhand market.
Buy, Sell, Trade - Users would post collage images of items they had for sale or were looking to acquire; typically the sales would then take place via EGL Comm Sales or Lace Market, though these could be carried out directly via email as well.
BTB Discussion - "Secrets are up!" This thread would provide an outlet to anonymously discuss the week's submissions to Lolita Secrets and/or Behind the Bows
Help thread - One of the few discussions shared between the cosplay and lolita sides of the board, this was the catchall thread for beginner questions and advice.
Drawthread - Lolitas post photos of their own coords for artists to draw, who respond with the results.
Controversy
A frequent criticism is that as /cgl/ is hosted on 4chan, a fully anonymous everything-goes messageboard, there is very little standing in the way of intolerance and bullying on the site. Frequent spillover from more infamously intolerant boards is known to encourage levels of racism and other intolerance that would be unacceptable on other platforms, and threads such as the 'ita thread' in which other lolitas outfits and appearances are openly mocked, have made /cgl/ a subject of worry for many a lolita, regardless of their own involvement with the site[8].
"Just like Reddit or Hacker News or anything else, the good and the bad coexist. You get message boards like /b/, which frequently traffic in gore and other shock porn. But you also get people talking about how to roast raw coffee beans or come out as gay to their families. [...] That said, there’s no doubt that a lot of legitimately racist, mysogynistic, homophobic, pedophilic and otherwise unsavory people flock to 4chan, too. And those shady characters, mixed in with the pranksters and the radical-anonymity advocates, make for a volatile mixture: a place where any kind of mischief is wholly possible."[9]
Footnotes
- ↑ "4chan/History". Bibliotheca Anonoma. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ↑ "New Boards". 4chan. Apr 8, 2006.
- ↑ "Who browses /cgl/". Google Forms. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ↑ "The Lolita Guide Book". Tumblr. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ↑ "F---, I'm on CGL: A Lolita Parody". EGL Livejournal. December 7, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
|first=missing|last=(help) - ↑ Willis, Tyler (June 9, 2019). "What to do About 4chan LWLN 06 09 2019". Youtube. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ↑ "What is cgl, and why does it sound so bad?". Lolita Tips. September 3, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Is /cgl/ at all a representation of the modern lolita community as a whole?". Elegant & Gothic Lolita Fashion | Reddit. February 25, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
|first=missing|last=(help) - ↑ Dewey, Caitlin (September 25, 2019). "Absolutely everything you need to know to understand 4chan, the Internet's own bogeyman". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
