Two pieces of food for thought:

  • https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3198984/china-chic-trend-builds-young-peoples-patriotism-cultural-confidence (Chinese people starting to dress in the Han fashion again)

  • https://web.archive.org/web/20210210074724/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/world/asia/new-zealand-rawiri-waititi-tie.html (Māori politician kicked out of parliament for not wearing a necktie, turns into a whole dispute, eventually wins)

Now if you look at Chinese parliament, well I don't have to tell you what you'll see.

What would it take for Chinese politicians to start appearing in Han dress?

(not advocating for this, just a stray thought I had)

  • booty [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    I think it's a bad idea to just move from one uniform of the ruling class to a different uniform (of a different ruling class population) but I think the range of things you're "allowed" to wear in a formal setting should be expanded for sure. If the uniform has to be ruling class uniforms then I don't see why you shouldn't see guys in suits sitting next to guys in traditional chinese garb, according to their own preference.

    But really we should probably try to communicate something new with our choice of clothing.

    • ssjmarx [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      uniform of the ruling class

      I guess one advantage of the European suit is that it's so ubiquitous that it doesn't really scan as a uniform of the ruling class anymore. Like back in the day monarchs would ban the color purple and say that the only one allowed to wear it was them, but now we all wear the exact same shit and the people who claim to be able to tell the difference between an expensive one and a cheap one are liars on the level of wine enthusiasts.

      But now that I think about it

      from another point of view, the European suit isn't so much the uniform of a ruling class that has had its meaning diluted with time - it's actually the proscribed uniform of everyone who participates in capitalism. The real "ruler" of our society has long been the algorithm, and the truth is that nobody has the right to wear what they want anymore because the algorithm demands that we wear its colors: black with a white undershirt.

      • Gimbrone [none/use name]
        ·
        2 years ago

        Oh, I assure you it's not hard to tell a tailored suit from an off-the-rack one. You just have to see if it fits correctly or not. Then you look at the fabric, etc. I find a helpful shortcut is to look at the shoes. Well-off people don't buy shoes from Foot Locker, they have cobblers.

        • ssjmarx [he/him]
          ·
          2 years ago

          Tailoring I agree, but getting something tailored is relatively cheap (and can be done yourself if you know basic sewing) and makes your look 1000% better no matter what you're wearing.

          I'm talking about knowing the difference between a suit that was bought at Sears and one bought at a high end exclusive executive suit shop. If you can't see the tag, a suit is a suit.