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China’s Post-90s Fashion: “Return to Rural”

The trip back home for Chinese New Year has seemed to inspire Weibo’s fashionista’s to return to their rural apparel.

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The trip back home for Chinese New Year has inspired China’s fashionista’s to return to their rural apparel. Sharing fashion pictures of before- and after going home (hashtag: #回家后) has become a popular Weibo phenomenon.

The largest annual human migration, also known as the Chinese New Year, has yet again come to an end. With passenger journey numbers of up to 2.9 billion, most Chinese took the opportunity to visit their hometown (老家) for some well-deserved R&R.

Sumptuous dinner table spreads have been devoured with much gusto, family and old friends from all over the China map have been updated and many vacation days have been used up. The Year of The Monkey was, as always, greeted with a bang or two, a few red envelopes (红包) and all the best wishes.

Tradition aside, the Post-90s decided to have their own take on “going home” this year: a return to rural fashion. Several of these 20-somethings documented their “CNYE before and after” outfits on their Weibo accounts, Yibada.com reports.

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From sheer and urban to quilted and rural, the clothing switch not only signified a toned down throwback to tradition, but also proved a matter of common sense, that is: keeping warm. Yibada writes about the latest trend on Sina Weibo, saying that “while most of these young Chinese born from 1990 onwards had been heavily exposed to pop music, fashion magazines and the Internet, most of them still called the place where their parents live in the provinces as ‘home’”, and that “the use of a different set of clothing when in the rural areas is not just to call less attention to oneself, but [also] has to do also with protecting themselves from the cold as their parents do, wearing ‘thick cotton trousers in garish patterns’.”

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Whether it’s keeping the cold at bay or paying a modern-day tribute to their parents, the post-90s made sure to do one thing: hashtagging. Captioning selfies “#回家前” (“before going home”) and “#回家后” (“after coming home”), the fun- and fashion-loving showcased their changing looks to the delight of followers. Some even captured themselves doing a chore from yore for their online collages to create that complete hometown feel.

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All in all, does this mean we will see the urban hip and happening sporting three layers of undergarments and padded patterned pants with thick army coats anytime soon? Doubtful. They temporarily returned to rural, they did not go ape for it.

– By Elsbeth van Paridon

©2016 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

Elsbeth van Paridon is a sinologist and fashion writer. Since 2010, she has been living in Beijing, where she has become an expert on all the ins and outs of the world of China fashion. She has her own blog on China fashion: Chasing the Fashion Dragon.

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China Fashion & Beauty

“No Kimonos Allowed” – Ongoing Debate on Japanese Attire in China

A Chinese girl who was refused entry to a local comic convention for wearing a ‘kimono’ raised questions about whether restrictions on Japanese attire were motivated by historical sensitivities or gender bias.

Manya Koetse

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An incident from earlier in July continues to spark discussions on Chinese social media about wearing Japanese-style clothing and where to draw the line between freedom of dress and banning attire deemed too sensitive.

The incident occurred in Jinan on July 20, when a girl wearing a Japanese yukata was refused entry to a local comic convention due to her attire. A yukata is similar to a kimono but more casual and lightweight, usually worn during the summer.

A video of the incident went viral, showing the girl dressed as Nezuko Kamado, a main character in the manga series Demon Slayer. The person filming, presumably the security guard at the venue, tells the girl she cannot enter dressed in a kimono and sends her away. “We don’t allow kimonos,” he says. “This is China.”

Screenshots of the video by RFA.

Although many applaud the decision to refuse Japanese traditional clothing at the convention, some commenters express frustration over such regulations at an anime convention, given that much of anime culture originates from Japan.

“With such a rule, why even bother holding an anime convention at all? Everything comes from Japan,” one top comment said.

“This is not even normal Japanese traditional clothing; it’s cosplay,” another person wrote.

Some people, however, point out that there are more cosplay events in China where dressing in Japanese-style attire goes against the rules, and suggest that this girl should have known better.

 
Sensitive Fashion
 

This is not the first time discussions over kimono-wearing women have flared up in China. One notable incident happened in the summer of 2022, when a Chinese female cosplayer dressed in a Japanese summer kimono while taking pictures in Suzhou’s ‘Little Tokyo’ area was taken away by local police for ‘provoking trouble’ (read more).

Later, in September 2023, a draft amendment to China’s Public Security Administration Punishments Law (治安管理处罚法) to ban clothing that “hurts national feelings” also triggered social media debates about freedom of dress and cultural sensitivities.

The issue that concerned people the most was the vague definition included in the amendment, namely, “harming or hurting the spirit and feelings of the Chinese nation” (“伤害中华民族精神、感情”). Although Chinese state media indicated that the clause targets provocative actions to attract public attention, such as wearing Japanese military uniforms at sensitive sites, legal experts and social media users expressed apprehensions regarding its ambiguity, wondering who determines what qualifies as “harmful” in the end.

Among Chinese young people, cosplay (‘costume play’) has become increasingly popular in recent years. Cosplay allows people to be something they are not—a superhero, a villain, a sex bomb—sometimes Chinese, American, or Japanese. Would a change to the law prevent them from role-playing?

 
A Gender Issue
 

Some people suggest that this is not only about wearing Japanese-style clothing but also about sexist ideas in China regarding what Chinese women can or cannot wear.

One Weibo user (@我见青山多可笑) thought it was especially unfair for the girl in Jinan to be denied entry in light of another recent incident where a man wearing a t-shirt with a Rising Sun flag design visited the Unit 731 Exhibition Hall, a museum about the biological and chemical warfare atrocities committed by the Japanese in Harbin during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

That incident happened on July 14. Although other visitors at the museum took offense and photographed the man wearing the t-shirt, nobody intervened. On Weibo, wearing such a t-shirt to the war museum was seen as an act of provocation (#男子在731部队罪证陈列馆穿太阳旗图案T恤#).

A man wearing a Japanese rising sun design while visiting a museum about war atrocities committed by Japanese in Harbin.

The Weibo user wrote: “This just shows that people’s sensitivity to Japanese clothing/Japanese culture is entirely divided by gender. If it’s a woman, it’s not allowed. If it’s a guy? Absolutely fine!”

Other commenters (@超级大酵母母母) agreed, saying: “The girl wasn’t wearing a traditional kimono; it was a cosplay outfit of a character. There were many male characters in Japanese-style clothing at the convention, but security did not stop them and only stopped the girl.”

In the end, regardless of political and gender implications, Chinese cosplay fans are just worried about the future of their beloved hobby: “If kimonos are not allowed at anime conventions, then there are so many characters that can’t be cosplayed. It’s just ridiculous!”

By Manya Koetse

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2024 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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China Brands, Marketing & Consumers

Chinese Sun Protection Fashion: Move over Facekini, Here’s the Peek-a-Boo Polo

From facekini to no-face hoodie: China’s anti-tan fashion continues to evolve.

Manya Koetse

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It has been ten years since the Chinese “facekini”—a head garment worn by Chinese ‘aunties’ at the beach or swimming pool to prevent sunburn—went international.

Although the facekini’s debut in French fashion magazines did not lead to an international craze, it did turn the term “facekini” (脸基尼), coined in 2012, into an internationally recognized word.

The facekini went viral in 2014.

In recent years, China has seen a rise in anti-tan, sun-protection garments. More than just preventing sunburn, these garments aim to prevent any tanning at all, helping Chinese women—and some men—maintain as pale a complexion as possible, as fair skin is deemed aesthetically ideal.

As temperatures are soaring across China, online fashion stores on Taobao and other platforms are offering all kinds of fashion solutions to prevent the skin, mainly the face, from being exposed to the sun.

One of these solutions is the reversed no-face sun protection hoodie, or the ‘peek-a-boo polo,’ a dress shirt with a reverse hoodie featuring eye holes and a zipper for the mouth area.

This sun-protective garment is available in various sizes and models, with some inspired by or made by the Japanese NOTHOMME brand. These garments can be worn in two ways—hoodie front or hoodie back. Prices range from 100 to 280 yuan ($13-$38) per shirt/jacket.

The no-face hoodie sun protection shirt is sold in various colors and variations on Chinese e-commerce sites.

Some shops on Taobao joke about the extreme sun-protective fashion, writing: “During the day, you don’t know which one is your wife. At night they’ll return to normal and you’ll see it’s your wife.”

On Xiaohongshu, fashion commenters note how Chinese sun protective clothing has become more extreme over the past few years, with “sunburn protection warriors” (防晒战士) thinking of all kinds of solutions to avoid a tan.

Although there are many jokes surrounding China’s “sun protection warriors,” some people believe they are taking it too far, even comparing them to Muslim women dressed in burqas.

Image shared on Weibo by @TA们叫我董小姐, comparing pretty girls before (left) and nowadays (right), also labeled “sunscreen terrorists.”

Some Xiaohongshu influencers argue that instead of wrapping themselves up like mummies, people should pay more attention to the UV index, suggesting that applying sunscreen and using a parasol or hat usually offers enough protection.

By Manya Koetse, with contributions by Miranda Barnes

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2024 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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